Mariners have reportedly been ‘aggressive’ in trying to trade for Blue Jays’ Guerrero Jr.
Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa - USA Today
Though it’s expected that the Toronto Blue Jays will sell rentals rather than core players ahead of the July 30 trade deadline, the team is ultimately going to listen to offers on everyone.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, who made an appearance on a Bleacher Report live stream on Wednesday, the Seattle Mariners have been “aggressive” in trying to trade for star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Heyman added that he believes a Vladdy trade is unlikely and that the Blue Jays would “need to be blown away” in order to deal their franchise player.
“I do think the Jays are mostly signaling to the majority of teams that they’re looking to trade just the rentals,” Heyman said. “… I don’t think that leadership group in Toronto wants to say, ‘Look, it didn’t work. We’re starting over again.’ This isn’t the time for them to do that for their own sakes, probably.”“I’m hearing that the Mariners were actually pretty aggressive in trying to get Vlad and it has not happened. So I think Vlad’s staying.”
The Mariners sit second to the Houston Astros in the American League West with a 53-50 record despite having led the division by 10 games in the middle of June. The team made their first playoff appearance in 21 years in 2022 and pulled off a sweep over the Blue Jays in Toronto before losing to the Astros in the AL Division Series. Seattle missed out on the playoffs in 2023 by just a couple of games, so getting back to October baseball is obviously a big priority for the organization this year.
What the Mariners need to find if they’re going to go on any sort of run this fall is some offence. Seattle has the best team ERA in baseball at 3.43 this season but they’re scoring just 3.78 runs per game, which is more than only the Miami Marlins and the Chicago White Sox.
Ty France, Seattle’s starting first baseman, was recently designated for assignment with eight home runs and a .662 on-base plus slugging percentage over 88 games in 2024. The team’s highest qualified OPS right now is .717, owned by catcher Cal Raleigh. Julio Rodriguez, who boasts the highest batting average on the Mariners at .263, is on the Injured List after crashing into the outfield wall.
Adding Guerrero Jr. would give the Mariners a much-needed bat in the middle of their lineup and potentially a first baseman who could be a long-term star in Seattle alongside Rodriguez, who signed a 12-year, $210 million extension with the team back in August of 2022.
For the Blue Jays, moving Vladdy would signal the end of the line for this version of the team and the beginning of a rebuilding process. Since he’s a well-liked player who’s expressed an interest in staying in Toronto long-term, the offer would certainly need to be significant for the Blue Jays to consider moving Guerrero Jr. to an American League rival.
If the Blue Jays were going to lean into a rebuild, Seattle would be a place to look. The Mariners have six players in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list — infielder Cole Young, catcher Harry Ford, infielder Colt Emerson, outfielder Lazaro Montes, shortstop Felnin Celesten, and first baseman Tyler Locklear — and some interesting arms down the list in their system.