MLB Trade Deadline Prices for #Mariners w/ ESPN’s Jeff Passan | #SeattleSports

MLB Trade Deadline Prices for #Mariners w/ ESPN’s Jeff Passan | #SeattleSports

Jeff, let’s uh let’s start with Josh Naylor. We haven’t had a chance to talk to you since the Mariners made the deal. Uh he’s a fascinating player to watch, even in just four or five days. He hits home runs and then looks at it with disgust. I mean, like this guy’s fascinating. I love him. I I love the attitude and and it will piss opponents off, right? Like they they do not like Josh. Josh Naylor is like the classic, you love him when he’s your teammate, you might not when he’s not. And I I like adding a little bit of attitude to this team. I’m not saying like the Mariners are too nice or anything, but you know, just in playoff baseball especially, you need edge. And uh having a guy in the lineup who he just fits everything so perfectly, fit a position of need at first base, added another guy who has really good basketball skills, uh has some pop in the middle of the lineup. You look at the Mariners lineup right now, guys. Like, I know they want to add Gino Suarez, and if they can do that, it would be great. I’m kind of comfortable with where this lineup is at this point. Like, if if I’m the Mariners, even if they don’t get Suarez, I feel pretty good about it, right? Yeah. There’s still probably some cleanup work. I think it it you’re right, the day-to-day starting lineup is professional grade. I think it’s the bench bats of Dylan Moore who who really is just unfort and I like Dylan but he’s just mired in just one of the worst slumps you’ve ever seen two for 54 with a 50 plus% strikeout rate during that time and then you know what we’ve seen this year from from Donovan Salon like there’s still just some work to be done around the edges of the roster uh offensively but I agree with you I mean when you see that starting lineup it’s a pretty good lineup right now and it’s gotten a whole lot deeper with the addition of Naylor. Yeah. And you know, Randy Rosa Raina has been awesome this year. Like he’s he’s been really really good. That was a good addition. And I know you gave up Adie Smith and Aiden Smith and uh Brody Hopkins, but that’s the price for a player of a Rosenas caliber. And he has been not consistently solid, but we’ve seen like him go on Jags. When he gets hot, it’s awesome. um seeing Julio hit for power the way he has over the last week and then you add Cal Raleigh and JP Crawford has been so incredibly steady at the top of the lineup. It’s just, you know, it is I I think they’re getting if not the best version of their offense that they can pretty close to it at this point. And man, I if they get I think after I was on last week, um you know, Logan Gilbert went out and absolutely shoved and then we saw then we saw four innings in his last start that looked like classic Logan Gilbert and it was a little rough after that. But if they get the pitching and if they get just another arm, maybe two out of the bullpen to solidify it, um this is this is a good team. This is a team that can win the American League. And and I say that more because the American League is just kind of eh than the fact that the Mariners are great. But hey, you play the hand that you’re dealt and every team in the American League right now has been dealt a hand where nobody else is that much better than them that they have no excuse not to go for it at this point. So, as we’re circling the pond, what is the market doing 48 hours before the deadline? Um, it is slow go at this point. I just got off the phone with a with a GM and like is anything going to happen? He’s like, I don’t know. I I mean, I think so. Uh, you know, deadlines spur action. We know that. And, uh, last year, the last two days were particularly busy. Um, but I’m not sure that there are going to be any huge names that go. It’s going to be really interesting to see where Suarez winds up. Um the, you know, the the acute need in Chicago isn’t quite as much with Matt Shaw hitting four home runs over his last nine games and looking more potentially like an everyday solution. I haven’t gotten a sense that Cincinnati is going to be in huge there. Detroit, maybe Philadelphia, maybe. But, uh, I also don’t think that the Mariners are going to give up one of their top prospects for a rental bat regardless of how good Auano Suarez actually is. So, it’s going to be interesting to see from the Mariners perspective, can they thread that needle with Suarez or are they going to devote their attention more uh to try and picking up to trying to pick up guys around the margins? I I don’t think that they’re they’re going to be the high bidder necessarily on any of the the top relief arms with multiple years of control. Like going out and getting Griffin Jax would be awesome or getting Joan Don would be fantastic, but are they going to be willing to to offer up two topund prospects for that guy? No. No, they’re not. And so if that is the threshold and the standard and Minnesota’s sticking firm to that, then uh that’s not going to happen. Why not? Why not? I’ll speak for the Mariners fans that I’m sure screaming right now. Why not? Why? If not now, when? And you’ve got a plethora of of prospects. If not now, when next year or the year after or the year after that? C can I throw something out there that that I think is important and that is is not really being considered? And frankly, I I I’m guilty of this. I was not considering this either until recent days. After this year, Griffin Jax has two years of