The Seattle Mariners have been mentioned in trade rumors this week and the team could be poised to make a move, as names like David Price, Ben Zobrist, Alex Rios, Marlon Byrd, Casey McGehee, Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham and Dayan Viciedo are targets for the team and since the M's are in wild card position heading into the All-star break, it could be time to finally be buyers.
The Mariners have long needed more offense to put around Robinson Cano and most people have predicted that the team will look for a right handed bat if they can get one. Cano likely wouldn't mind a little more protection in the lineup, as Kyle Seager is the only other player really producing this year. The trade deadline is tough since so many teams see themselves as in the mix, but there are names the Mariners can go after.
Lookout Landing and the Seattle Times put together some names and one that came up on both is Ben Zobrist. The Rays have pulled themselves out of the AL East cellar, but they could still look to trade and Zobrist is a name that has come up. The Mariners have been linked to Viciedo in the past and a player like Marlon Byrd could be a nice target since he is playing for a bad Phillies team. Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham are potential targets as well with the way their teams are playing and that is another area where Jack Z can look.
Byrd is up there in age, but he has been playing well for a Phillies team that has been terrible, putting up over 15 home runs and 50 RBIs already and he will not cost much at $8 million. The team had wanted to sign Nelson Cruz in the offseason and that would have been a smart move, while Alex Rios is a player they can go after as well. The Rangers have been terrible and he is someone they could look at moving.
The Mariners are still in the wild card lead and they are coming into the All-Star break looking to keep things going. The team plays the A's heading into the break and they just sent Taijuan Walker down to the minors to make sure he keeps getting starts during that time. The team is in the playoff hunt for the first time in years and they are coming in with a 49-42 record and they are hoping to stay afloat in the AL as the season wears on and a trade can help generate some more offense, as the team is 18th in runs scored and 25th in batting average.