The BEST Case Scenerio for The #Mariners Trade Deadline w/Jordan Shusterman | #SeattleSports

The BEST Case Scenerio for The #Mariners Trade Deadline w/Jordan Shusterman | #SeattleSports

Jordan, how’s it going? Hi, guys. So, good to be here on this chaotic Wednesday afternoon here in the Eastern time zone. Uh, what what are we waiting for, guys? Can we start making some trades already? Let’s go. Come on. I know. I was so excited obviously with Josh Naylor going and and I thought I thought like, oh my god, what if they actually do it? What if they add both Suarez and Naylor? I can’t believe it. This felt like uh, you know, just just heavy heavy wishing. When the Yankees moved on, I thought, well, surely the Mariners are the front runner here. With nothing being done yet, I’m wondering if the Mariners have also pivoted. Jordan, what are you hearing or reading when it comes to the pursuit of Suarez, particularly from the Mariner side of things? Yeah, I mean, I’ve been I’ve been working the phones like everybody else, but I’m also sitting here watching Gino play a baseball game uh in Detroit right now, so it doesn’t seem like there’s anything imminent. Uh it’s it’s an interesting time. And I I do still think, and this is based on some of the reporting, I know Daniel Kramer at LB.com, Adam Jud have been on this too, that it does sound like that that the bullpen is still going to be a pretty big priority for Seattle. We’ve had so many conversations about Ben Williamson um and and whether he is, you know, a viable starting third baseman moving forward. I could I really could see it from both sides. Uh, but I also think that right now after the Naylor edition, I do think bullpen is higher on the list of priorities and I would not be surprised if the Mariners act accordingly. That said, Gino’s still out there and I do believe they’re still going to try and get him. I just don’t know if that’s going to be priority number one over the next 24 hours. If they are not able to get Gino, how do you feel about Ben Wimson just taking that spot over for the rest of the year in in developing? Yeah, again I I think that clearly the Mariners are comfortable with that being a a defense first position. And for as much as I think people are rightfully frustrated with some of his production in certain at bats and that he doesn’t feel like a majorly quality hitter right now, he’s at the bottom of the lineup and there are other good hitters on this team. This this offense should not be relying on Ben Williamson no matter what. And I don’t think that they are. And so it’s unfair to him to put that on him. Of course, Suarez would be a massive upgrade offensively and maybe it would kind of catapult them into a different tier of American League teams and I think that that’s why they’re considering doing it. Um, but I also think that it’s I think we’re focusing on that spot too much and I still think that the bullpen is more of a need at this stage. Um, tell us about some of those arms that could still be out there. We saw the Angels make a couple deals a little under an hour ago. We know that there are two major names who remain with their current team. So, what are the big bullpen names that that we’re all kind of anticipating could be moved and uh and what do we need to know so far? Yeah, got to keep an eye on Minnesota uh with both Yandan and Griffin Jax. Those both those both of those guys have a case for bringing back a a massive hall. Um Jax, I believe, is leading all relievers in Fangraph’s War over the last three seasons, even above Emanuel Claus. We don’t have to talk about him today, but that kind of gives you a sense for how valuable he has been uh over the last few years. And then Duran, of course, one of the most dominant closers. I think what makes Duran so special is that combination of ground balls and strikeouts that essentially only Andre Munoz is getting at the kind of rate among backend arms. So, both of those guys with two more years of control after this are obviously going to cost a ton. And I think the Mariners are one of those teams in position to do to meet the price if they are willing to get a little bit uncomfortable. I’d also be looking at Pittsburgh, guys like David Bednar, guys like Dennis Santana. Miami maybe has some guys. I know they’re still kind of in the mix, but maybe an Anthony Bender. Ronnie Enriquez is an interesting name that I’d maybe keep an eye on there. You know, there’s there’s a lot of relievers out there. There’s there’s no there’s never a year where any GM could can go out there and be like, well, you know, there weren’t any relievers available. That’s that is just not a thing that exists. And so I expect them to find a way to add to the bullpen in