Yankees potential trade partner: Seattle Mariners

We are in July now folks, and that means the newly-implemented single trade deadline is coming closer and closer. While the Yankees look to be world beaters as of late, there is no doubt they still need some improvements, specifically with the starting pitching. Could they match up with the Mariners?

The Yankees and the Mariners just pulled off a trade sending Edwin Encarnacion, the AL’s home run leader, to the Yankees for prospect Juan Then about one month ago. This was a big move making the Yankees’ ever powerful lineup even more daunting. Already having completed a trade like this probably lowers the chance of the two general managers once again doing business with each other, though we know Jerry Dipoto loves to make a deal. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few of the possibilities the Yankees and the Mariners might have in terms of making a deadline deal.

The one really player who could make sense for the Yankees is Domingo Santana. Back in 2017, when Santana had his first full season with the Brewers, he bounced off the charts hitting .278 while smacking 30 homers coupled with 85 RBI. On top of that, he drew 73 walks and had an OPS of .875. He did collect a lot of strikeouts over a full season (178) which was the seventh most in baseball. The Yankees already have plenty of this type of hitter and the only real spot for him would be fourth outfielder if/when Giancarlo Stanton comes back from injury. He isn’t a particularly good fielder, though, and I can’t see Cashman wanting to give up much just so he can come off the bench. In the end, this seems like the most likely candidate for a trade if Brian Cashman and Jerry Dipoto were to make another deal.

Scanning through the rest of the Mariners roster, there aren’t really any other players that would make the Yankees that much better. There’s first baseman Dan Vogelbach who has hit 20 home runs thus far and has posted a pretty impressive OPS of .894. Yet the Yankees already have two top-tier first baseman in Luke Voit and Edwin Encarnacion, Vogelbach’s former teammate. When it comes to the infield, the Yankees are probably more covered than any team in MLB as they’re sending three infielders to the All-Star Game. It’s unlikely they’ll be looking for an infielder as the deadline approaches.

In terms of pitching, the Yankees sure need it, but not from Seattle. The best earned run average coming from a Mariners starting pitcher is Mike Leake’s 4.32. There doesn’t seem to be a single pitcher that would be worth going after on this team. The Yankees are looking to add a pitcher that can take them to the next level and Seattle simply doesn’t offer that premier ace or even two or three pitcher the Yankees need.

Can’t rule out anything yet, but another trade between the Yankees and the Mariners does seem rather unlikely. As mentioned above, Domingo Santana could be an interesting option if Stanton doesn’t get any healthier but other than that, this team doesn’t offer much that the Yankees need.