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MLBTR Podcast: Megapod Trade Deadline Preview

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss various trade deadline topics, including…

Check out our past episodes!

  • David Robertson, Trade Chips For The O’s and A’s, And What The Rangers Could Do – listen here
  • Rays’ Ownership, The Phillies Target Bullpen Help, And Bubble Teams – listen here
  • Firings in Washington, Bad Braves, And An AL East Shake-Up – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Geoff Burke, Imagn Images

Mariners Acquire Josh Naylor

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The Mariners and Diamondbacks made the first significant move of deadline season on Thursday evening. Seattle acquired first baseman Josh Naylor for rookie left-hander Brandyn Garcia and pitching prospect Ashton Izzi. Naylor and Garcia are each on the 40-man roster, so no additional moves were required in that regard. The D-Backs recalled Tristin English to fill the spot on the active roster.

Naylor hasn’t gotten quite the same amount of deadline hype as now former teammate Eugenio Suárez, whose power barrage makes him the top impending free agent hitter available. The 28-year-old first baseman is having a strong year in his own right, though. Naylor is hitting .292/.360/.447 with 11 homers in nearly 400 trips to the dish. He has even chipped in a career-high 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts. There may not have been a better left-handed rental bat on the market.

The former first-round pick is on the move for the second time in seven months. The Diamondbacks acquired Naylor from Cleveland for starting pitcher Slade Cecconi and the 70th overall draft pick over the winter. It was a more affordable means of addressing first base than re-signing Christian Walker, who secured a three-year contract that paid $20MM annually from the Astros. While Naylor doesn’t provide the same Gold Glove defense that Walker offers, he has been a well above-average hitter for a fourth straight season. Last year’s career-best 31 home runs looks like an outlier, but he has cut his strikeout rate to a personal-low 12.4% clip and should hit between 15-20 homers.

Seattle has long had a reputation as a team that desperately needs offense to complement a loaded pitching staff. That has been true in prior seasons but is not so much the case this year. The Mariners rank sixth in home runs and 10th in runs scored. They’re middle-of-the-pack in batting average and rank among the top ten in both on-base percentage and slugging. That’s no small feat for a team that plays its home games at the extremely pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park. Seattle has an MLB-best .270 batting average and .346 OBP on the road, and only the Brewers and Cubs have scored more runs away from home.

Naylor deepens the group. He’ll take the everyday first base job from Luke Raley, who should see most of his time in right field. Dominic Canzone has been on fire since Seattle recalled him from Triple-A on June 9. He now projects as a bench bat, though he could also get into the lineup at designated hitter if the Mariners feel comfortable using Jorge Polanco a little more frequently between second and third base.

That’s all dependent on what other moves Seattle has in store. Earlier this week, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported that the Mariners considered a reunion with Suárez to be their top deadline priority, even more so than the idea of adding Naylor. The Mariners will reportedly continue to push to add Suárez as well. He’s a cleaner positional fit — he’d be a massive upgrade at third base over Ben Williamson — but the Diamondbacks will command a better return than they received for Naylor.

That also demonstrates that the M’s are working with greater financial flexibility than they had over the offseason, as has been reported by multiple Seattle beat writers in recent weeks. Naylor is playing on a $10.9MM salary, nearly $4MM of which the Mariners are taking on. Suárez is owed more than $5MM of his $15MM salary. The Mariners have fallen six games back of the Astros in the AL West, but they’re clearly willing to invest as they try to at least lock down a Wild Card berth.

This is the first of multiple dominoes to fall for the Diamondbacks. Any hope they had of avoiding a sell-off when they swept the Cardinals coming out of the All-Star Break is gone. They negated the St. Louis series by getting swept at home by Houston earlier this week. They’re back to three games below .500 and 5.5 out of a playoff spot with four teams to jump. The front office is resigned to the unlikelihood of closing that gap with an injury-riddled pitching staff.

Arizona is prioritizing controllable pitching in their deadline returns. They get a pair of young arms in their first deal of the summer. Garcia, 25, should jump right into the big league bullpen. The 6’4″ southpaw was just promoted to the big leagues on Monday. He has pitched twice, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks while recording one strikeout. He’s averaging 97 MPH on his sinker and has two distinct breaking pitches — a mid-80s sweeper and a cutter/slider that sits in the upper 80s.

Garcia was Seattle’s 11th-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2023. He ranked 13th among Seattle prospects at MLB Pipeline and 19th at Baseball America. Both outlets credit him with a promising sinker-slider combination. Garcia’s lack of a viable changeup and fringe command pushed him to the bullpen for the first time this season. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports that the D-Backs also view him as a reliever and don’t intend to build him back up to start. Garcia has combined for a 3.51 ERA with a 28.2% strikeout rate and elevated 11.4% walk percentage in 32 appearances between the top two minor league levels.