some form over the next day. Obviously, we’ve been talking about Gino. The whole nation is talk about Gino being moved at this trade deadline, but is there like a sneaky bat out there that maybe isn’t getting enough love that you feel like is on the uh on the market? Yeah, that’s that that’s a good question. I I think again going back to going back to Minnesota, I I just think and this isn’t just for Seattle, but I think he fits great for them, but Willie Castro is a heck of a player. And you think about what a guy like Tommy Edmond did for the Dodgers last year. Castro could make a similar impact and and maybe his offensive ceiling isn’t quite what Edmonds is, but you consider that that is another option maybe at third base, but the fact that you could move him around the field, the fact that he’s a switch hitter um and that that is also a rental, so that’s not a longer term thing. But guys like that are just so useful and not it’s not just what you can do on a daily basis with your full roster, but also just in case of injury being able to lean back on a Willie Castro. Obviously Dylan Moore has sort of played that role for the Mariners in recent years. Unfortunately, Dylan Moore, as we know, is just not having that kind of offensive season. Willie Castro is has been an above average hitter who can play all these different positions. Is a switch hitter as well. Gives you even more versatility. So, if they can link up there, I think in terms of like best case scenario for a Mariners deadline, it probably does involve the Minnesota Twins, something with Castro, something with one of those relievers. Speaking with Yahoo Sports, Jordan Schustman right now about the trade deadline. We are uh a little under 48 hours out. Uh, are we seeing the Mariners, Jordan, be maybe uncomfortable with trading those top prospects, or are we seeing top prospects not being moved quite as much around the league? Because I was heading into the deadline going, “Well, God, they have been aggressive before and they don’t have a lot to spend, but they do have a lot of prospects. Surely they’ll be able to move them.” You know, it it’s funny. I think we have to remember what happened last year. They they moved on Randy early. They gave up two prospects that people really liked but were not necessarily way up on top 100 prospect list in Brody Hopkins uh and Aiden Smith. And that ended up being one of the biggest moves of the deadline. And I have a feeling that Josh Naylor is not going to be the biggest move of this deadline the way that Randy basically was, but it might not be as far off as people think. And the fact that they were able to get that done with Ashton Izzy and with Brandon Garcia is pretty impressive, right? And that’s why you do jump the market because you don’t know how chaotic and what the prices are going to be uh over these last 24 hours. So the fact that they’ve kind of done that, they have that one thing they can kind of lean on. Obviously fans want more and more and more more and more. But the reality is in 24 hours or so there going to be a lot of teams out there that really added nothing because then those fans are going to be a whole lot more disappointed. Of course, I understand all teams fan bases want their teams to do as much as possible, and I do think Seattle’s going to keep pushing. Um, Tyler Lair, he’s back. We’re going to see him again. 19 bombs um in the minors. What’s his role going to be on this team? How do you see them mixing them into this lineup? Yeah, that’s a great question. And I think that’s the other thing to watch now moving forward and I think Lleier maybe getting a chance, some DH reps, maybe some some opportunities off the bench against lefties. Do they have a lineup that that is that is imposing against left-handed pitching? That’s not necessarily something that Naylor addresses. He’s better against lefties than than most, you know, left-handed hitters, but still, I think that’s a weakness that the team identifies. What’s exciting about Lleier is that there are very tangible mechanical changes that he made that kind of preceded this recent hot streak. At the same time, you see this time and time again across the league. We saw it with Lleer even when he came up last year. You can only trust AAA numbers so much. And it’s not to discredit what he’s accomplished. He’s done all you could possibly ask him to do. If this recent change in in swing and stance has unlocked something for him, that’s really exciting. But what he’s going to be asked to do for this team is a very different role than than playing every day in the middle of the lineup for Tacoma. So adjusting to that less everyday opportunity at the big league club, I’m sure he’s happy to be in the big leagues, but that’s a different assignment than, you know, hitting third or fourth every day. How he can adjust to that as a young player is going to be really important. