MLB insider approves wild Mariners trade proposals involving two dominant relievers

Perhaps no team will have more eyes on them this trade deadline than the Seattle Mariners. 

Much of the intrigue stems from the urgency the club feels to make the postseason for just the second time in the last 25 years, which was reflected in their trade last week for slugging first baseman Josh Naylor. Yet what is most interesting is that the Mariners were able to acquire one of the best bats on the market without dipping into their high-end prospect talent. The Mariners currently have eight players who reside in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect rankings, seemingly giving them the ability to acquire any player they think can help them chase down the Houston Astros for the American League West title. 

While upgrading the offensive supporting cast around Most Valuable Player Award favorite Cal Raleigh remains a priority, so to does helping out a relatively shallow bullpen. Right-handers Matt Brash and Andres Munoz have been nearly untouchable in the late innings, each posting an ERA below 1.50, but the rest of the bullpen has been largely uninspiring. Lefty specialist Gabe Speier is the only reliever to post a Fielder’s Independent Pitching (FIP) below four, as Colin Snider and Trent Thornton in particular have been unable to repeat last year’s success. 

With the eighth and ninth innings solidified, rational thinking may be that the Mariners add a middle reliever on the cheap and focus most of their attention on the offense. Yet with some big relief names potentially up for grabs this deadline season, the Mariners have reason to swing big, particularly if the Minnesota Twins make flamethrowers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax available. Duran has been his usual dominant self with a 1.86 ERA and 16 saves, while Jax has rebounded from a rough opening month to post a 2.43 ERA over his last 37 innings, which includes a dominant 58-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

 In a recent article in which he evaluated fan's trade proposals, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden gave his seal of approval to a deal that would send both relievers to the Mariners for catching prospect Harry Ford and starting pitcher Logan Evans. 

“If the Mariners were to land both Duran and Jax with this trade idea, they would win the AL West and have a legitimate shot at the World Series,” Bowden wrote. “For the Twins, if they like Ford’s bat enough, it would be tough not to accept this offer. Evans would give them starting pitching depth, and they would control Ford for six years.” 

Though trading two late-inning relievers with team control beyond 2025 would signal a clear commitment to a rebuild, the Twins would be acquiring an incredibly valuable asset in Ford. Not only does Ford, who ranks as MLB Pipeline’s 49th overall prospect, have the defensive chops to remain behind the plate but he could potentially become one of the best offensive catchers in baseball. The 22-year-old has hit at every level and is in the midst of arguably his best campaign, posting a remarkable .410 on-base percentage while drawing 53 walks against just 63 strikeouts at Triple-A Tacoma. The Twins would also receive a major-league-ready arm in Evans, a 24-year-old right-hander who has turned in a solid 3.64 ERA through his first 11 Major League Baseball starts this season. 

For the Mariners, meanwhile, this deal is a complete no-brainer. Not only would they form one of the most dominant bullpens in recent memory, but they would be dealing from a position of depth. Ford is blocked behind the plate by Raleigh, who signed a six-year extension this past offseason, while Evans could get squeezed out of the Mariners' stacked rotation when Bryce Miller returns from injury. 

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