After acquiring two of the best, if not the best, bats on the market this deadline, it feels harsh to give the Seattle Mariners anything less than an A for this year’s trade deadline. The frustration fans have had with the Mariners is their unwillingness to go over the hurdle. They have been in the mix for the better part of the last four seasons. But in that time, they’ve never gone out and gotten the upgrades they’ve really needed. President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto went out and got the bat the Mariners’ lineup desperately needed, and then some.
Something else we saw from them that we never normally do is the ability to get superstar rentals. The Mariners have never been a team to give up prospects for lack of club control. They changed that this year.
So what did they do?
Grading the Mariners’ 2025 Trade Deadline
Josh Naylor, First Base
The Mariners haven’t had a real first baseman in quite some time. Sure, they’ve had Donovan Solano, Dylan Moore, Luke Raley, and a host of other names fill in, but none of them have a home at first. Josh Naylor does. What else does Naylor bring that the Mariners needed? Consistency. High average with great control of the strike zone. You know what you’re going to get from Naylor. Something that seems to fit the Mariners’ philosophy.
Dipoto and Co. are known for their ability to wheel and deal, and that was no different here. The Mariners gave up pitching prospects Brandyn Garcia (#13) and Ashton Izzi (#16).
Naylor will provide the Mariners with much-needed lineup stability and a high OBP (.360) that will play nicely combined with the rest of the lineup. Through his first seven games in Seattle, Naylor’s stats have dropped, but that’s to be expected when finding a new home.
Josh Naylor was asked about his early batting practice work the last few days by @ByTimBooth, and he gave an insightful answer as to why he prefers it to standard BP.
Video via the @Mariners #TridentsUp #SeattleMariners pic.twitter.com/slUpRE3bYM
— Circling Seattle Sports (@CirclingSports) August 1, 2025
Caleb Ferguson, LHP
One of the Mariners’ most obvious needs this season was bullpen depth. Specifically, mid to high-leverage depth. Caleb Ferguson also gives the Mariners another lefty out of the ‘pen and takes some of the workload off of Gabe Speier. Another undervalued thing he offers is his playoff experience. So far throughout his career, Ferguson has yet to give up a run in nine postseason appearances.
Ferguson was a workhorse out of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen this year. He’s pitched 43 1/3 innings, giving up 18 runs. That gives him a 3.74 ERA across 45 games. That workload is something the Mariners were looking for, because it gives them the ability to shift off of Speier, Matt Brash, and Andres Muñoz, who have done most of the heavy lifting out of the ‘pen so far.
Eugenio Suárez, Third Base
Dipoto told ESPN that if he could go back in time and undo the trade that sent Geno to the Arizona Diamondbacks, he would. That sentiment reigns true in the majority of the fanbase as well. Eugenio Suárez was the ‘golden ticket’ for any contender this deadline, and Dipoto and Co. never let him go. He told ESPN that even before he made the Naylor trade, he was in talks with Arizona, wearing them down. When that deal finally crossed the line, Dipoto told Arizona not to forget about them.
Geno is on a tear this season. He was one of the frontrunners for NL MVP, and is surely top-five in the AL now. His 36 home runs are fifth in baseball, third in the AL behind Aaron Judge and new teammate (again) Cal Raleigh.
Seattle sent Tyler Locklear (#9), Hunter Cranton (#16), and Juan Burgos (#17) to Arizona.
As with Naylor, you know what you’re going to get from Suárez. He provides much-needed power in the middle of the order and consistency at third base.
Overall
Overall, it was a very good deadline from the Mariners. It’s hard to grade it anything less than an A. The only things they could’ve done differently were getting one more outfielder to really push them over the line, and another leverage arm for bullpen depth. But, with the names they acquired, for what they gave up, I think an A is perfect. Remember, the Mariners did all of that work without having to give up a single MLB Top 100 prospect.
Jerry and Co. deserve a round of applause.
Main Photo Credit: © John Froschauer-Imagn Images
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