One Trade to Make #Mariners A.L. Favorites in 2026 w/ Jeff Passan | #SeattleSports

One Trade to Make #Mariners A.L. Favorites in 2026 w/ Jeff Passan | #SeattleSports

and they’ll be just fine. But then today, things actually started happening. So, what is the vibe as of today with a couple of deals getting done? I think there was some surprise with Edwin Diaz’s deal, not just because he went to the Dodgers, but because there was an expectation this thing would linger a little bit and Kyle Schwarber was always going to be the one who broke the dam. uh you know a number of organizations from Baltimore to Boston to Pittsburgh to the even the New York Mets were waiting on him a little bit because he was the bell of the ball. He was the big prize when it comes to sluggers and to see him go back to Philadelphia was not a huge surprise. Um, but to see him get 5 years at $30 million a year when he is a 33-year-old designated hitter, it was an unprecedented contract in that regard. You know, organizations will come up with any reason to pay a guy less. And Kyle Schwarber had his position going against him. He had his age going against him. and he defied that nevertheless because he was just so good last year and because he’s so incredibly good in the clubhouse, too. All right, so now the last part doesn’t necessarily work for that, but if Kyle Schwarber is worth 30 million a year for the next five, certainly you could get away with paying 20 million a year for the next five or six to Catel Marte, right? It seems like a bargain. Yeah, it’s it’s not even that much. I think it’s like a little bit over 18 and the last year I think is only 11, right? Cuz it’s a it’s a player option for like 11 12 like correct that that feels like a really good value. Brock and I were just sort of talking about it and he was concerned about spending that much on a guy in his 30s. I’d sure rather spend a h 100red million on Catel Marte than 50 million over the next three years on Jorge Palano. I don’t disagree with you at all. The the only difference is Catel Marte is going to cost a lot in talent too. Jay Blanco is just money at this point and at the same time the money is even and if you feel like you’re in that championship window and and the upgrade possibility is there and I’ll say this Catel Marte sure would be an upgrade at second base for the Seattle Marit and it’s a deal that it’s a deal that they can make because what the Diamondbacks are looking for is pitching right and and they’re looking for close to if not big league ready pitching but they’re looking for pitching and you know the Mariners we saw it last year among the their five starters Emerson Hancock Logan Evans now Kate Anderson’s going to move quickly DAngelo Sanchez on his way Ryan Sloan’s not far away if I’m the Diamondbacks right now I’m asking for either George Kirby or Logan Gilbert uh I would imagine that the Mariners would uh rather send out Bryce Miller or uh certainly Hancock or Evans or uh you know any of the minor league guys, but uh where they are right now uh now’s the time to strike. And if they have that money in their budget to cover a Catel contract, boy, put him in the middle of this lineup and suddenly it looks even nastier than last year’s, which is saying something. So, do you think it’s possible? Yeah, I think it’s possible. I don’t think it’s pro. We’re we’re still not sure whether Catel Mart is going to get traded. I mean, the Diamondbacks want to, you know, they’re not punting. They’re they’re not starting from scratch. So, taking a bat like that out of your lineup is a really tough thing to do. At the same time, other teams are understandably blocking. Catel Martes missed a lot of time. You know, there were clubhouse issues in Arizona here. So, I wouldn’t say this is like a slam dunk thing, but man, when you have a a talent like him, if you can bring him back home, uh what a great deal that would be for the marriage. Do you think do you think getting the deals done organization organization relationship wise they did with the Diamondbacks to get both Naylor and Suarez and all the work that went into that, all the evaluations, all the kind of opening of the books and evaluations of different players? Do you think that would benefit them more to consummate a deal here than maybe it would with others? Sorry, I was looking at a text and I missed your question. No problem. Do you have to break some news right now? Try again. I’m just kind of curious if all of the groundwork they did to get the Naylor deal done and the Suarez deal done with that organization and kind of opening the books of the valuation and saying, “Okay, this is what we got. This is what you think. This is what you want. You know who you want.” Do you think that could help consummate a deal with Marte or is it just nah all 29 other teams can can do that rather quickly? No, I think it I think it only helps if you if you have a relationship from past deals and it’s clear you have trust between the front offices and and a lot of times trust is what gets these deals across the finish