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they if they kind of roll with him. clearly that that’s a player that they believe in to to a real degree. Jordan, the last we heard um from Jerry Dotto, he talked about the importance of really focusing on those bullpen arms. Seattle sure seems pretty confident with their group of starters. It sounds like Miller could be coming back here. Uh they really like the pieces they have. I cannot believe I’m asking this like 2024 me would be shocked, but are you comfortable uh with Seattle’s group of uh their one through five starters right now? So, that’s a really good question. This is something that I’ve also kind of been thinking about because it hasn’t been a focus and it’s been easy to look like, oh well now they’re healthy and Gilbert’s back and Kirby’s back and Miller’s coming back, but it was already shallow beyond those first five or six. I know Emerson Hancock, we had him come up and down. Logan Evans obviously struggled um this week. Evans is also and Hancock are both interesting pieces as far as trade discussions go, right? Because you could imagine those are the kind of young controllable arms that teams are also asking about. But can you afford to trade that kind of depth who you are giving major league starts right now, let alone just as potential insurance for for in case of another injury? That’s delicate. Could you move a guy like Evans and Hancock and bring in like a a shorter term rental starting pitcher that’s not necessarily someone you expect to start a postseason game, but that you can count on for quality innings in a way that maybe you can’t necessarily with Evans right now just because of how inconsistent uh he’s been. And again, again, Logan Evans story, it’s almost similar to Williamson. It’s like the fact that he is able to do this is incredible considering how long ago he was not a good college pitcher. But at the same time, you have to understand the standards here. And if you’re in a pennant race, if you’re chasing down a division, every start is going to be really important. And if they think they can get a veteran that’s a little bit better than Logan Evans for a not so comp expensive price, we just saw a deal like Chris Paddock, that wouldn’t shock me either. It’s I know it’s not something people are focused on, but I don’t think that would be such a bad idea. Who’s the most talented team in the division right now as it stands? Obviously, the Astros don’t have a lot of their guys. Um, it it seems like everybody’s pretty mid, as the kids would say. They probably don’t say that anymore, Jordan. We’re old. But, uh, who’s the most talented team in this division? Yeah. So, it’s interesting because if you think about just like the high end, if you’re just like looking at like the best version of the rotation, the lineup, and the bullpen, I think Seattle has a great case because of what their best hitters and their best starters and their best relievers have been doing. That’s Munoz, that’s Woo, that’s Cal Raleigh, right? If you just look at that Trinity, not even before you even get to Julio, before you even get to Gilbert and and and whatever, how does that compare to Houston? It’s just hard to talk about Houston because their whole team’s injured. Texas. Texas. It’s like, okay, Cory Seager, Jacob Deg Grom, and then the bullpen, which has been better than you think, but it’s like, who are we really talking about? You know, we’re talking about the Angels. Okay, what what are we really saying here? What starting pitcher are you really counting on here? Let alone the bullpen, let alone the the the lineup, which of course has hit a bunch of homers, but Mike Trout’s not the same Mike Trout anymore. So, it’s a little bit of a different conversation. That said, I think Seattle’s right there. I think they have that case. And so, that’s why they should be aggressive. That’s why, as you heard Jeff Passen talk about completely accurately, go for it. Go for it. Be aggressive. View this as an opportunity and I hope that they treat it as such. Stepping outside of Seattle for a couple questions here. Maybe taking a look around the American League and the league itself. I’m going to go to the Yankees, Aaron Judge on the IIEL. Um, how long could is this like extending past that 10day? Could it be a little bit longer? And what’s a Yankees team without Judge right now? Yeah, I mean the Yankees have other good players. Um, but when you have a player like Judge Judge, it doesn’t matter. You’re just not you’re not the same team. It’s not