The Seattle Mariners just lost out on free agent Jorge Polanco and are currently engaged in trade talks with the St. Louis Cardinals about Brendan Donovan, but there's a segment of M's fans online who want them to make another set of moves:

Acquire first baseman Yandy Diaz and second baseman Brandon Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays.

So, since enough fans want this, let's examine it:

About Diaz

Now 34, Diaz is entering the last year of his contract. Since the Rays are known to capitalize on value and rarely let a player leave for nothing in free agency, he and his modest $12 million salary should be available. However, it should be noted there's a vesting option for $13 million in 2027, making him a more complex acquisition. He only needs 500 plate appearances to lock in that deal.

A one-time All-Star and a former batting champ, Diaz hit .300 in 150 games in 2025, popping 25 home runs and driving in 83. He had a .366 on-base percentage as well, and he had only a 14.1 percent strikeout rate.

Even though the vesting option makes things complicated, I'd be interested in him serving as the designated hitter while Josh Naylor plays first base. He'd make a nice right-handed partner in the lineup with Julio Rodriguez.

About Lowe

Making just over $11 million in 2026, Lowe is also in the final year of his contract. He posted a 116 OPS+ in 2025, hitting 31 homers and driving in 83. However, he had just a .307 on-base percentage and he struck out 26.9 percent of the time.

An eight-year veteran of the Rays, he's a career .247 hitter with 157 home runs.

Conclusion

As I said, I'm interested in Diaz because of the good contact skills and low strikeout rate. However, he was just playing in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in baseball (Steinbrenner Field) and can't be expected to repeat his power performance.

We know the Mariners and Rays are frequent trade partners, so there's reason to believe a deal like this could get done, but the M's likely have to wait and see what happens with Donovan before they start maneuvering other deals.

As for Lowe? I'm just not interested. He also just benefited from hitting at Steinbrenner Field and can't be expected to replicate his power performance. He's had more than 21 homers just one other season in his career, and that was back in 2021. Also, the Mariners need less strikeout issues, not more, and Lowe only exacerbates the contact issues already on the roster. The high-power, low-contact profile is one the M's already have a lot of, so that's a pass for me.

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