Izzi, 21, is a long-term development play. Seattle took him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of an Illinois high school. He pitched well in Low-A last season but has struggled to a 5.51 ERA across 12 starts in High-A this year. He has punched out a quarter of batters faced with a reasonable 9.7% walk rate, suggesting there’s some poor fortune in that earned run average. The 6’3″ right-hander ranked 13th among Seattle farmhands at Baseball America and 16th at MLB Pipeline. He has a mid-90s fastball and the chance for a three-pitch mix that could allow him to stick as a starter if his command continues to develop.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that the Mariners were acquiring Naylor. ESPN’s Jeff Passan had Garcia and Izzi going back to Arizona. Respective images courtesy of Denis Poroy and Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images.

Diamondbacks Reportedly Planning To Be Deadline Sellers

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The Diamondbacks seem to have picked a lane. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that they are informing rival clubs that they plan to trade at least some of their veteran players, though the extent of their sell-off is still to be determined. Many of their players are impending free agents and qualifying offer candidates, so the trade returns would have to notably eclipse QO compensation for the Diamondbacks to pull the trigger on trading one of those players. It also seems they don’t want to totally wave the white flag on 2025, so they won’t just sell any theoretical candidate.

It’s a tricky spot for the club to be in. As noted by Rosenthal, the club may not want to punt the 2025 season. Back in 2023, they snuck into the playoffs with 84 wins and ended up going all the way to the World Series, eventually falling to the Rangers. But their 2025 club has been decimated by injuries, particularly on the pitching side. Corbin Burnes, Jordan Montgomery, A.J. Puk, Justin Martínez and others have required season-ending surgeries. Notable position players like Gabriel Moreno and Pavin Smith are also on the shelf.

Despite all of that, the club has hung around the playoff race. General manager Mike Hazen has spoken about how he would like to act as a buyer at the deadline but needed the club to justify that position by winning games. They came out of the All-Star break with a sweep of the Cardinals, but then got swept by the Astros. They are currently 50-53 and 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. They’re not totally buried but it seems the club has decided this may not be their year and some decisions should be made to help the club focus on the future.

Moving more clearly into seller position will have its advantages. With the expanded postseason, many clubs are still in contention, which makes it a seller’s market. By making some attractive players available, the front office could do a lot to help the Diamondbacks in the future.

Young pitching seems likely to be a focus. The rotation is set to lose Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly to free agency. Burnes will still be recovering from his surgery for a lot of next year. The 2026 rotation projects to include Eduardo Rodríguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson. Rodríguez and Pfaadt are struggling this year. Nelson is doing well but has only really had a rotation spot for about six weeks, having been in long relief until injuries opened a spot for him. The Snakes could improve their 2026 rotation outlook by getting some younger pitchers now.

Eugenio Suárez seems the most likely player to be traded. He’s an impending free agent and his stock is tremendously high right now, since he’s been on a heater for more than a year. Dating back to July 7th of last year, he has 60 home runs, a .277/.334/.607 batting line and 154 wRC+. He has a $15MM salary this year, which will leave about $5MM left to be paid out at the deadline.

He will be highly attractive. He’s already been connected to teams like the Cubs, Yankees, Mariners and Reds. Rosenthal mentions those teams and adds the Mets to the pile. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix says 12 teams in total have contacted the Snakes about Suárez. Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the Mariners and Yankees are the most aggressive of the suitors, though the market appears to be very crowded.

The Mets have a cluster of young infielders which includes Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio. Baty is the only one in that group having a good season, though he’s also been playing some second base, so it’s possible he could co-exist with Suárez. The Mets are also reportedly willing to trade from that infield depth, so it’s possible Suárez could be brought in as part of a bigger shake-up.

With that hot market, it’s easy to the appeal for the Snakes in cashing in. It’s also possible that it could hurt their 2025 chances less than trading some of their other veterans. Jordan Lawlar is one of the top prospects in baseball but has been blocked from getting a big league audition. He can’t be expected to come up and produce at the same level as Suárez but it’s possible he could run with the opportunity and make up some of what is lost. He is currently out with a hamstring strain but could be back in the coming weeks. Even if he doesn’t come up and immediately succeed, there would be value in the Diamondbacks giving him an extended audition before they have to make key offseason decisions about their lineup.

There are some parallels on the other side of the infield. Josh Naylor is an impending free agent and consistently above-average hitter. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has a .272/.336/.462 line and 121 wRC+. He is making $10.9MM this year, which will leave a little under $4MM to be paid out as the deadline nears. Smith has been putting up big numbers the past two years and could take over for Naylor at first, though he’s currently sidelined by an oblique strain. Naylor has been connected to the Mariners though they are reportedly more interested in Suárez.

As mentioned, Gallen and Kelly are also impending free agents. Rosenthal has previously suggested the club is unlikely to trade both as they will still need innings to get through the season. That’s a bit of an odd hedge. They could always grab cast-offs from other clubs, Erick Fedde types, to finish the year. But perhaps the Snakes are trying to walk a fine line where they sell some pieces without totally punting their 2025 campaign. Trading one of this duo but keeping the other could be a compromise along those lines.

Kelly is having the better season but Gallen has higher theoretical upside. Jesse Rogers of ESPN recently reported that teams were a bit more interested in Gallen, despite the recent results. Gallen, 29, has a 5.58 ERA and 22.2% strikeout rate this year. Some of that might be luck, as he his 65.1% strand rate and 16.7% home run to fly ball rate are both to the unfortunate side. His 4.16 SIERA suggests he might not be too far from his past self, though his hard hit rate and barrel rate are also quite high this year, so it might not be all luck.

