The Mariners’ pitching depth over the past few seasons has attracted many teams to trade talks, and reports surfaced of Boston’s interest in Seattle’s rotation almost exactly a year ago. There was no real progress between the two teams at the time, but Ryan Devish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reported that the Red Sox offered the first baseman earlier this offseason. Triston Casas for any Bryce Miller or Brian Wu. However, these “exploratory talks” subsequently “did not result in any further progress” as Group M had no interest in pursuing a rotation deal unless it was a last resort.
Given the contrasting strengths and weaknesses of the Mariners and Red Sox, pitching-for-bats would seem to be the ideal answer to both teams’ needs. While Miller or Wu may not be the kind of aces the Red Sox are looking for to bolster their rotation, both are clearly talented young players with upside and franchise control — neither Miller nor Wu qualify. Arbitration takes place, and both have control of the 2029 season through the team. Likewise, Casas has control until 2028 and has already shown glimpses of his potential at the MLB level.
Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has refused to comment on Miller, Wu, George Kirby, Logan Gilbertand Luis Castillo. Recent reports suggest the M’s are at least willing to listen to what the team has to say about Castillo, the oldest and highest-paid member of the rotation, but Devish and Jude wrote, “The Mariners… There was no active purchase of Castillo.
There’s nothing stopping Dipoto from listening to what the team might have to say in case someone makes an offer that’s too good to refuse. However, Dipoto told Devish and other reporters today, “Our initial reluctance to have any type of in-depth discussions regarding trading starting pitching may result in us receiving far fewer calls than we typically receive during the offseason.”.
The result could be a stalemate as the Mariners wait for opposing teams to lower their asking prices and other clubs wait for the M’s to be more open to the idea of rotation depth trades. Things could change once some free agent pitchers come off the board, or if the Mariners add one themselves Riki Saaki. While just about every team in baseball now has an offer for the Japanese ace, Seattle’s track record of pitching development and Japanese star players would appear to give the M’s a move above most teams in the bidding process.
In the interim, it appears the Mariners will continue to focus on trying to make trades from minor league depth, except as Dipoto noted, “In this era, prospects are no longer the driving force and nearly everyone is focused on major league players. I don’t know why it’s different than usual for me right now, maybe that will change in a week or two as free agency really opens up”.
since shortstop Justice Crawford As the only proven member of the Mariners’ infield, acquiring a promising first base talent like Casas would go a long way toward shoring up the infield and the overall shaky lineup. That said, the Mariners have at least one part-time first base option Luke Reillyhe looked to be getting a lot of playing time against right-handed pitching.
Since M has been linked to a second or third base trade candidate, e.g. Nico Horner or Alec BohmSeattle may try to address one of those positions first before moving on to the relatively easier-to-fill first base spot. An industry source told Divish and Jude the Mariners may consider trying to add a third team to negotiate with the Cubs for Hoerner, perhaps to help pay what is owed on the remaining two years of Hoerner’s contract Partial funding.
From Boston’s perspective, trading Casas wouldn’t necessarily create a vacancy at first base. Raphael Devers is a poor defensive player at third base, and the Red Sox have reportedly at least considered moving him to first base in order to open up the hot corner for a budding infield prospect in Boston, or possibly a big free agent like . Alex Bregman. As a manager, this remains a speculative topic at this time Alex Cora Today told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) that he hasn’t spoken to Devers about a position move, and Cora actually praised Devers’ 2024 third base job as “Outstanding”.
Then again, there’s no shortage of gamesmanship in the offseason, because just last month, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow Downplayed the idea of trading Casas. Reports emerged over the weekend that the Red Sox were considering the possibility of trading Casas as a pitcher, and an apparent offer for Miller or Wu would only reinforce the idea that Casas is far from the Sox’s roster An untouchable part. Of course, that’s not to say Casas will be moved on for less than a premium return.