line. You go to familiar trading partners. You you talk with people who you feel like you’re not wasting your time with. you know, there’s only 24 hours in a day. There’s only a few months in the off season, there there’s a finite amount of time to get something done. But I do think that while there is a slight advantage there, at the end of the day, talent talks and whoever offers or meets Mike Hazen, the general manager of the Diamondbacks asking price is going to be the one who potentially gets Catel. Jeeoff, what do you think is the market for Palano? talked a lot about him being the pivot point for the Mariners this year. I’ve heard the number that 20 million a year floated around what he might be looking for. He’s not going to get He’s not getting $20 million a year. What What could he get? What is that market? How serious are the Pirates? What should we know there? I think the Pirates are pretty serious, especially now that they haven’t gotten Kyle Schwarber. And they were they were genuinely serious there. I know everyone laughs like they had a they had a good offer on the table. They were willing to go higher. Uh Schwarber just wanted to go back to Philadelphia and he got the number that he was looking for. But I think at the end of the day, it’s probably going to be somewhere between 14 and 17 million a year for for Jorge Blanco. And you know, if if there are two teams duking it out at the end, maybe it goes up a million a year. And it looks like it’s going to be a three-year deal, but something along the lines of three for 45 to 50. I think that’s about right. Brock, you interested in that? You doing that deal, sir? Uh, no. Hard no. That’s a hard pass for me. I I would say no. Just the the injuries and and sort of the up and down nature of it and just having to nurse him through it. I’m not really interested in ages 32, 33, 34 from that player. Uh although he fits the Mariners really well, don’t get me wrong, I love the the flexibility, the switch hitting, second base, DH, like he fits him great, but at that point, I would just much rather try to go after Catel Marte, who’s a better player and will be for longer and and with less of an injury concern. Catel Marte could be Brandon Donovan. It could be Jeff McNeel. It could be Jake Croninworth. The thing about second base this off seasonason, guys, is that there are a numberilities out there. And there are a lot of teams also that want second baseman. So, I’m not suggesting it’s going to be easy to land any of those guys. It’s going to take something. But the the trademark for second baseman is ripe right now. And you know, you start the year, I don’t know if it’s Ben Williamson, Colt Emerson platoon at third base or if it’s just Colt Emerson goes and wins the job outright in spring training or Williamson has a great spring training, they want to keep Emerson down. But there there’s value in having Emerson up to start the season because of the prospect promotion incentive pick and if if you start him on the roster at the beginning of the season, feels like you got to play him every day. Can you help me understand how these deals get done? I remember Moneyball and I’ve been sentel Jeff so I’m very careful and I’m not going to use movies is the way that you know poor the portrayal of Brad Pit on the phone during the trade deadline and with all of that stuff but do you have an understanding through your years of being around this of how actually the deals get done there? Are they are are there different meeting rooms for the different clubs? Are there different like ho how does this ultimately when we do see some things get done how do they get hammered out? It used to be much more face to face but now there are hardly ever face to face meeting. You you don’t see executives down in the lobby frankly a whole lot. You don’t see them uh too often out at the bar late at night. I I respect the ones who are out there with us. good for you for for hanging with the regular people. But mostly it’s text and phone conversations and you know they’re they’re not doing Zooms between the teams. Those are those are reserved for players and for free agents. Uh, in this situation, it’s pretty simple. Like, you tend to know what the other team is going to want from you. And it’s just a matter of getting to the point of, am I comfortable potentially doing this deal? And depending on the organization, there are some that are are much better deal makers and there are some that frankly, you know, they whether it’s getting cold feet or always trying to push for a little bit more at the end, uh, have trouble closing a deal. So it all just depends on the teams that you’re talking about. But in in the case of Catel Marte, you know, I’m not breaking any news to you here. Jerry Dotto is a dealmaker. And Mike Hazen is a very pragmatic guy who has set a price and if someone meets it, they’ll make the deal. Let’s just go back to the market on a couple of these other guys, some that you mentioned and maybe one or two that you didn’t that I think are at the very least in the