From 2022 to 2024, Gallen tossed 542 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, 6% walk rate, 44.4% ground ball rate, 3.20 FIP and 3.60 SIERA. FanGraphs credited him with 12.1 wins above replacement in that time, seventh among all pitchers. It’s understandable that teams looking for rotation upgrades, particularly for the postseason, would be intrigued by acquiring Gallen and getting him back to that level. He is making $13.50MM this year, which will leave about $4.5MM left to be paid out at the deadline. He’s been connected to the Blue Jays but should be of interest to several other pitching-needy teams.

Kelly, 36, doesn’t have the same ace ceiling but has been more steady. He is in his seventh season with the Snakes and has a 3.76 ERA. That figure was 3.37 in 2022 and 3.29 in 2023. Last year, injuries limited him to 13 starts and his ERA jumped a bit to 4.03. This year, it’s back down to 3.32. He has a 24.2% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 44.2% ground ball rate. He’s making $7MM this year, so he’ll have just $2.33MM left to be paid out at the deadline.

Any of those four players is a plausible candidate to receive and perhaps a reject a qualifying offer candidate at season’s end. The exact value of the QO hasn’t been set, but is likely to be somewhere around $22MM. The 2024-25 qualifying offer was $21.05MM and it usually goes up annually.

The Diamondbacks are a revenue-sharing recipient, which affects their compensation for a player rejecting a QO and signing elsewhere. If the player ultimately signs for $50MM or more, the Snakes would get an extra draft pick just after the first round. Less than $50MM and the pick would come just ahead of the third round.

While teams value draft picks, drafted players usually take a few years to reach the majors. The Diamondbacks are presumably hoping to contend again in the near future, while they still have core players like Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte putting up great numbers. By trading these impending free agents, they could garner returns of prospects who are closer to the majors than anyone they would draft next summer. That should move the needle to the trade side, though it also seems like they’re leery of totally bottoming out their chances of hanging in the race this year.

In addition to those names, the Diamondbacks could also sell other impending free agents, such as Randal Grichuk and Shelby Miller. Those players wouldn’t bring back huge returns, though they’re also less essential to the club contending down the stretch in 2025. The Snakes have also reportedly gotten some interest in Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is signed through 2027. They have also reportedly listened to offers on controllable outfielders like Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy. Time will tell how aggressively they smash the sell button but it seems like the Diamondbacks will be one of the most interesting clubs to watch over the next week.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Mariners, D-backs Have Discussed Eugenio Suárez

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The Mariners are among the teams with interest in Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times further reports that Suárez is viewed as Seattle’s top target in its well-known search for a corner infield upgrade. Jude adds that the Mariners and D-backs have held “preliminary” discussions regarding Suárez, whom Seattle views as a preferable option to Arizona first baseman Josh Naylor.

[Related: Seattle Mariners Trade Deadline Outlook]

The 34-year-old Suárez has emerged as perhaps the most coveted bat on the trade market. He’s hitting .257/.328/.605 with 36 home runs on the season and has been among the sport’s elite power hitters dating back to his July renaissance in 2024. It’s easy to forget now, given how dominant Suárez has been at the plate over the past calendar year, but the beginning of the slugger’s time in Arizona was a disaster. He hit so poorly through the season’s first two-plus months that he began to lose playing time to young Blaze Alexander. That shift didn’t last long, as Suárez caught fire while Alexander stumbled.

Dating back to June 25 of last season, Suárez has come to the plate 751 times and slashed .281/.341/.605 with a whopping 60 home runs, 36 doubles and a triple. Only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have hit more home runs in that time (66 apiece). Suárez has bludgeoned left-handed and right-handed pitching alike. He’s being paid $15MM this season, with about $5.48MM of that sum yet to be paid out as of this writing. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end.

It’s not entirely clear yet that the Diamondbacks will trade Suárez at all, however. They swept the Cardinals in their first series coming out of the All-Star break, and though they lost to the Astros last night, they’re now just one game under .500 and 5.5 games back in the NL Wild Card chase. The Snakes have two more games against Houston before wrapping up their pre-deadline slate of games with three games in Pittsburgh and three games in Detroit.

Arizona general manager Mike Hazen has made clear that he hopes to avoid a sell-off and act as a buyer at this year’s deadline, but the team will have to perform well enough in this final push to justify that position. The Diamondbacks can also make a qualifying offer to Suárez if they hang onto him, so any trade return would need to eclipse the value of what would likely be a compensatory pick after the first-round of the 2026 draft.

[Related: Arizona Diamondbacks Trade Deadline Outlook]

If the Diamondbacks do end up seriously weighing offers for Suárez, a trade seems like a better outcome than that draft pick, however. The D-backs will likely take aim at contending again next season, and Suárez could net them some talent that can contribute either late this season or early next year. The draft selection would be a longer-term play, of course.

