MLB’s trade deadline is just a few weeks away, as teams sort out whether they will be buyers or sellers and decide which pieces to keep on the roster and which to trade away. For a team like the Seattle Mariners, their biggest issue has been a lack of offensive firepower. Aside from Cal Raleigh, of course, who leads all of Major League Baseball in home runs and RBIs. He has single-handedly carried the Mariners’ offense. Seattle has a great pitching staff as well, but could use some reinforcements on the offensive side if they want to be a true threat in October.
They could feast off a team like the Atlanta Braves, who are struggling mightily right now, and are likely to be sellers at the deadline.
Trade Idea Sends Marcell Ozuna to Seattle for Prospects
As noted, the Atlanta Braves have had a disastrous season and are moving in the wrong direction, sitting at 39-51 on the season. It’s time for Atlanta to decide on some key players. The problem for the Braves has also been that their best players have lost stock due to poor performance this season. However, a guy like Marcell Ozuna has the track record that teams will come calling for.
In a recent “Expected Buyers and Sellers” piece by Bleacher Report, the Seattle Mariners were noted as a team that’s expected to buy, and their biggest need is “overall bats”.
Here is what writer Kerry Miller had to say about Seattle’s potential plans:
“The unfortunate news for Seattle is this is shaping up to be a rough year for buyers looking for bats. If the Braves (Marcell Ozuna), Orioles (Ryan O’Hearn) and Diamondbacks (Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez) all pack it in and unload their rentals, there are certainly options. Seattle could also go the multi-year route again (see: Luis Castillo, Randy Arozarena, etc.) and go for Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, or one of the outfielders in Boston’s logjam. However, the demand is likely to far outweigh the supply, and we shall see how far into their deep bag of top prospects they’re willing to go to try to ensure this doesn’t become the fourth time in five years that they win at least 85 games and still miss the postseason.”
Miller makes a couple of good points about this season not being a gold mine for hitters at the deadline, and it seems like the Arizona Diamondbacks will likely hold on to their assets.
Ozuna Would Be a Great Fit
Ozuna fits the bill for the Seattle Mariners and would slot in perfectly in the middle of the order as a Designated Hitter. He is past his playing days in the field, and although he’s seen a dip in production this season, it is still certainly better than some of the other Mariner bats. Ozuna has 11 home runs this season to go along with 40 RBIs, but you would have to think that if he gets moved to a contender like the Mariners, that may cause his offensive production to increase. He is also a rental addition, so Seattle would likely just have to give up a mid-tier prospect or two for him.
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