it’s not even close, right? And you’re it’s it’s funny because you look at the the Yankees offensive ranks and like again they have other good hitters and in Jazz and and Stanton and and Bellinger for the most part, but Judges numbers are so absurd. They are pushing. And by the way, you could say the same thing about Kyle Raleigh to a degree in terms of the Mariners offensive stats, but I I don’t know. I I think that this is an ominous injury. the fact that it wasn’t worst case scenario, he needs surgery is certainly good news. But even if he is back in the lineup, dhing in 10 days or a little bit more than that, what that what that roster looks like where you’re trying to also get in John Carl standing at bats, are you putting him in the outfield? These are big questions for the Yankees, they’re already in this massive hole in the division. Is this going to c because again, they can’t afford to be missing any games without Aaron Judge. And so that that could push them into I I think they’re going to be okay. I think they’re going to be a postseason team even if Judge misses 20 days or 30 days, but it’s really hard to know when we don’t know when he’s going to be playing the outfield again. It just says so much about this roster. Um, and then, uh, are there any surprise buyers as we head into the deadline? Because I think as a Mariners fan, they’re used to going, “Okay, am I looking at the Tigers? Am I looking at the, you know, it was the Yankees competing for you with Suarez and who knows if they get Suarez now. Could there be another team thrown into the mix where suddenly we’re eyeing them?” Yeah. One team I would look at is Kansas City. Um because of what’s going on in the AL Central right now. I know the Tigers have played better this week, but if Cleveland’s about to trade people, if Minnesota’s about to trade people, I don’t obviously Kansas City is still a fair bit back, but they already bring in Gritchuk, they extend Lugo. That’s a team that still might view the American League as as at least consider pushing for even if they’re mostly realizing that we’re trying to keep this core together for next year and kind of kind of start over and have a better season than than how this one has gone. I don’t know if they have the capital to really do something aggressive and and bring in a real impact talent, but it does seem like they’re more likely to add than subtract, and that is a little bit surprising. Um, how legit are the Brewers, right? 35 and 12 since June, something like that. And you know, you talk about talented rosters. I asked you to to look at the ALS. You look at their roster, there’s not a lot of talent, I guess people would think, but how legit are they? Do you think they’re they’re contenders, or are we just seeing a special run right now? I mean, at this point, the Brewers have kind of ascended into that group of teams, those small market teams with the Cleveland and Tampa Bay, and you could argue they’ve passed them now, right? when you consider how successful that they’ve been under circumstances where you weren’t necessarily expecting it. I think you it’s like who cares who’s playing. Well, great. Andrew Vaughn is now back to looking like he he was at Cal. Awesome. You know, I mean, that’s that’s good for them. And their pitching infrastructure is is so impressive. Even if you don’t necessarily know those guys, that’s another team I think about them in Detroit in in sort of similar fashion. I know Milwaukeee’s been better, but we we’ve never seen even when Milwaukee’s been good, we never see them act as aggressive buyers. Do I suddenly think that’s going to change? Now, you could argue it should because they have a great farm to trade from. I know they got Danny Jansen. That’s a little bit more of a depth piece, but I’d love to see them be a little bit more aggressive. That’s another team that should want to win the World Series. Come on, Brewers. Let’s uh that should be something you should be aspiring for and maybe that opportunity is there.

Senior MLB Analyst for Yahoo Sports Jordan Shusterman joins Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost to discuss potential moves for the Mariners at the trade deadline and the state of the AL West race.

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0:00 – Eugenio Suarez Trade Likelihood
2:32 – Relievers possibly available
4:00 – Bats the Mariners can add
5:15 – Will Josh Naylor Be the Biggest deadline move?
6:45 – Tyler Locklear’s potential
8:01 – Should the Mariners add a starting pitcher?
9:45 – The Best AL West Team is ____?
11:11 – Aaron Judge’s Injury Impact
12:45 -Surprise Buyers at the Deadline
13:45 – Best Teams in the MLB

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