In theory, the Diamondbacks could even trade Suárez while still hoping to remain in contention this year. There’s no replacing his prodigious power output, but top prospect Jordan Lawlar could step into the everyday third base role down the stretch. Lawlar hasn’t hit at all in a tiny sample of 56 big league plate appearances, but he’s never been given any sort of regular playing time, either. He’s decimated Triple-A pitching this year, hitting .319/.410/.583 in 250 plate appearances. He’s currently on the minor league injured list with a hamstring strain but should return shortly after the deadline. Whether it’s this year or next, the 2021 No. 6 overall draft pick seems likely to get the opportunity to prove that he can be Arizona’s long-term option at the hot corner.

If the D-backs sell any veterans — Suárez or otherwise — they’re expected to focus on stockpiling young pitching. On the surface, that might sound like it makes Seattle a particularly appealing trade partner. However, the M’s aren’t going to trade an established starter like Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo or George Kirby for a rental, and outside of young Logan Evans, most of their higher-end pitching prospects (e.g. Ryan Sloan, Jurrangelo Cijntje) are further down the pipeline.

That’s not to say the two sides can’t line up on a deal. At the end of the day, talent wins out, and if the Mariners offer a demonstrably better package than the Yankees, Cubs and other suitors, the positions of the prospects won’t be crucial. Arizona could look to flip some of those prospects for established big league arms in the offseason, after all. But if the D-backs are weighing two offers they deem to be comparable in value, it seems likely that they’d gravitate toward one that included some pitching talent that could be in the majors before terribly long.

The Diamondbacks lost Corbin Burnes to Tommy John surgery last month. He won’t pitch until late in the 2026 season, at the earliest. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are free agents at season’s end. In-house arms like Blake Walston and Tommy Henry also had UCL surgeries earlier this season. Young righty Cristian Mena has been out since June with a shoulder strain. Top pitching prospect Yilber Diaz has had a disastrous season in the minors. Big league starters Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez have both struggled. Adding some young arms is a sensible aim for the D-backs front office if they go the sell route in the coming week-plus.

The Mariners, of course, traded Suárez to the D-backs in the first place. That trade, following the 2023 season, was largely driven by a mandate from Seattle ownership to reduce payroll. The Mariners did come away from that swap with righty Carlos Vargas, who’s now a key member of the bullpen (47 innings, 3.83 ERA, 11 holds), but the front office surely would’ve preferred to hold onto the slugger and his vaunted clubhouse presence if not for those financial constraints. Mariners ownership is now reportedly willing to boost payroll, putting a reunion back on the table.

D-backs Expected To Target Young Pitching At Deadline

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The Diamondbacks enter the unofficial second half of the season with a 47-50 record  that has them buried by 11 games in the NL West and sitting 5.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot (with four teams to leapfrog to get there). General manager Mike Hazen said two weeks ago that he hopes the team puts him in a position to buy at the trade deadline. The team has gone 4-8 since he made those comments. FanGraphs gives the Diamondbacks just a 10.2% chance to make the postseason. Baseball Prospectus is ever so slightly more charitable at 11.3%. The D-backs open the second half with a three-game series against a 51-46 Cardinals team. They follow that with three against a last-place Pirates squad but then face a pair of first-place clubs — Tigers, Astros — in the final stretch leading to the trade deadline.

Suffice it to say, the outlook for 2025 isn’t great. Hazen spoke with Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic at this week’s All-Star festivities and acknowledged that the Snakes “are running out of time” and that they would “need to play pretty exceptional” baseball to get back into a buy position prior to the deadline. Hazen also conceded that he’s been fielding inquiries from clear buyers already but naturally wouldn’t commit one way or another when asked about his willingness to make a move well ahead of the July 31 deadline.

[Related: Arizona Diamondbacks Trade Deadline Outlook]

Arizona isn’t short on marketable assets, even if the goal is to hang onto players controlled beyond the current season. Corner infielders Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor would be two of the best bats on the market. Suárez was plunked on the hand in last night’s All-Star Game but remained in the contest. Postgame x-rays were negative. Randal Grichuk would be a nice role player for a team looking for a right-handed bat with a long track record versus lefties.

On the pitching side of things, Zac Gallen has struggled all season but has an excellent track record. He looked to be turning a corner with terrific starts on July 1 and 7 (combined 13 innings with one run on 10 hits and a 19-to-1 K/BB ratio) before being rocked for six runs in his final start prior to the break. Merrill Kelly (3.34 ERA in 116 frames) has been strong all season, though, as have relievers Jalen Beeks and Shelby Miller. Both Beeks and Miller are on the injured list — the latter due to a forearm strain on which he is ominously seeking a second opinion. If one or both returns in timely fashion, they’d be obvious trade targets for clubs seeking affordable bullpen help.

It’s at least possible the Diamondbacks will listen on more controllable players. They’re reportedly listened on their outfield depth. Corbin Carroll isn’t going anywhere, but each of Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Grichuk could hold varying levels of appeal.

If the D-backs do end up as a seller, which seems likely, Piecoro suggests they’ll prioritize adding pitching they can control beyond the current season. That’s only logical with Corbin Burnes facing a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery and both Kelly and Gallen hitting free agency at season’s end. Lefties Blake Walston and Tommy Henry also had UCL surgeries this season — Walston in March, Henry in June. Young righty Cristian Mena is on the 60-day IL due to a shoulder strain. The injury problems extend to the bullpen, where top relievers Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk had Tommy John surgery just last month.

