Brady's Spin: The Mariners Still Need to Attack at the Trade Deadline
Quite frankly, this Seattle Mariners baseball team doesn't look like one that's worth investing in. The M's have struggled for the last month and now have lost seven of their last eight games. They've been beaten five consecutive times by the lowly Los Angeles Angels and have lost four of five games since the start of the All-Star break - all at home.
If you don't think that the M's are worth investing in this year, that's fair, however, the Mariners as an organization are still worth investing in. And that's what the Mariners should do at the looming trade deadline.
See, the Mariners should go out and acquire Luis Robert Jr. at the deadline. And it's not because he'll lift the Mariners to playoffs this year - he might, but it's not the primary reason. It's because the M's can get a jumpstart on their offseason while also aiding in whatever remains of the quest this year.
As Buster Olney told us on a recent episode of the "Refuse to Lose" podcast, free agent hitters don't want to come to Seattle. There's a perception that Seattle is too tough a place to hit, and it's born out that free agent hitters have struggled with the Mariners. So if you can't sign it in the offseason, you might as well trade for it now and start your offseason roster remodeling early.
Given the struggles of Mitch Haniger and Dom Canzone, the M's very clearly need outfield help. Wouldn't you want to have Robert Jr. out there flanking Julio Rodriguez and Luke Raley? The 26-year-old Robert Jr. has three years of team control AFTER the rest of this season.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is someone we've heard connected to the Mariners often in the last few weeks. While I've been generally OK with acquiring him, I'm more lukewarm on that today. Given that Cole Young could be ready to have the job at second base early on in 2025, you may not want to block that position long-term. Perhaps Young is even ready to take the job right from Opening Day in 2025.
Young is hitting .262 at Double-A Arkansas this year. He has seven homers and 39 RBI.
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BRADY FARKAS