MLB Analyst Believes the Mariners will Trade Some of Their Starting Pitching Depth
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For years, the Seattle Mariners have been on a mission to find and develop as many good, young starting pitchers as possible. Following that strategy, they have a nucleus of arms and innings eaters that they've had in place for several years now. In fact, they have an abundance in their rotation compared to several other clubs in Major League Baseball.
With names like Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, and several others, the team has felt positive about their pitching rotation and didn't want to break up the group's chemistry. However, with several big names eligible for free agency, the team may now be forced to trade some of those available arms for a corner infielder to replace either third baseman Eugenio Suarez or first baseman Josh Naylor. Or, they ship someone out to fill the shoes of second baseman Jorge Polanco.
MLB reporter Jon Morosi appeared Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, where he pointed out that the Mariners should use their starting depth to shore up the lineup.
“You’ve got seven guys that you believe can start major league games (as a pitcher) for you ideally in 2026,” Morosi said. “And there are very, very few teams that can say the same thing. … I know it wasn’t perfect by the end, but I think by and large, the Mariners had this year and still have about as much pitching depth as any team does at the major league level.”
“What I think with the Mariners is they will likely be in a situation where they could trade one of their starters. This might be the time. It’s not your first choice, but trading one to get the bat you need might be an appropriate step.”
Morosi continued on, saying that while it may not be the ideal situation an the M's could get burned, it's a risk they my have to take.
“If you get much past the winter meetings, it can be hard to get full value because other teams are starting to fill their needs. If I’m Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander at the GM meetings in a couple weeks, I am mentioning the names – I’m not shopping the players, but I am pricing it out. ‘What do we do, and who has some bats they can give me, and who is really desperate for the pitching that I’ve got?'”
The 2025 MLB Winter Meetings will be held from December 8–11 in Orlando, Florida. Looking to build on a 90-win season, a division title, and being one game from the World Series? Expect the Mariners to field a lot of offers during the Hot Stove League.