Looking ahead to the Diamondbacks’ 2026 rotation mix, they’ll have Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez and Ryne Nelson all locked into spots. The former two have struggled to ERAs north of 5.00 this season. Nelson has a 3.68 ERA in 78 1/3 innings. Other in-house options, like 24-year-old righty Yilber Diaz (one of their top prospects entering the season) and 27-year-old Bryce Jarvis, have had nightmare seasons in Triple-A. Diaz currently has an ERA north of 11.00.

Given the broad-reaching slate of injuries and departing free agents, it’s sensible to focus on pitching help to the extent possible. That doesn’t mean the D-backs will turn away offers that include enticing young hitters to take on lesser pitchers, but if two packages of comparable quality are offered up, the D-backs seem likely to favor one that skews toward the pitching side of things.

Of course, the D-backs needn’t focus entirely on rebuilding their staff in the next two weeks. They have nearly $75MM in salary set to come off the books via free agency and could save further money via trades in the next two weeks. Their arbitration class isn’t large, and one of their most notable arbitration salaries (Puk) could come off the books via non-tender. His UCL surgery was just last month, and 2026 is Puk’s final season of club control. There should be ample space — and need — to pursue help both in the rotation and the bullpen this offseason.

Latest On Mariners’ Deadline Approach

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The Mariners are reportedly seeking corner infield and bullpen help as the deadline approaches, and MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer reported recently that ownership has signaled it will approve a payroll increase to facilitate such transactions. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times hears similarly, writing that Mariners ownership will authorize increased spending for the front office to add to the roster while ticking through some potential options.

Both Ryan O’Hearn of the Orioles and Josh Naylor of the D-backs are viewed as likely trade candidates over the next month. Both would fit the Mariners nicely at first base, allowing Luke Raley to spend more time in the outfield, where he’s more comfortable than at first base. However, early asking prices from both Baltimore and Arizona are quite high, per Jude.

O’Hearn has repeatedly elevated his game in recent seasons and now stands as one of the most productive hitters in the American League. He’s currently sitting on a .295/.383/.471 batting line with 11 homers, 10 doubles, an 11% walk rate and just a 16.3% strikeout rate through 282 plate appearances. He had a tough month in June, but since being traded from Kansas City to Baltimore in the 2022-23 offseason, O’Hearn has proven himself to be a credible middle-of-the-order bat. He hasn’t quite sustained last year’s enormous gains in contact rate, but he’s chasing off the plate at a career-low rate, walking more and showing a bit more power than he did in 2024.

Naylor offers a similar, albeit not identical skill set. Last year’s career-high 31 homers are far more than O’Hearn has ever produced, though some of that is a simple function of playing time. Naylor logged 633 plate appearances in 2024 (a career-high); O’Hearn has never topped last year’s 494 trips to the plate. Both have above-average power with far better contact skills than the prototypical first baseman/designated hitter. Naylor has fanned only 13% of the time he’s come to the plate in 2025. His 8% walk rate is a bit below average, but his overall .304/.359/.474 slash is terrific.

Looking strictly at 2025, O’Hearn has been a bit more impactful in the batter’s box, but the pair’s last three seasons are virtually identical. Naylor has slashed .279/.340/.472 in 1452 plate appearances, while O’Hearn has turned in a .280/.342/.455 line in 1144 plate appearances. They’ve both walked in 8% of their plate appearances. On a rate basis, Naylor has shown a slight bit more power (.193 ISO to .175), but the difference is minimal. The two are compensated similarly, but Naylor is paid a bit more: $10.9MM to O’Hearn’s $8MM. Both are free agents at season’s end.

In a more interesting but also far less plausible scenario, Jude further reports that the Mariners would have interest if the Red Sox were to make Alex Bregman available. That perhaps speaks to ownership’s willingness to add to the payroll, although presumably, the M’s would be looking for the Sox to at least help with some of Bregman’s heavily deferred $40MM annual salary.

The idea of a Bregman trade is interesting in theory but hard to envision in practice. Players with opt-out clauses and player options are rarely traded, and the massive scale of Bregman’s annual salary only further muddies his candidacy.

In broad terms, it’s difficult for two clubs to line up on prospect compensation for a player with multiple years remaining on his contract but the ability to opt back into free agency at season’s end. The acquiring team generally views that player as a rental — typically an expensive one, salary-wise. In a best-case scenario, that player will produce for two-plus months and then head back to free agency. In a worst-case scenario, he’ll suffer a major injury or see his performance tank, only to forgo the opt-out chance and stick the new club with an unwanted additional year (or years) of the contract in question. The acquiring team will understandably try to price that downside into the prospect return, making it difficult for the two parties to align.

On top of the difficulties surrounding Bregman’s salary and opt-out provision, he’s also been away from the field for more than a month. The Red Sox placed Bregman on the 10-day injured list with a strained quadriceps back on May 24. It was clear at the time that he was facing a lengthy absence. Bregman is inching closer to a return and could be back prior to the All-Star break, but an injury absence of nearly two months and a return only about two weeks prior to the trade deadline creates some risk (to say nothing of the potential for Bregman to struggle upon his return, which would only raise further questions).

