It’s (finally) time for the Mariners to consider trading a starting pitcher

Hours before the 161^st game of another unsatisfying season, Jerry Dipoto sat on a wooden bench in the first-base dugout at T-Mobile Park. It was Sept. 28, 2024, and the Mariners were set to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The club’s president of baseball operations acknowledged that “we’re having a tough time figuring out how to climb the wall from a good team to a very good team or a great team.”

The embattled Dipoto vowed to search for offseason solutions.

But trading a starting pitcher would not be one of them.

“We are not just hoping to avoid it. On the continuum of A to Z, that would be Plan Z times some denominator,” Dipoto said. “We could shoot ourselves in the foot by trying to get too crafty in what we do. Our pitching is how we’re built. I love our rotation.”

So does everyone else in MLB.

Which is why it may be time to pursue Plan Z.

Because, at 51-52, the 2026 Mariners haven’t even made it to the wall from good to great. Dan Wilson’s club remains mired in mediocrity, beset by persistent problems — a collective kryptonite (left-handed pitching), a shortage of leverage relief, a lackluster defense, a bevy of managerial blunders, a slew of underperforming stars … and too many starting pitchers.

OK, so that last one is not a problem, per se.

But it could be the start of a solution.

Finally, after years of symbolic stiff arms, the Mariners must consider trading a starting pitcher … for the right return. We know they need, at minimum, an impactful right-handed hitter and a leverage bullpen arm. We know they need something, after this unsatisfying four-month slog.

And we know what they’ve got: eight starting pitchers for five rotation slots.

We also know the argument against siphoning from a strength. Pitching injuries are inevitable, and Seattle’s unparalleled depth is an ultimate luxury. Trading a starting pitcher would force the Mariners to rely more heavily on some combination of Luis Castillo (who carries an elevated 4.85 ERA), Emerson Hancock (who has yet to excel in an entire season), Bryan Woo (who owns an inexplicable 6.28 road ERA) and prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan (who have never pitched on the big-league level). It’s inherently risky to trade George Kirby, Bryce Miller or Hancock (and their remaining seasons of club control) for a few players that may or may not help the Mariners finally climb the wall.

Or, to repeat Dipoto: they could shoot themselves in the foot by trading a starting pitcher.

But I’d rather risk it than not take a shot at all.

As a fan of a franchise celebrating its 50^th season without a pennant, you are owed urgency. To be honest, you are owed much more than that. Dipoto cannot afford to prioritize a possible future over a flawed present. There is no next season. (And considering the impending lockout, that may be literal.) In an AL West that may never be weaker, the Mariners must seize this moment, whatever that means.

To me, that means at least exploring Plans A through Z.

Perhaps it means dealing Kirby (and his six straight quality starts) plus a prospect for San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller, baseball’s most single-handedly dominant force. Remember, the Kansas City Royals rode unhittable relief to a World Series win in 2015. In October, a bolstered bullpen featuring Miller (and his 0.86 ERA), Andrés Muñoz, Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier, Jose A. Ferrer and Matt Brash could shorten games and effectively separate Seattle.

Oh, and this isn’t rental relief. The 27-year-old Miller is under club control until 2030.

That shouldn’t mean parting with either Anderson or Sloan. But for Kirby (a New York native who’s unlikely to re-sign with Seattle in 2029) and any other prospect, I’d certainly consider making that deal.

Perhaps it means dealing a pitcher for an impact bat. There may not be many of those available before the deadline on Aug. 3, with Byron Buxton’s no-trade clause likely keeping the explosive outfielder in Minnesota. But Seattle’s ultimate asset — its starting pitching — could prove convincing.

I’m not demanding Dipoto deal a starting pitcher if the return doesn’t warrant that risk. But eight starting pitchers can’t help the Mariners win a World Series this year, while Miller and/or another big bat just might. And winning a World Series as soon as possible should be the ultimate priority, especially for a franchise that just finished tantalizingly shy of its first pennant.

If it isn’t, what are we doing here?

Plus, Seattle’s starting pitching redundancy has already yielded negative side effects, with the piggyback approach weakening the bullpen and causing controversy in and out of the clubhouse.

The Mariners won’t win a dreadful division, much less a pennant or a World Series, unless their existing players improve. They need catcher Cal Raleigh to be a fearsome slugger, not a seasonlong slump. They need Julio Rodriguez’s hot second half to suddenly arrive. They need Josh Naylor to be the difference-maker they were so determined to sign. They need Brendan Donovan to be available. They need a capable shortstop, whether that’s Colt Emerson or J.P. Crawford or anyone else.

Considering all of the above, the prospect of a pennant sounds silly. This team ranks 29^th in MLB in runs (415) and dead last in both batting average (.229) and slugging percentage (.377). They’re 29^th in batting average with runners in scoring position (.219) and last in defensive outs above average (minus-28) as well.

If there’s a wall to climb from good to great, they’ve yet to touch its base.

And yet, with 59 games to go, they’re only a half-game back of Texas for the AL West lead. The opportunity is clear. The division is dangling there, defenseless, waiting to be won.

Forget a future that may never materialize. If this team is as talented as the Mariners maintain, it’s time to take a shot.