The Seattle Mariners will (officially) begin one of the most important offseasons in franchise history the day after the World Series ends.
The Mariners missed out on the postseason for the 22nd time in 23 years and were eliminated in the final week of the regular season for the third time in four years.
Anytime a team misses out on the playoffs, it’s a disappointment. But for Seattle, 2024 was a huge let down. The team boasted arguably the best starting pitching rotation in the MLB, one of the game’s best young stars in Julio Rodriguez and arguably the best catcher in the league in Cal Raleigh.
Even with all of that, the Mariners still couldn’t find a way into October.
According to end-of-season comments from Seattle President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto, the team will boost payroll compared to last season. But later comments from franchise owner/chairman John Stanton implied that the Mariners won’t be big spenders in the free agent market.
That leaves the trade market as the most reasonable place for Seattle to improve its lowly offense. Dipoto has made 175 trades since joining the franchise’s front office in 2015.
The Mariners have many top 100 prospects to potentially trade (eight according to Baseball America and five according to MLB Pipeline). But for Seattle to get an elite bat, it may cost one of its starting pitchers.
Dipoto referred to the idea of trading a starting pitcher as “plan z” in the order in which the team plans to improve. But he also made it clear that he would be open to anything if the deal was the right one.
That’s resulted in many rumors and speculation over which starting pitcher would be traded, if any. Even the team’s No. 6 starter Emerson Hancock has been mocked in potential deals.
But according to an article from the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude, one of the Mariners younger hurlers could be the most likely one to be moved.
Second-year hurler Bryce Miller had an incredible 2024. He had a 2.94 ERA in 31 starts with 171 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP in 180.1 innings pitched.
Miller’s age and versatility makes him an intriguing acquisition for other teams. He has a seven-pitch arsenal according to Baseball Savant and is under team control for several more years. He’s eligible for pre-arbitration in 2026.
Miller’s additional potential as a No. 2 starter led to one anonymous National League scout to say that the Texas A&M product could be the starter to get moved in the offseason, according to Jude’s article:
“It would be ridiculous for them to trade any of their starters,” one NL scout said. “But if they have to trade someone, Miller would make the most sense.”
Ideally, Seattle can find a way to improve the offense without giving up one of their starting pitchers.
But these situations aren’t always ideal. And one playoff appearance this millennium isn’t an ideal scenario for Seattle.