Prior to his injury, Bregman was enjoying one of the finest starts of his entire career. He’s played 51 games and taken 226 plate appearances, turning in a stout .299/.385/.553 batting line with 11 homers and 17 doubles. His 9.7% walk rate is up three percentage points over last year’s career-low mark. Bregman was also striking out at a career-high 18.6% rate, but that’s still several points shy of league-average and the uptick in swing-and-miss was accompanied by major gains in batted-ball quality. The 31-year-old’s 92 mph average exit velocity is vastly higher than the 88.8 mph career mark he carried into the season. Ditto his 10.3% barrel rate (career 5.7% prior to ’25) and 48.1% hard-hit rate (career 37.7% prior to ’25).

Bregman is signed through 2027 on a three-year, $120MM contract. Deferrals bring the present-day annual value down closer to a reported $29MM. He can opt out of the contract both at the end of the current season and after the 2026 season but has spoken openly about his interest in signing a long-term extension that’d keep him in Boston more permanently. That’s not exactly a surprise for a player who entered last offseason seeking a long-term deal worth $200MM or more and wound up pivoting to an opt-out-laden, short-term deal with a lofty AAV once that long-term pact didn’t materialize, however.

Ultimately, while it’s fun to dream on the notion of a major trade involving someone of Bregman’s caliber, the specifics surrounding his contract and health — to say nothing of Boston’s uncertain buy/sell status four weeks out from the deadline — render it more a theoretical discussion than a genuine possibility at this stage.

The Mariners entered the 2025 season with a $146MM payroll — third-highest in franchise history. They’ve already added to that ledger with a surprising May claim of outfielder Leody Taveras, which didn’t pan out as hoped. That claim already showed a willingness from ownership to spend a bit more, however, and it bears mentioning that M’s ownership also green-lit payroll hikes for both the 2024 acquisition of Randy Arozarena and the 2022 acquisition of Luis Castillo (as well as his subsequent extension).

Mariners Looking For Corner Infield Bats; Ownership Willing To Bump Payroll

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The Mariners are currently 41-38 and in possession of the final American League Wild Card spot, putting them in position to add at the deadline. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports that the club is looking to add an impact bat at a corner infield spot, though he adds that they could also just get the best bat available and worry about the positioning later. An extra leverage arm for the bullpen is another reported target. Kramer also reports that “ownership will green light increased spending” at this year’s deadline.

The note about the payroll is quite relevant. Throughout the offseason, reporting indicated that the club had about $15MM of spending capacity for upgrading the roster. The M’s then spent a combined $11.25MM on signing Jorge Polanco and Donovan Solano. In early May, they claimed Leody Taveras off waivers from the Rangers, taking on the roughly $3.7MM he had left to be paid out on this year’s salary. The M’s later outrighted Taveras to Triple-A.

Given that the M’s had seemingly spent their budget, it would have been fair to wonder about their ability to make deadline additions. While it’s unclear exactly how much increased spending ownership is willing to approve, any extra pocket money should help the front office pursue external additions.

As for the specific targets, they are not surprising, as the M’s have question marks at both infield corners. Ben Williamson has received the lion’s share of playing time at third base this year and has been solid with the glove, but has hit just .255/.291/.311 for a 77 wRC+. At first base, Rowdy Tellez was the regular there before his subpar bat got him bumped off the roster. He was designated for assignment last week and put on release waivers today.

Solano is now getting most of the playing time at first. He’s not having a great season overall but has been heating up after a dreadful start. He was hitting .131/.156/.148 through May 17th but has a massive .420/.463/.640 line since then. That latter line is a small sample of just 54 plate appearances and inflated by an unsustainable .474 batting average on balls in play but there’s no harm in riding the hot hand in the short term. He also slashed .294/.353/.413 for a 112 wRC+ from 2019 to 2024, so he has a track record of strong offense.

Considering that he’s 37 years old and slumped early in the year, it’s understandable that the M’s may not want to be totally reliant on him. A lot of his damage has also come against lefties in recent years, so they could consider a platoon, though he has reverse splits in this year’s small sample of work.

As for specific targets, Kramer relays that the Mariners have considered a reunion with old friend Eugenio Suárez, currently of the Diamondbacks. Suárez played for Seattle in 2022 and 2023, hitting a bunch of home runs but also striking out a lot. The M’s made a concerted effort to reimagine their offense with fewer punchouts and traded him to Arizona ahead of the 2024 season.

With the Snakes, Suárez got out to a rough start but has been one of the best hitters in baseball for about the past year. He had a .216/.302/.366 line and 87 wRC+ in the first half of 2024 but then exploded for a .307/.341/.602 showing and 153 wRC+ in the second half. Here in 2025, he already has 25 home runs, a .251/.323/.569 line and a 141 wRC+. He’s also been striking out less in the process. He struck out more than 30% of the time as a Mariner but dropped that rate to 27.5% last year and is down to 25.7% so far this year.

His defense isn’t as strong as Williamson’s but he would obviously provide a huge boost to the lineup from the third base spot. Suárez is making a notable salary of $15MM this year, which would leave about $5MM left to be paid out as of the deadline. As mentioned, it’s unknown how much wiggle room the M’s will have to take on money.