club control remaining. The 2026 season is going to be great and he would be an incredible bridge alongside Matt Brash to Andreas Munoz or if Munoz has pitched too much uh he, you know, he would be a guy who is a perfect candidate to close. What about 2027 when there might not be a season? Don’t you have to factor that in, guys, when you’re considering the price that you’re willing to pay for a guy who has two years of club control? And now, I’m not sitting here and saying that there isn’t going to be a 2027 season. Frankly, I think there’s too much to lose for both the players and the league to shoot themselves in the foot that way. But last week, one of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball got in the face of the commissioner and said, “If you want to talk about a salary cap, you can get the bleep out of our clubhouse.” And there are a lot of Major League Baseball owners right now who not only want to talk about a salary cap, but want that to be the hill that they’re willing to die on. So, you’re telling me that the 2027 season isn’t in jeopardy? I’m not trying to be an alarmist. I’m not not trying to stir up any controversy here. I’m simply trying to say that when when you’re looking No, when you’re looking at acquiring a guy who has two years of control beyond this year, you have to bake in the fact that one of those years or at least a portion of one of those years could potentially be lost and and that’s part of the calculus in this situation. So, why Brock wouldn’t I give up two top 100 prospects? Um, that’s part of the reason, but but beyond that, um, because the way that this organization is going to be sustained over the long haul is by having young players who can complement the ones that are there right now. Uh, and and if I’m going to give up capital in the form of prospects, I just don’t want to do it for a guy who pitches only one inning at a time. That’s me personally, my philosophy. If we’re talking about a an everyday player, if we’re talking about a starting pitcher, I feel like it’s different. But for a relief pitcher, man, that I I know they’re important in October, but man, that is a high price to pay. Well, Jeeoff, you’re speaking my language. I mean, you and I have been talking about this impending lockout thing for a while. And I I’ve been of the belief for at least a year now that there is going to be a lockout, that it is going to be a major hill that the owners are going to die on because everything in baseball was built off an RSN economic model that no longer exists and the prices have gone up and up and up for the players. And I do think there’s going that that though Mike that’s the confusing part of this whole thing for me, right? because the television rights the Rob Manford’s aiming to do a full all-in everything included national package for the 2028 season and we all know what the television ratings looked like after the strike in 1994 killed the World Series. They cratered the next year. So, you’re telling me that they are willing to to uh sit out potentially the 2027 season and have the ratings in the year before they negotiate that deal reflect that. I mean, I I hope you’re right, Jeeoff, and that that’s the thing that ends up salvaging it so it doesn’t go down that road. But I I was pretty you when I saw your report on Bryce Harper yelling at Rob Manford like that and cursing at him, which by the way, wow. Um and then Manfred cursing right back at him. Correct. Yep. I mean, he didn’t just came right back at him. What did he say back? There was an Fbomb in there, too. Wow. I didn’t I missed that part of the story. Oh, that’s even better. I mean, like the acrimony there is is obviously pretty significant. But it just it it does feel as if baseball is push for me anyway. And and maybe I don’t have as much evidence for this, but it just feels like baseball is getting closer and closer to dying on that hill and saying we’re going to have what every other major sport in America has. So, let’s not get into it today. It’s still trade deadline time. There’s still too much fun to be had. Uh although not for Cleveland Guardians fans cuz apparently um some of their trade deadline chips are not around anymore. What is going on with this betting story? Um, what we know is that Luis Ortiz, uh, Guardians right-hander on July, excuse me, on June 15th, uh, against the Mariners and June 27th against the Cardinals, uh, threw pitches that were way out of the strike zone, the second one against the Cardinals in particular. uh and that unusual betting action had been placed on both of those pitches because nowadays in the gambling landscape you can bet on individual pitches to be balls strikes which is kind of wild and uh that the Pandora’s box gentleman is open. Uh I don’t know how they’re going to close it, whether it’s uh regulation over these micro bets, but I I say with a fair degree of certainty that these are not the only cases. Uh they’re just the cases that have been flagged. And it’s terrifying to me because what is a game if not one that has some semblance of credibility among the fans that what they’re watching is real? You know what it is then? It’s world wrestling entertainment. Mhm. And I I would really really really really hate to see a scenario in which I’m watching any professional sporting event and even in the back of my mind I’m thinking a little inkling of is this real? Is what’s going on here on the up and up? Cuz cuz if not then uh you know it’s just sports entertainment not sports. When we chat with you next Tuesday, speaking