(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Mariners are in an uncomfortable position.
They have a 54-51 record, good for fourth in the AL West standings and 4.5 games behind the last Wild Card spot.
In terms of games back in the standings, they are not too far down.
However, they have three teams between them and the last Wild Card spot.
There has been chatter about what should be their deadline strategy.
Well, according to MLB Trade Rumors, they are open to listening to trade offers for two of their most prominent hitters: Teoscar Hernandez and Ty France.
Mariners Willing To Listen To Trade Offers On Ty France, Teoscar Hernández https://t.co/8x9YlrIatw pic.twitter.com/TOjCjPgyWo
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) July 31, 2023
They acquired Hernandez before the season in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.
He would exclusively be a rental for acquiring teams, because he will be a free agent at the end of the season.
France, on the other hand, has two seasons of arbitration eligibility beyond 2023 and could be a nice addition for a team in contention.
Hernandez is hitting a relatively modest .238/.288/.408, but has 16 home runs; whereas France is slashing .253/.324/.367 but was an All-Star in 2022.
Both have significant bounceback potential in the right spot.
The Mariners, however, are not going to just give them away.
Like the New York Mets, the M’s could be open to trading France, Hernandez, and even reliever Paul Sewald, but they are not going to touch the future core of the team: Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic, Cal Raleigh, and the young pitchers.
Both Hernandez and France are having modest offensive seasons, but Seattle could be aided by the fact that there aren’t many impact bats available for buyers.
Stay tuned.
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