It’s possible the Diamondbacks would be willing to eat some of the money but it’s also not entirely clear if they want to make Suárez available at all. Despite a rash of injuries, they are currently 41-39 and just three games out of a playoff spot in the National League. If they fall back in the next few weeks, the possibility of a Suárez trade should increase.

There’s also an argument for Arizona to trade Suárez even in a win-now move. They have lost several arms to injury and could flip him for help on the pitching staff, with Jordan Lawlar then taking over at third. However, there is risk in that path. Lawlar is a top prospect and keeps hitting in the minors but hasn’t yet taken advantage of his major league chances.

Kramer also mentions Arizona first baseman Josh Naylor, noting that he had been linked to the M’s prior to being traded from Cleveland to Arizona in the offseason. Naylor, like Suárez, is an impending free agent. He is making $10.9MM this year while slashing .307/.363/.479 for a 132 wRC+.

Kramer also mentions some other players as possible fits, including Jarren Duran of the Red Sox as well as Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Félix Bautista of the Orioles, though those appear to be more speculative suggestions. He also throws out Isiah Kiner-Falefa of the Pirates and Jesús Sánchez of the Marlins as other possibilities.

Duran and Mullins are outfielders but, as mentioned, the Mariners might just grab the best bat they can and figure out the defense later. Luke Raley is currently spending most of his time in the outfield corners but could perhaps spend more time at first base if the M’s added an outfielder.

O’Hearn and Mullins are both impending free agents on a struggling Baltimore club, so they seem likely to be moved. O’Hearn is having a terrific year, with a .301/.384/.485 line and 149 wRC+. His $8MM salary is not nothing but it’s barely half of what Suárez is making. Mullins was hot to start the year but has gone cold lately. He had a .278/.412/.515 line and 168 wRC+ at the end of April but has since put up a line of .167/.201/.348 for a wRC+ of 50. He is making $8.725MM this year.

Duran is still controllable for three years after this one but the Sox have a crowded long-term outfield mix that also includes Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida and Jhostynxon Garcia. Perhaps the Sox would consider making Duran available as a way to preemptively clear out that logjam while simultaneously adding talent somewhere else. They are currently 40-42 and 2.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.

As for the bullpen, all contenders generally look for upgrades at the deadline. Bautista should be highly attractive if the O’s are willing to make him available but it’s unclear if they would. Unlike Mullins and O’Hearn, he can be retained for two more seasons beyond this one. But given the general volatility of relievers, Baltimore might think about cashing him in during a down year for the club overall.

After missing the 2024 due to Tommy John surgery recovery, Bautista’s control has been a problem, with a 15% walk rate. But he’s still been effective overall, with a 2.60 earned run average and 33.6% strikeout rate. It’s possible he is reining in his command as the season goes along as he has dropped that walk rate to 9.4% in June.

Kiner-Falefa is a glove-first utility guy, hitting .273/.319/.346 this year for the Bucs, which translates to a wRC+ of 85. He is making $7.5MM this season but the Blue Jays are on the hook for part of that as part of the trade that sent him to Pittsburgh at last year’s deadline. Sánchez has generally been a league average hitter for the Marlins. He is in his sixth big league season and has a .240/.309/.425 line and 99 wRC+. He is making $4.5MM this year and can be controlled for two more seasons via arbitration.

There are many possibilities for Seattle, which should make for a very interesting deadline. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has a reputation as being one of the most trade-happy executives in the sport and the Mariners have one of the best farm systems. Reportedly, they wanted to deal prospects for big leaguers during the offseason but found few clubs willing to make that kind of pact since so many teams came into the year hoping to contend. As the season goes along and some clubs fall back in the standings, they might be more willing to take some of those prospects off the Mariners’ hands.

Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images.

D-Backs GM Mike Hazen Talks Trade Deadline

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The Diamondbacks dropped this afternoon’s series finale against the White Sox, falling to 41-39. They’re 3.5 games back with four teams in front of them in a crowded NL Wild Card picture. As Darragh McDonald and I discussed on this week’s MLBTR podcast, Arizona is one of the most interesting bubble teams five weeks from the deadline. They’re still in the race but have been battered by injuries, leaving them shorthanded as they enter a pivotal stretch of the season.

General manager Mike Hazen spoke with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers on Tuesday and said he has started to receive calls from opposing clubs gauging their interest in selling. Hazen jokingly likened the rival executives to sharks circling but noted that the D-Backs aren’t interested in dealing away talent at this point.

“We have good players, so I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to play good baseball and stay in this and then get those guys back and maybe be able to add on at the deadline,” the GM said, referencing the recent injured list placements to right fielder Corbin Carroll and catcher Gabriel Moreno. Arizona has also recently lost Corbin Burnes, Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, but none of them will be back this season. Hazen acknowledged there may eventually be “a critical mass of injuries” that forces them to reconsider but added he “still (thinks they) have every opportunity to be competitive.”

It’s what should be expected from a bubble team’s GM this far out. It’d be far more surprising if the D-Backs were already open for business. They’ll know more in a month about their place in the standings and on the statuses of Carroll (wrist fracture) and Moreno (broken index finger). Hazen conceded, however, that playoff spots will be tough to come by in a National League that has ten teams that are above .500 at the moment.

