Mariners surprise trade idea lands them All-Star reliever from National League contender

Already considered among the best relievers in baseball, Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz has taken his game to a whole different level in 2025.

The 26-year-old fireman has not allowed a run in his first 18 innings, striking out 25 batters and converting all 13 of his save opportunities. Muñoz’s ability to close out tight ball games is a major reason why the Mariners sit in first place in the American League West despite a middling +11 run differential. 

If the Mariners want to hold on to their division lead, however, they should add another established late-inning arm to take the pressure off Muñoz. The Mariners have gotten solid production from left-hander Gabe Speier, but right-handed set-up men Colin Snider (3.93 ERA, 6.9 K/9) and Trent Thornton (5.87 ERA) have been underwhelming at best. The club did recently get Matt Brash back from the injured list, but given that he missed the entire 2024 season with Tommy John surgery and has seen his fastball drop by over two miles per hour from his last stint in the Majors, it remains to be seen how much he can be depended on.

Fortunately for the Mariners, relievers tend to be among the easiest positions to trade for at the deadline, and established names like St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Ryan Helsley and Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan are expected to be available. If the Mariners truly wanted to get bold, however, Newsweek’s Andrew Wright believes they would swing a trade for San Diego Padres’ closer Robert Suarez. 

 “It is well-known that AJ Preller is not afraid to strike a big deal at any given time if the price is right,” Wright wrote. “Adding Suarez to a backend of the bullpen that already features closer Andrés Muñoz (18 games, 0.00 ERA) would almost be unfair.”

Though his numbers are skewed by a disastrous outing against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, Suarez has picked up right where he left off from a breakout 2024 campaign. He currently leads Major League Baseball with 15 saves and, even at age 34, continues to feature one of the most unhittable fastballs in the game. Though he throws the pitch over half the time, opposing batters have yet to come up with an answer, as they are hitting just .088 with a .118 slugging against the heater. 

The biggest obstacle for a deal, however, is the fact that the Padres currently possess one of the best records in baseball, and contending teams rarely trade their star closers in the middle of the season. Yet as Wright points out, Padres general manager AJ Preller has never been one for conventional moves, and Suarez could be viewed as expendable due to his expiring contract and the amount of depth the Padres have around him in the bullpen. If the Mariners are willing to dip into one of the game’s deepest farm systems, they may be able to form one of the most formidable reliever combos in recent memory. 

More MLB: Blue Jays could trade Bo Bichette to AL contender who missed out on Alex Bregman