MLB Trade Deadline Recap: Seattle Mariners

Now that the non-waiver deadline has passed, we’re taking a look back at what each team was able to accomplish before 4 p.m. ET on July 31. Next up in our recap series, the Seattle Mariners.

Seattle Mariners (57-56), 15 GB in AL West, 1.5 GB in AL Wild Card

ACQUIRED: RHP David Phelps (from MIA), RHP Erasmo Ramirez (from TB), LHP Marco Gonzales (from STL)

TRADED: RHP Steve Cishek (to TB), OF Tyler O’Neill (to STL), OF Brayan Hernandez (to MIA), RHP Brandon Miller (to MIA), RHP Lukas Schiraldi (to MIA), RHP Pablo Lopez (to MIA)

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Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Jerry Dipoto made a bunch of trades and had people scratching their heads.

Dipoto’s trade deadline was a unique one, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. First, he traded his consensus no. 2 prospect, Tyler O’Neill, to the Cardinals for starter Marco Gonzales, a former top prospect under team control through 2023. After being linked to high-end controllable starters (including Sonny Gray), Dipoto decided to instead make a savvy mood for a lesser-known name, but had to pay a high price to get him.

Dipoto’s next two moves saw him give up four prospects for reliever David Phelps and reliever Steve Cishek for swingman Erasmo Ramirez. Ramirez and Phelps, like Gonzales, are both controllable past this year, showing that Dipoto’s deadline strategy wasn’t completely focused on winning this season.

The M’s will be linked to big names like Gray due to Dipoto’s love for trading and creative ways of getting things done, but the truth of the matter is that the GM have to settle for lesser parts unless he’s willing to part with top prospect Kyle Lewis. Seattle’s farm system is one of the worst in baseball, which aligns with a talented major-league roster filled with controllable pieces.

Houston’s dominance and Seattle’s injury bug have led to the M’s not reaching their full potential this season, but they’re still in the thick of the wild card race and could make a push for a playoff spot. That means Dipoto will continue to deal, as he already has twice on the waiver wire with deals for Oakland’s Yonder Alonso and Tampa Bay’s Ryan Garton and Mike Marjama.

Dipoto is never done dealing, so look at his deadline as just the next step on Seattle’s long road back to the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

For a complete list of our trade deadline recaps, click here.