Seattle Mariners Reportedly Tried to Trade For Former Texas Rangers 1B This Offseason
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According to a report from MLB.com's Daniel Kramer, the Seattle Mariners tried to trade for Nathaniel Lowe earlier this offseason.
Lowe, the former Texas Rangers first baseman, ended up being traded to the Washington Nationals, but not without a good run from Seattle.
Sources said that they offered Carlos Santana more total money than the one-year, $12 million deal he eventually took from the Guardians, and the Mariners made an aggressive push to trade for former Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, but felt that Texas had trepidation over dealing him within the division. Lowe was instead traded to the Nationals.
Within an extremely quiet offseason -- one in which they’ve had to make one pivot after another -- the Mariners still believe they’re in position to make a notable move.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) January 21, 2025
The latest holdup is the slow-developing market for Alex Bregman.https://t.co/bUUpI6wA4e
That would have been an interesting acquisition on multiple fronts for Seattle, had it come to fruition. First off, Lowe is under contract through 2026 which the M's clearly value. However, he would have gotten more expensive through the arbitration process and as the M's look to save money, it's unclear how they would have felt about those pay increases.
Furthermore, Lowe is not a platoon bat, he's an everyday player. Had the M's gotten him, they likely never would have signed Donovan Solano this offseason. They also wouldn't be using Luke Raley at first base, and Raley would likely have served in a designated hitter and fourth outfielder's role.
The 29-year-old Lowe is a six-year veteran of the Tampa Bay Rays and Rangers. He helped the Rangers win the World Series in 2023 and won a Gold Glove Award that year. He also won a Silver Slugger Award in 2022. He's a career .272 hitter.
The Mariners, as of now, figure to use Raley and Solano in a platoon at first base.
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