conversation for the Mariners. You mentioned uh Donovan in St. Louis. I know he’s got a lot of suitors. What does it take? What is the market for Brandon Donovan? I’m not going to say it’s going to cost as much as Catel Marte, but it’s probably going to be pretty close. Wow. Just be just because in addition to being very good, he’s not he’s not a hitter like Catel Marte. I’ll be clear about that. Brendan Donovan’s bat is not Catel Marte level. But Brendan Donovan plays second base, he plays left field, he plays third base, he play a little bit of shortstop, he is a very high average, high on base, low strikeout hitter. And while you know the power, it’s it’s more doubles power than home run power. But the the big thing with him is you’re getting two full seasons and they’re cheap because he is still in arbitration. So you’re getting uh a very cost effective player there and that’s that’s why Hyatt Bloom’s going to ask for a lot because you know a bunch of teams look at his versatility and really appreciate the fact that they can move him around in different positions and you know he can hit righties and lefties so there’s no platoon issues. So, if you’ve got a another second baseman who crushes left-handed pitching, maybe you move Marte to excuse me, move Donovan to left field. Uh, if you if you’ve got a, you know, a left fielder who does it, then you move to second. Like, there are just all sorts of opportunities in the lineup for Brandon Donovan. And, uh, he’s gonna play every day. He’s gonna be very good. Uh but for the the the real question there is for a guy who’s not a big slugger who’s never slugged over I think 420 like 422 I think it is in a individual season uh are you really going to pay premium price for him? What about the two older second baseman that come in kind of different flavors but Brandon Laauo and Jake Croninworth? Yeah, I mean Brandon Laauo is as long as he’s healthy, he’s really good, man. Now, he hasn’t been healthy, but the two seasons where he’s played more than 130 games, he’s hit over 30 home runs. So, he’s more of an all or nothing type. Uh, you know, he’s going to have a low on base percentage, but he’s a guy who you can put in the five, six, seven hole somewhere in there, and he’s gonna punish baseballs for you. not not great defensively. That’s a you know that’s an issue and beyond that he’s going to be free agent after this season. Um Croninworth, you have him around for a long time. Like that’s the that that’s the question about Jake Croninworth. Was he going to age? He’s turning 32 in January. He’s got another I think he’s signed through 2030. So, this would be a long-term play and it’s at $12 million a year, which is reasonable for what he produces, but he’s, you know, he’s a guy also can move around the infield, can play some third, can play some second, uh, and play some first, but at the end of the day, he’s probably a second baseman for this team. And not great defensively, but another guy who’s just very solid and much more of an on base threat than Granite La would be. So, let me just ask you this. I’m sorry to hog this Brock, but I just wanted to kind of run through a bunch of these names. If you are Jerry Dotto and Justin Hollander and you know that you’ve got to get something done, you know, soon, where are you focusing your attention? Palano at, let’s call it 14, 15, 16 million a year. Marte Donovan Laauo Croninworth I’ll throw in the two right fielders uh or outfielders both Joan Duran uh I’m sorry Jiren Duran and Steven Quan where are you focusing your attention who is the best fit of that group for this team and maybe I should throw Byron Buckton in there as well. I don’t know. Yeah, I don’t think Buckston’s going anywhere. So, uh we’ll take that one off. I think if you’re the Seattle Mariners right now, you are big game hunting. You are going for the best players available because you were that close to getting to the World Series last year and the team that would just, you know, just edge things out against you got beaten in the same fashion in the World Series. So, you are a true legitimate World Series contender and I think if you get Catel Marte, you probably go into the season as the American League favorite. You know, depending on what Toronto does. If they go and sign Kyle Tucker and Bo Bashette, then maybe that’s a little bit different story. But right now, I think the Mariners can put themselves in position to be the favorites in the American League entering the 2026 season. And so if I’m running the club with the foreign system that they’ve got with with the ability to move a couple of pieces and really not feel it too badly, I’m doing everything I can to get the best player possible. If Schwarber goes for 51 150, what does Bragman and Tucker go for? And are they in any way a possibility for the Mariners? No, I don’t think any of them I I mean you maybe John Santon wakes up one morning and says, “Hey, uh we should probably put a little more money, invest a little more money into this team that has a chance to win the first World Series in franchise