MLB’s calendar has officially turned, and it is now July, aka trade deadline season. In these dog days of summer, playoff hopeful teams have aspirations of improving their roster before the July 31st deadline. And for some other teams that are out of contention, they are in the market to sell off valuable assets for prospective pieces.
The Seattle Mariners are one of those fringe teams that could be active in the trade market. Seattle is 44-40, and while they are 6 games back of the Houston Astros, the Mariners are right in the thick of it in terms of the American League Wild Card. Cal Raleigh is having a prolific season with 33 home runs before the All-Star break. Seattle also has an extremely solid starting rotation. It would be hard not to think they won’t put their front foot forward in terms of making acquisitions.
Baltimore Orioles Likely to be Sellers
The Baltimore Orioles are likely to be sellers this season, as it has just been a disaster of a 2025 campaign. However, they do have pieces that teams will be calling for. The two that stand out are lefty sluggers Cedric Mullins and first baseman Ryan O’Hearn.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter recently came out with some fresh MLB trade ideas as we are now officially in July. Reuter predicts that the Orioles will send the Seattle Mariners O’Hearn in a blockbuster deal. In return, Seattle will send Baltimore a couple of their top-tier prospects. Here is Reuters’ analysis on the potential deal:
“A solidly productive platoon option in 2023 (368 PA, 122 OPS+, 14 HR, 60 RBI) and 2024 (494 PA, 120 OPS+, 15 HR, 59 RBI), Ryan O’Hearn has been arguably the best hitter on the Orioles this year. He’s posting a .293/.380/.473 line for a 144 OPS+ with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 30 RBI. Aside from his production at the plate, O’Hearn also provides some useful defensive versatility with the ability to play first base and both corner outfield spots. That lines up with what the Seattle Mariners need to bolster their lineup.”
Reuter Believes Seattle’s Farm System Plays a Big Factor
In the Bleacher Report piece, Reuter also attributes the Seattle Mariners’ deep farm system to be a strong factor in this deal.
“The Mariners have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. While a two-month rental of O’Hearn likely wouldn’t cost them a top 100-caliber prospect, they would still need to part with some quality pieces to outbid his other suitors. Right-hander Teddy McGraw was a third-round pick in the 2023 draft despite being sidelined while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. His stuff is electric if he can stay healthy, and he has a 2.87 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 17 strikeouts over 15.2 innings in his return to the mound this year.”
Seattle Has a Lot to Play For
The Seattle Mariners have hopes of being real contenders this season. Again, they are getting one of, if not the best, campaigns out of a catcher in Raleigh. The only thing this team struggles with is infield hitting production. But with O’Hearn’s uptick in power numbers, that could fare well for the Mariners’ 2025 chances.
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