According to a report from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Seattle Mariners have had interest this offseason in San Francisco Giants slugging prospect Bryce Eldridge, who appears to be available in trade talks.

MLBTradeRumors posted the following, including a link to Slusser's original work:

The Mariners and Red Sox are two teams known to have interest in Eldridge, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.  It isn’t known if Seattle’s interest has continued now that Josh Naylor has re-signed and locked up the first base position for the next five years, though the M’s could conceivably use Naylor and Eldridge in the same first base/DH mixture that the Giants currently have planned for Devers and Eldridge.

Does this make sense?

Exactly as was stated above: It makes less sense now that the Mariners have locked up Naylor to a five-year deal worth $92.5 million. But, if the team wants to use Eldridge in a designated hitter role to get his bat in the lineup, it makes more sense.

About Eldridge

Edridge, 21, is ranked as the No. 12 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, but he is MLB-ready. A left-handed hitter, he did make his major league debut in 2025, hitting just .107 in 10 games. He had two doubles but no home runs. 

A former first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, he hit .260 across three minor leagues this past season with 25 home runs and 84 RBIs.

How about the cost?

Considering that Eldridge is just 21, under team control for a full six years, affordable and the No. 12 prospect, you'd have to imagine the cost to acquire him is high.

The Mariners have one of the best farm systems in baseball, with eight Top-100 prospects, but it's unclear if they'd move them for what seems like a positional redundancy.

Impacts on the rest of the roster

As it stands today, the Mariners figure to have Cal Raleigh at catcher, Naylor at first, Cole Young at second, JP Crawford at short, Ben Williamson at third, Randy Arozarena in left, Julio Rodriguez in center and Victor Robles in right.

Dominic Canzone is likely the DH. If Eldridge was inserted into the DH spot, it would clearly bump Canzone, and it may also take the Mariners out of the running for a reunion with Jorge Polanco, who would need DH time as well.

Conclusion

The Mariners have Naylor, and they are known to want Polanco back, so this one doesn't seem to make a lot of sense anymore.

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