Three trade ideas for Mariners ahead of MLB trade deadline on Aug. 1

SEATTLE – For a number of reasons, each significant on its own, a Shohei Ohtani trade to Seattle before MLB’s Aug. 1 deadline is not realistic.

The Ohtani trade speculation is the most talked-about story in baseball right now, and the Angels will reportedly listen to offers.

But it seems unlikely that the Angels, still hoping to re-sign Ohtani when he hits free agency in the offseason, will actually pull the trigger on a trade, and can you blame them? No one wants “traded away the most talented player in baseball history” on their resume.

Beyond that, it seems unfathomable that Angels owner Arte Moreno would sign off on a trade to a division rival, particularly given the bitter history between the Angels and Mariners president of baseball ops Jerry Dipoto, who abruptly resigned as the Angels GM in 2015.

And even if all those roadblocks could be navigated, the steep asking price for Ohtani would have to make the Mariners balk.

One scout from an opposing American League team suggested that the Angels would ask for George Kirby or Logan Gilbert “as a starting point” for Ohtani. The Mariners would almost certainly have to add in two of their top prospects – say, Harry Ford and Cole Young – just to get a foot in the door on the Ohtani sweepstakes.

Sure, you know going in that trying to trade for a player of Ohtani’s magnitude will be costly, and painful. But that price, from the Mariners’ perspective, is just too rich, and the long-term ramifications potentially too risky.

It’s not worth it.

What, instead, could the Mariners do before the trade deadline?

Well, with his team still treading at .500 Friday, Dipoto said he is open to being both a buyer and a seller on the trade market, while operating on the “margins.” Which is to say, don’t expect any blockbuster deal in the next 12 days.

Here, then, are three trade proposals that fit that description and fall in line with some of the Mariners’ deadline strategies in recent years:

Proposal No. 1

Mariners send RHP Paul Sewald to Tampa Bay Rays for INF Osleivis Basabe (Triple-A) and RHP Marcus Johnson (Low-A).

No one wants to see Sewald go. He’s been the anchor of Seattle’s bullpen for the past three seasons and a key figure in their playoff push last season. But the Mariners’ front office, two years after trading away Kendall Graveman before the deadline, can’t ignore the fact that Sewald is a 33-year-old reliever at the peak of his value. If they can get a legitimate return for him, they’ll do it. Basabe, the Rays’ No. 6-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, is a versatile infielder with good on-base skills who could be the long-term answer the Mariners have been looking for at second base.

Proposal No. 2

Mariners send RHP Walter Ford (rookie league) and RHP Travis Kuhn (Double-A) to New York Mets for 2B Jeff McNeil.

McNeil is the kind of contact hitter the Mariners sorely need in their lineup. McNeil, you might recall, was one of the Mariners’ initial targets in the Robinson Cano-Edwin Diaz trade in 2018 (with Jarred Kelenic, of course, the centerpiece of the return). McNeil won the NL batting title last year and then signed a four-year, $50 million deal to return to the Mets. At 31, he’s having a down year (.248 average, .646 OPS), but the Mariners might just see that as an opportunity to buy low.

Proposal No. 3

Mariners send RHP Emerson Hancock (Double-A) to St. Louis Cardinals for OF Dylan Carlson.

The Cardinals have a surplus of outfielders and need pitching. The Mariners have pitching depth and could use an outfielder. Carlson, a switch-hitting 24-year-old, is a former top prospect who hasn’t put it together at the major-league level. Perhaps a change of scenery would serve him well.