If they’re still within a few games of a playoff spot in July, they’ll be motivated to buy. The D-Backs narrowly missed the postseason a year ago. Ownership subsequently approved a franchise-record payroll to support an excellent lineup. Their pitching plans have largely been decimated by injuries and/or underperformance from their free agent acquisitions. That has kept them around .500 despite an offense that trails only the Dodgers and Cubs in runs — one year after they led MLB in scoring.

The ideal outcome is that the team plays well enough that the front office can add to the pitching staff, especially in the bullpen. If things go in the opposite direction over the next month, they’d have no shortage of veteran players to shop. Josh Naylor, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eugenio Suárez, Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks are all impending free agents. Gallen seems unlikely to re-sign, and it’s tough to see the Diamondbacks retaining both Naylor and Suárez while again blocking Jordan Lawlar’s path to infield at-bats. The D-Backs could consider a qualifying offer for any of the first four players, though it’s unlikely they’d QO all four since there’d be an argument for each of them to accept.

Naylor and Suárez have been middle-of-the-order run producers and would be among the top rental bats if the D-Backs made them available. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote this morning that the Yankees have shown some early interest in Suárez with a likely infield need. Acquiring a third baseman would free them to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base and move DJ LeMahieu to a utility role. Suárez is currently day-to-day after being hit by a pitch on Monday. He sat out the final two games of the Chicago series.

Gallen has had a poor season but has the pedigree to attract attention. The 36-year-old Kelly is churning out another low-3.00s ERA season while striking out a quarter of opponents. Miller, who is playing for barely more than the league minimum after signing an offseason minor league contract, would be a top bullpen target. He’s carrying a sub-2.00 ERA with a 27% strikeout rate while pitching his way into the ninth inning. Beeks has pitched well in a setup capacity and would be a target for teams seeking left-handed relief.

Diamondbacks Avoid Arbitration With Zac Gallen, Josh Naylor

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The Diamondbacks avoided arbitration with right-hander Zac Gallen and first baseman Josh Naylor, according to reports from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com and Robert Murray of FanSided. Gallen will earn $13.5MM, while Naylor will command $10.9MM. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected Gallen at $14.1MM and Naylor at $10.9MM. It’s the final year of club control for both players.

Gallen, 29, pitched 148 innings of 3.65 ERA ball last season, representing his lowest innings total and highest ERA of the past three seasons. The right-hander missed roughly a month with a hamstring strain, limiting his time on the mound and perhaps also impacting his performance.

At his best, Gallen is an All-Star and Cy Young-caliber arm. He finished in the top five of NL Cy Young balloting in both 2022 and 2023, earning his lone career All-Star nod in the latter of those two seasons. Across those two years, Gallen pitched to a 3.04 ERA in 394 innings. Since making his big league debut with the Marlins in 2019 — Miami flipped him to Arizona that summer for Jazz Chisholm Jr. — Gallen touts a 3.29 ERA, 26.6% strikeout rate and 7.6% walk rate in 815 1/3 innings.

Gallen has long been the ace of Arizona’s staff, but he’ll at least nominally be bumped into the No. 2 spot of a potential powerhouse rotation in the wake of the D-backs’ shock signing of Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210MM deal. Burnes, Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt and rebound hopeful/trade candidate Jordan Montgomery give the Diamondbacks a wealth of rotation talent to lean on in the coming season.

Naylor, 27, came to Arizona last month in a trade that sent righty Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance draft pick back to the Guardians. Cleveland immediately pivoted and signed Carlos Santana to a one-year, $12MM deal that mirrored the projection for Naylor. Cleveland will end up with the pricier of the two options at first base in the end, though they also added a controllable 25-year-old swingman and a pick in the high 60s of the 2025 draft.

The 2025 season will be Arizona’s lone year of control over Naylor, who’s coming off a career-best 31 home runs. He turned in a .243/.320/.456 batting line in 2024, clocking in about 18% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+. His bat faded a bit in the season’s second half, but only relative to the huge first-half numbers Naylor posted (particularly in April and in June). He was an above-average hitter in five of the season’s six months, per wRC+, with the lone exception being May, when he was just 3% under par.

Put more succinctly, Naylor is a consistent slugger who’ll bolster the middle of the D-backs’ lineup in place of Christian Walker, who signed a three-year, $60MM deal in Houston as a free agent (netting the Snakes a compensatory draft pick after the first round in the process). Naylor walked at a career-best 9.2% clip in 2024 and fanned at a 16.6% pace that’s considerably lower than league average.

Both Gallen and Naylor are candidates to receive a qualifying offer from the D-backs at season’s end, positioning Arizona to net compensation in the 2026 draft for their potential departure. Gallen, in particular, is a veritable lock so long as he’s healthy. Naylor would be a very strong QO candidate as well if he replicates or approximates the .267/.330/.465 form he’s turned in over the past three seasons, as he’d reach the market at just 28 years of age.

MLBTR Podcast: Brent Rooker’s Extension, Gavin Lux, And Catching Up On The Holiday Transactions

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

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