history.” That that would be nice. That would be admirable. That would be great for all of the fans who have listened to buffoons come on to this program before and suggest that they should just be happy with what they’ve got. But in reality, I don’t see any of those things happening. Breman’s going to be interesting. Uh, you know, it I’ll be curious to see just how big Detroit is in and just how real the But he’s got a home back in Boston if he wants it. Um, Tucker, I mean, I I’ll say this, Kyle Tucker is going to get at least 10 years and at least $300 million, and it’s just going to be a question of how much does he get bid up from there, you know, now that the Phillies got Schwarber, I’d be surprised to see them go after Tucker. The the Blue Jays, I’ve said this from the jump, the Blue Jays seem to be the favorite there right now, but I think there are other possibilities as well. And who was the third you mentioned? Bashette. Bashette’s gonna do fine. I don’t know if it’s going to be in Toronto. I don’t know if it’s going to be in Boston, but we saw what he did during the World Series this year, and that was not at 100%. And considering just the posity of bats on free agent market this off season, Bob Shett’s going to do okay. Cody Bellinger is going to do fine. The the question like I I’ll be very curious to see what happens with Alonzo. I don’t know where that market’s going right now. Seeing how the Mets respond after the best team in their division went out and resigned the MVP runnerup who hit 56 home runs last season. And the team that’s won two consecutive World Series went out and signed arguably the best closer from the Mets. It feels like the Mets are are going to go on a little bit of a run here. And I don’t know if it’s a it’s via trade or, you know, a big signing like Cody Bellinger, but uh the the Mets are going to have to make some moves because this was not a great day for them. Well, Jeffrey, thank you for all of this time. So gracious just as busy as you are and especially, you know, the tough spot you find yourself in. I mean, the Chiefs are cooked. They’re done. You’ve had this unbelievable run for all these years and boy, they’re going to have to rebuild and start over. So, sorry about that. Not having to start over. I don’t want to hear that. Start over. Feels unnecessary. Andy’s done. Andy’s done. Kelsey’s done. Old things. Chris Jones is done. Like, yep. You had a heck of a run. Wait, hold on. Hold on a second. Are you breaking some news to me? Andy Reed’s done. No. No, I’m not breaking any news. I’m not breaking any Just Jones is done. Yeah, it kind of feels like they’re done. Kind of feels like NFL just turns over. We felt this way in 15 and 16 with our beloved Seahawks. Father Time wins. He jumps on the back and he wins. if he wins. Not disagree with you on that, but I think I think I think Brett Beach has done a pretty darn good job of team building to sustain it as long as he has. And I know that when you have a quarterback the caliber of Mahomes, then you know that helps. But just enjoy watching the playoffs from the couch. That’s all I’m saying. Just enjoy watching very early for that. I I would like to distance myself from all of this. What What’s What crawled up your butt this morning? Seriously? Yeah. You could you you started this by saying shut up Saul. You can end it by saying shut up Brock if you want. I would gladly shut up Brock. Hey Jeff, seriously thank you. We really appreciate you giving us the time with everything going on. Uh I hope the last 24 hours or so are active and interesting and uh we’ll talk to you at some point down the road. Appreciate you, man. Seriously. Look forward to it, boys. And to everyone listening uh and early uh happy holidays, merry Christmas and happy new year. You too, Jeffrey. There you go. There’s Jeff Passen. Uh, one of our absolute favorites.

ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan joins Brock Huard and Mike Salk (Brock & Salk) from the winter meetings in Orlando, FL to discuss the early trades, 2B possibilities for Mariners, and what the costs are for several of the rumored names being floated for Seattle.

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0:00 – Vibe at MLB winter meetings after a couple big signings
1:18 – Schwarber price tag set FA market?
2:00 – Ketel Marte vs Jorge Polanco prices *
3:30 – Marte continued
4:22 – Relationship w/ Arizona from past deals
5:50 – Jorge Polanco’s market and cost
7:04 – Polanco continued
7:30 – Second basemen available
8:22 – How MLB deals get done at winter meetings
10:16 – Brendan Donovan market and cost
12:20 – Brandon Lowe vs Jake Cronenworth
13:55 – Where should Hollander / Dipoto be focusing attention *
15:45 – Bregman / Tucker / Bichette costs?
17:28 – What happens with Pete Alonso?
18:25 – Chiefs

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Listen to The Brock & Salk Show weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Seattle Sports 710 AM or on-demand wherever you listen to podcasts.
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