Seattle, WA

Seattle Mariners should target 2 types of hitters at trade deadline

Published

1 year ago

July 10, 2024

Seattle Mariners should target 2 types of hitters at trade deadline

Every sport has something that sets it apart from the others. The weekly buildup to the big event atmosphere of the NFL, the pageantry and tradition of college football, the code of the NHL or the gentility of golf. Baseball has nightly tension, near-constant failure, and the marathon season that leads to more ups and downs than a ride at Six Flags.

Those last two attributes of baseball have been exaggerated in recent years.

We’ve always known that a hitter who fails 70% of the time might be a Hall of Famer, but now there are a total of just 11 players in the entire league batting over .300. Offense is down according to nearly every available metric and it seems like the ball is hardly ever even put in play.

And those ups and downs? Every team has them. The Yankees dominated the first two-plus months before a 6-16 stretch, and the Astros essentially did the exact opposite. But it seems now like the predictability of player success has gone haywire as well.

How much longer does Mariners’ Jorge Polanco have to turn round?

Last year’s National League Rookie of the Year, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, has seen his OPS drop from .868 to .613. The Braves’ Michael Harris II fell from .808 to .653. Toronto’s Bo Bichette has gone from .814 to .598. We’ve seen drop-offs before especially as players hit a wall in their 30s, but Carroll and Harris are 23, and Bichette is 26. And I’m quite sure I don’t need to tell you that Julio Rodríguez has fallen from .818 to .658 in his age 23 season, as well.

Meanwhile there are some on the other side of the equation. Journeyman Brent Rooker has a .902 OPS (nearly .100 points above his career norm) at the age of 29 for Oakland. Part time utilityman Willi Castro stepped into the second base spot in Minnesota after Edouard Julien was sent to the minors (his OPS had dropped from .839 as a rookie to .676) and at .794 now is close to 100 points above his career expectation. Or the story of former top prospect Jurickson Profar, who has surpassed a .700 OPS in just four of his 11 seasons. Now with the Padres, he’s an All-Star for the first time with a .896 OPS and is one of those elite few hitting over .300. Of course he is…

There has always been and will always be variance in what we can expect from players. But the massive swings and craters are starting to feel inevitable while general managers just try to predict when they might occur.

Tough gig.

Now we are approaching one of baseball’s other great, unique differentiators: the trade deadline. I love the deadline. I love a moment two-thirds of the way through the season that asks each GM to make a decision on whether their team is in or out. Should they fold and play for another year, or raise the stakes by risking valuable pieces of their future?

The Mariners need to raise. They have the pocket aces (sorry) with their elite pitching and need to get rid of whatever detritus compares to their offense. They need bats. Probably two of them. But there isn’t much available (yet), and buyers are going to outnumber sellers by a lot.

We know they need to upgrade through the trade market, but in which direction should they proceed? Do you want one of the struggling stars with big names, big upside and lousy production this season? Or one of the no-name veterans that have been tearing up the league?

Easy answer for me: yes!

I want both. I would love for them to try one from each bucket.

How about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from Toronto and on-base machine LaMonte Wade Jr. of the Giants? Or combine Bichette with Rooker? Both scenarios offer a power threat plus someone with more athleticism. Both net you a young star with upside plus an older vet who is just plain producing right now.

Can you imagine adding a .446 on base percentage (Wade) to the top of this lineup, plus sticking Vlad between Julio and Raleigh? That drops J.P., Garver, Raley and others into the more complementary roles that better suit them. How nice would it look with Rooker’s 18 home runs and 15 doubles, and Bichette up the middle for the next few seasons?

Could Seattle Mariners lure a star away from Blue Jays in trade?

Those upgrades should raise this offense to at least an acceptable level. And the Mariners clearly have the farm system to support those types of deals.

Could this be a reality? Yes, in theory. But the reality is so much tougher and it has very little to do with the Mariners, their willingness to add, or the quality of their prospects. Three of those players simply might not be available. The Blue Jays have life (thanks to their series win in Seattle over the weekend), and so far haven’t put their shiny pieces on the market. The Giants are just a few games out of a wild card spot (despite a record of 44-47) and want to win now. Teams may be forced to overpay for the scraps of the Marlins, A’s, White Sox, Rockies and a few others who will sell.

But a lot can happen in the next few weeks. A hot or cold stretch could significantly change the calculus for any number of bubble teams, and that will affect the trade market accordingly. But the Mariners need two bats. I’d love to see them find someone with the reputation and history to make opposing pitchers take notice, and another who is just getting it done this year.

That seems like as good a recipe as any other to cut through the craziness of this baseball season.

Seattle Mariners and the trade deadline

• Insider: Deep, young farm system gives Mariners ammo for deadline
• Reading between lines of two Mariners prospect moves
• Seattle Mariners Trade Target: A hot-hitting infielder from Reds
• Which prospect is Seattle Mariners’ best trade chip? MLB insider explains
• Passan: With prospect wealth, Seattle Mariners should be bold in trade

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Seattle, WA

Seattle brings losing streak into game against San Jose

Published

1 hour ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Seattle brings losing streak into game against San Jose

Seattle Kraken (12-14-6, in the Pacific Division) vs. San Jose Sharks (17-15-3, in the Pacific Division)

San Jose, California; Saturday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: The Seattle Kraken look to end a four-game losing streak with a victory over the San Jose Sharks.

San Jose is 17-15-3 overall and 4-4-2 against the Pacific Division. The Sharks have conceded 117 goals while scoring 104 for a -13 scoring differential.