of betting, we chat with you next Tuesday. How many new Mariners are going to be on this 26-man roster? Great question. Um, I’d say two. You think it’s a reliever and bat of some sort? Yeah, I think so. If it’s if it’s three, it would be two relievers and a bat. There’s been a conversation here in town about potentially adding another starting pitching arm and John Maros’s come on the station a few times and said that as well and he’s not alone. I mean a bunch of people have said it. Logan Evans has done really nice work but may hit a pitching limit at some point this year and Emerson Hancock’s been up and down and Bryce Miller we don’t we don’t know what’s going on there. Is there any I think I think Bryce I think Bryce Miller is going to be all right by the way. Well that’d be good. Do you think there’s any chance or need for them to go add a starting pitcher? Stance, sure. Need? Eh, priority? No. Jeez, what did you just do? Did you just skip a rock and it did it three times and you’re like, was that was that was that good or bad? I think you were just channeling Henry David Thorough. I thought there I mean I thought it was pretty impressive. You’re just going to your well of three named male white poets from back in the day. Do you have any others aside from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David? Oh, excuse me. He’s a three named white guy, too. Darn it. Slightly different uh style, but yeah, we could go Edgar. I mean, uh Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. You want to go Henry Wodssworth Longfellow? You want to go Oliver Wendell Holmes? Like, how many of these do you want, Jeff? You know what, Sock? I I appreciate your bag. It’s a deep one. That’s about it. I think I’ve now emptied it, unfortunately. Uh what will be the effect of Aaron Judge going on the IIL for the MVP race? Uh potentially profound. Um I mean, Cal’s the betting favorite now. Um, and and I think that may have been a little bit too much of the pendulum swinging in the other direction, but when we’re looking at counting stats, and counting stats, they they matter. Uh, I I don’t know that they matter quite as much as like a triple slash to voters anymore. Um, I I think that OPS and the lead that judge has there is is still going to be difficult to overcome. But if you know if you have significantly more home runs for Cal Raleigh, if he’s ahead in runs batted in, if he’s ahead in total bases, a and more than anything, just if he’s played more, like to me, that would be the tiebreaker, like if I I don’t vote anymore. Um, but if I did and I were I were looking at those two, uh, I’m looking at the defense and and just the grind of the position that Cal Raleigh plays, uh, and the number of games that they’ve played and and it has a chance to be a significant difference. Judge is going to be resigned to designated hitter duties for, you know, at least a week, I would assume more after he gets back. And there there’s a realistic possibility that if his elbow doesn’t recover uh that he’s going to be designated a hitter for the rest of the season and then you know there the the defensive difference between the two grows even greater every game he plays at DH. So uh I I think you know I I said earlier this year guys that it would take something an injury something like that for for Cal to have a real shot. I think he’s got a real shot now. You think the derby and and the whole All-Star week had something to do with it also and kind of just introducing himself to some of the folks who maybe don’t get a chance to see him all the time? Yeah, it’s really interesting to see Pat McAfee, for example, tweeting about Cal Raleigh now or or to see the number of times that the main ESPN account talks about the big dumper. Like the the the narrative stuff is working and and I give the Mariners a lot of credit. You know, they have they have spent a lot of time and energy trying to build up Cal Raleigh the character to meet the level of Cal Raleigh the player. And uh I I give credit to Cal too for embracing it. You know, he’s he’s gone fullbore on it and gone along with a smile the whole way. And I I think it’s really cool to see America now understanding this little gem that you guys have had for so long. Hey, can we go back to to some of this trade deadline stuff? So, when the Naylor deal gets made, I think most people here felt like they didn’t give up a whole lot. Lyall was upset because he likes Brandon Garcia personally, but you know, and Garcia might turn out to be a nice player, but they did not give up a tremendous amount in order to get Naylor. How much more? And Ashton has a chance to be good guys. Okay. Like, but I’d be willing to bet most people in Seattle never heard of him. Yes. Yes. I don’t want to discount that, but I but what I will acknowledge is that they didn’t touch uh Emerson, Farmelo, Blown, SA, Laz, Aoyo, Ford, and Salison. I mean, that’s a lot. Like it’s Yeah, I I I I know. But what’s what’s a lot and and I think what’s what’s to really appreciate going forward is that the Mariners have put themselves in a position not not all of those guys are going to succeed. Like that’s just a reality of it. There is breakage along the way whether it is in elbow ligaments, uh confidence, ability to to catch up to velocity or to read spin. Um, but if the Mariners get three or four good everyday players out of this group, if they’re if they’re at a 40 to 50% hit rate on those guys, that’s going to sustain them for half a decade going forward. And that, Brock, is that Brock is why the only