There's nothing that says the Mariners have to trade anybody this winter, but if they want to? The Marlins could be the perfect partner. Here's why.
After bringing back Josh Naylor on a new five-year deal, the Seattle Mariners don't have many holes to fill this winter.
Yes, they could use another reliever, and they need to find a way to re-sign or replace Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco, but the M's shopping list can be small and targeted after getting to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in 2025.
With approximately $20-25 million available to spend, the Mariners also have the resources needed to go out and make most of the moves they need to make.
However, if they need to free up more funds, they could look to trade expensive pieces like Randy Arozarena ($18 million arbitration projection) or Luis Castillo ($24 million guaranteed this season and next).
Trading these useful pieces is obviously not necessary, as both players are big parts of what Seattle does, but it remains an option if they need to shift dollars around to accomplish something else.
And if the Mariners do need to trade either of these players? The Miami Marlins might be the perfect trade partner.
Why exactly?
As noted by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Marlins are at risk of a grievance from the players union for not spending enough. If they want to increase spending to decrease the chance of that grievance, taking on salary in a trade is the way to do that.
Per the article:
“There is a possibility of a fight among clubs over revenue sharing, with the smaller markets seeing a greater contribution,” agent Seth Levinson said. “The payors (large-market clubs) will argue that insufficient revenue-sharing funds are being spent on player acquisition.
“Hence, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the smaller markets compete for talent in the free-agent market to convince the payors that they are committed to putting a better product on the field.”
Another benefit for the Marlins? Arozarena is only under contract through 2026, while Castillo is only under contract through 2027 (with a vesting option for 2028). These deals are short-term, which doesn't saddle Miami with long-term financial commitments, something they've clearly tried to avoid.
On the other side
It takes two sides to make a deal, and if the Mariners are going to deal big parts of their team, then they'd need the Marlins to have something they want.
With a targeted shopping list, that may end up not being the case.
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