Seattle is 12-14-6 overall with a 5-4-0 record in Pacific Division play. The Kraken have a -20 scoring differential, with 79 total goals scored and 99 conceded.

The matchup Saturday is the third time these teams square off this season. The Kraken won 4-1 in the last meeting. Jaden Schwartz led the Kraken with two goals.

TOP PERFORMERS: William Eklund has eight goals and 14 assists for the Sharks. Tyler Toffoli has five goals and five assists over the past 10 games.

Vince Dunn has five goals and 14 assists for the Kraken. Chandler Stephenson has four goals and three assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Sharks: 5-5-0, averaging 3.4 goals, 5.9 assists, 2.9 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.

Kraken: 1-9-0, averaging 2.2 goals, 4.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 9.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game.

INJURIES: Sharks: None listed.

Kraken: None listed.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Seattle, WA

Roster Moves: Seattle Seahawks activate Young off IR

Published

13 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Roster Moves: Seattle Seahawks activate Young off IR

The Seattle Seahawks activated wide receiver Dareke Young from injured reserve and elevated running back Cam Akers and offensive tackle Amari Knight off the practice squad Thursday ahead of their pivotal primetime showdown against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field.

Bump & Stacy: 3 keys for Seattle Seahawks to beat the Rams

Young, 26, has missed Seattle’s past eight games with a quadricep injury. The fourth-year pro is a key special teams member for the Seahawks and was on the field for over 50% of the team’s special teams snaps in each of the six games he’s played this season. He has seven tackles and 10 kickoff returns for 322 yards. He also has two receptions for 48 yards.

Akers, 26, would be making his Seahawks debut against his former team if he gets into Thursday’s game. He played in three games for the Minnesota Vikings earlier this season and totaled 19 yards on five carries.

A sixth-year pro, Akers spent three-plus seasons with the Rams after they selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Florida State. Akers’ best season with Los Angeles came in 2022 when he rushed for career highs of 786 yards and seven touchdowns. He has 2,044 yards and 13 TDs on the ground in 56 career NFL games.

Knight, 24, provides the Seahawks with some depth at tackle with starting left tackle Charles Cross ruled out for Thursday’s game with a hamstring injury. Veteran backup Josh Jones is getting the start in place of Cross.

Knight went undrafted out of UCF and made his pro debut in Seattle’s Week 4 win over Arizona.

The Seahawks face the Rams on Thursday night at 5:15 p.m. Radio coverage begins at 2 p.m. with the pregame show on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle sports app.

Seattle Seahawks coverage

• Breaking down everything at stake in Seahawks-Rams showdown
• Seattle Seahawks rule out LT Charles Cross for showdown vs Rams
• How Seattle Seahawks and L.A. Rams stack up in NFL power rankings
• Do Rams have Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold’s number?
• Huard: Shaheed will be X-factor for Seattle Seahawks’ stretch run

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Seattle, WA

Alex Carpenter scores twice as Seattle Torrent beat Charge 4-1

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Alex Carpenter scores twice as Seattle Torrent beat Charge 4-1

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – DECEMBER 17: Alex Carpenter #25 of the Seattle Torrent celebrates her goal during the second period against the Ottawa Charge at Climate Pledge Arena on December 17, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

SEATTLE – Alex Carpenter had two goals and an assist, and Hannah Bilka had a goal and two assists as the Seattle Torrent earned a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Charge on Wednesday night.

Hannah Murphy was 38.1 seconds away from the first shutout in Torrent history before Ottawa finally got on the board late in the third period on a goal from Rebecca Leslie. Murphy made 24 saves on 25 shots in the victory.

Julia Gosling also added a goal on the power play as the Torrent won their second straight game.

Seattle took the lead on Gosling’s power play goal late in the first period with Rory Guilday in the box for a hooking penalty. Ottawa looked like they were going to get the game into the intermission scoreless after clearing the zone in the final 20 seconds of the period, but Carpenter and Bilka combined to find Gosling driving the back post for a finish past Sanni Ahola for a 1-0 lead.

Another power play chance off a Mannon McMahon tripping penalty allowed Carpenter to strike for a 2-0 lead.

A shot from the right circle from Bilka deflected off a skate to Carpenter at the front of the net as she back-handed the puck into the net for a two-goal advantage.

The Charge then lost track of Carpenter in the offensive zone as she found space directly in front of Ahola, beating the goaltender for a 3-0 lead off a pass from Megan Carter off the left boards.

Murphy was sharp in net for Seattle, turning aside 13 shots in the first period alone as Ottawa had the upper hand early. She’d face just 12 more shots over the final two periods combined, with only Leslie’s goal finding a way through.

After Bilka’s empty-net goal made it 4-0, Leslie outflanked Carter and the Seattle defense to get a near breakaway look in on Murphy that she finished to avoid the shutout for Ottawa.

Murphy has been the goaltender for both of the Torrent’s victories this season as the rookie out of Colgate University has been terrific early in the season for Seattle.

The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.

MORE TORRENT NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Two late power play goals give Seattle Torrent first win, 2-1, over Sirens

Seattle Torrent set PWHL attendance record in inaugural home-opener

Fans pack Climate Pledge Arena for Seattle Torrent’s historic home opener

Torrent set record for highest-attended U.S. women’s hockey game, lose 3-0 to Minnesota Frost

Julia Gosling scores first goal in Seattle Torrent history in team’s debut

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