The Mariners earned a big win on Tuesday night, and there are five games to go before the deadline.
The Seattle Mariners earned arguably their best win of the season on Tuesday night, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6 at Dodger Stadium.
While it wasn't always pretty, the M's hit five home runs in the victory, including two massive blasts from Dominic Canzone, to move to 53-55 on the campaign.
At the 108-game mark, the M's are now 2.5 games back of the Texas Rangers in the American League West. They are just 1.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the battle for the third American League wild card spot. However, it should be noted that the Minnesota Twins (0.5 games) and Houston Astros (1 game) are separated between the Mariners and Cleveland, meaning they don't have a straight path to that spot.
Regardless of the uncertainty around the Mariners right now, ESPN MLB Insider Alden Gonzalez says they are going to buy at the deadline, no matter how the next five games go before Aug. 3.
Given the tumult in the American League West - and the rest of the American League - it's understandable why the Mariners would want to buy, especially with the return of Brendan Donovan on the horizon, and the hopeful returns of Carlos Vargas and Matt Brash in August.
However, as we've discussed, perhaps the Mariners need to be measured in their buys. Buying rental players can work, as long as the cost isn't too great. But buying players with control years beyond 2026 seems smart, as this year's team gets a chance - and next year's team gets a chance as well.
The Mariners are expected to be in the market for a right-handed bat and a reliever, though right-handed bats are certainly at a premium right now. The Mariners were linked to Casey Schmitt and Spencer Steer, both players were recently injured and will miss too much time for the M's to consider them.
New York Mets relief pitcher Luke Weaver (30) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh inning at American Family Field. Michael McLoone-Imagn ImagesSeattle has discussed bringing up top prospect Michael Arroyo, who just continues to hit everywhere he goes, and there's also a chance that they could trade starting pitcher Luis Castillo or Emerson Hancock in an effort to find offense.
Ironically enough, Hancock will take the mound for the Mariners against the Dodgers on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PT as he's opposed by left-hander Eric Lauer.
Of note
The latest edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast, featuring Seattle Mariners Insider Jason Churchill of 'Baseball Things' is out now. You can listen here, or you can watch in the YouTube player below.