way you trade guys of that ilk is if you’re going out and getting people who are going to continue to be contributors, not ones who can go and reach free agency this off season. So then what if if that’s the the market for Josh Naylor, who by the way might have be in competition with Cal to see who has the biggest dumper on the team. What is the market for Aueno Suarez? How much more do you have to give up for Gino? It’ll be more, but uh I Well, let me let me turn this on you guys. Uh would you give up any of those eight to get Auano Suarez? So, I’m a It’s a great question and I’m torn. I Yes, some of them. I mean, I think not all of them. I wouldn’t put them all in the same category. I think Harry Ford is blocked and that gives me a little bit like it’s a little easier to want to give up on someone like him than say Colt Emerson or Laz Montes. But the challenge I’m having with two months of Gino Suarez, as great as he’s been, is that we know as well as anyone in Seattle, having watched him for two years, he’s just a streaky player. And in 2 months, if you get bad Gino as opposed to good Gino, you you’ve essentially just thrown away a good prospect for a guy that will hurt you. Now, if you get good Gino, you’re a World Series contender because you’re just going to add 50 plus home runs to this lineup. So, I mean, it’s a major major risk. It is. Um and and the question I think that the Mariners are asking themselves is this a team is this a year worth risking? Yep. And and that’s you know it’s easy it’s easy for us to say yes and and it might be right. I I don’t discount for one second that it could turn out really well but it could also turn out really poorly. and and that’s something that you know uh the Mariners are in the position that they’re in right now because they have not been loose in terms of of their risk matrix. They they haven’t gone out and done anything that’s been particularly crazy or a huge overpay. I mean, they gave up a lot, but they’re also in the position they’re in because of that the other way, too. Right. I I mean like you could say the exact same words and say the Mariners are in this position of having not won, you know, not not made it to an ALCS in forever because of the same problem. So you can really look at it both ways. Mhm. Yeah. And and look, at some point you have to at some point you have to do something that’s stupid. So is this team worth it? And it might not work. Is this league worth it from from Jeff Pass’s perspective? Is this the right season to take some of those potentially stupid risks? Yes. See, that’s a one-word answer. And I don’t need three names for a poet. You got one minute here to tell me what Ichiro. Everybody in that building, everybody around the country knew him by one name. And to hear him do his speech in English and to hear some of that background was so remarkable for so many of us. From your perspective here, Jeffrey, in the final minute before you get run into GM calls and everything else, what do you take away from each Hall of Fame speech? Um, I think everybody finally got a look at the things that we behind the scenes have gotten to see and been privileged to see for all of these years. That Ichiro Suzuki is a funny funny man. and uh and and he was you know what and I think for a long time he he felt like he had this image that he had to not only protect but cultivate as as a you know a warrior as a craftsman. Um, but Ichiro contains multitudes and one of the reasons that teammates loved him as much as they did. Uh, is because they knew that there was nobody who could break up a room in laughter quite like he could. And uh I’m I’m glad he was willing to to break the character that he had built for all of these years to to show that there are more sides to him than uh the the very talented swordsman who was able to go out and uh carve hits like nobody else. Wow. He’s a pretty good answer right there. He brought it home. Holy smokes. I mean that that’s a guy walking around like Walt Whitman on the pond, like Louisa May Alcott, like all the other great transcendentalist writers. Brock, that’s Jeff Pass in there. And amusingly because I just looked up transcendentalism, Edgar Alan Poe, big hater on transcendentalism. Yeah. I mean, really ripped those guys referring to them as uh as what did he call them? Frog ponds or something. Sure. Yeah. So quite we’re learning a lot here today. Thank you, Jeff, for bringing this up. The frog say hello. He called them frog pondians. Sure. Frog pondians. And maybe that’s what Jeff is as he walks around in Bristol. Jeff, good luck with the last couple of days here. I hope it doesn’t stress you out too much and we’ll talk next week. It will. Thank you, boys. Bye. There’s Jeff Pass. We’ll be right back on Brock.

ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan joins Brock Huard and Mike Salk as the MLB trade deadline looms on July 31st to discuss the Mariners plans following the Josh Naylor addition, potential lockout concerns, Cal Raleigh’s MVP status and MUCH more.

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0:00 – Josh Naylor trade
1:20 – Improving bench bats
3:30 – Latest on trade deadline
6:15 – 2027 potential lockout factors
8:20 – More lockout talk
10:10 – MLB betting scandal
12:00 – How many players will Mariners add at deadline
12:51 – Will M’s add a pitcher?
13:51 – Aaron Judge MVP concerns with IL stint
16:33 – Was the price for Naylor fair?
18:10 – Market for Eugenio Suarez
20:51 – Ichiro’s HOF takeaways

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