Seattle, WA
MLB insider floats an unexpected Mariners trade after Rob Refsnyder signing
Christmas came a little early for Seattle Mariners fans who had been waiting not-so-patiently for a new bat following the departure of Jorge Polanco. On Monday, the club struck a one-year, $6.25 million deal with veteran outfielder Rob Refsnyder.
He’s at least half the big bat the Mariners need to account for Polanco’s absence, but there is the awkward question of how, exactly, he’s going to get regular at-bats in 2026. As of now, he looks like a platoon DH with Dominic Canzone, with time in the corner outfield spots walled off by Randy Arozarena in left and a Victor Robles/Luke Raley platoon in right.
Jon Morosi floats an unexpected Mariners trade after Rob Refsnyder signing
Then again, there is the possibility that another shoe will drop that would open up more playing time for the 34-year-old Refsnyder, who had a .924 OPS against lefties in four seasons with the Boston Red Sox. To this end, Jon Morosi of MLB Network floated an interesting possibility on Monday.
“The signing of Refsnyder, for me, is the type of move you would make if you were expecting to flip Robles for a left-handed bat somewhere,” Morosi said on Wyman and Bob of Seattle Sports. “That’s where my brain goes. Your outfield is a little bit right-handed and maybe we’re about to see a re-balancing of the lineup in some way.”
Trade Robles? Sure. Why not?
That would free up Refsnyder to be the right-handed component of platoons at DH and right field. It’s always good to have flexibility like that, especially given that right-on-left platoon hitters get limited opportunities by default. This year, 72.6 percent of all pitches were thrown by right-handers.
The catch is that Robles only has so much trade value. His 77-game stint with the Mariners in 2024 is a big success in a greater sea of mediocrity, accounting for 3.1 of just 4.4 total rWAR dating back to 2020. He might not have much surplus value on top of even his $5.125 million salary for 2026.
Still, it could be possible for the Mariners to throw Robles into a bigger trade as a money-saving tactic. It could be possible in a Ketel Marte trade, and it might even be realistic in a trade for Brendan Donovan. The St. Louis Cardinals would technically save money on Donovan’s $5.4 million projected salary, and they could perhaps be willing to do so it it also meant getting back Lazaro Montes or Jurrangelo Cijntje.
Granted, the Mariners would be selling low on Robles if they moved on from him like this. That could prove to be a case of judging him too harshly for not finding his hitting stroke (i.e., .611 OPS) after badly injuring his shoulder in April.
But with a World Series trip in their sights for 2026, the Mariners simply need to field the best team they can. If they can subtract Robles but still upgrade their offense via a better hitter and more at-bats for Refsnyder, they’ll need to do it.
West Seattle pickleball players rallied this week as they ramp up opposition to Seattle Parks‘ Draft Outdoor Racquet-Sports Strategy, which would – among other things – change dual-striped courts at High Point and Alki to tennis-only. Next milepost along the way: Tomorrow night (Thursday, April 23), the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners – a city-convened advisory group – gets briefed on the “strategy.” Though board meetings usually have a public-comment period, the department is directing comments to the three feedback meetings (none in West Seattle, though some local advocates are trying to get one set up). The advocate who contacted us says they’re trying to “show their support to save these vital community resources. These courts are used by hundreds of people every week to stay active and connect with neighbors. We have no idea why the city would seek to do away with such highly used and inclusive gathering places.” They’re describing what they’re doing as a “WS-specific effort … aimed at saving pickleball at Walt Hundley and Alki. We are planning another larger rally on a weekend in Mid/Late May where we hope to turn out the entire West Seattle pickleball community and invite our local elected leaders and city officials to see how many lives are touched by pickleball in West Seattle.” In the meantime, they’re continuing to collect petition signatures here. Tomorrow night’s Parks Board meeting is being held in person downtown and via Zoom at 6 pm – attendance info is here.
over at Bleeding Green Nation. During the off-season, he’s been writing his mock
draft blog and just wrote up–a rather lengthy–mock pick for the Seahawks at
#32.
Personally, not enamored with the pick, but he does a VERY deep dive into the
offensive and defensive makeup of the Hawks, trying…
After months of build up, the Seattle Seahawks are less than 48 hours from being on the clock for their first pick of the NFL Draft, as long as they hold on to pick No. 32 in the first round.
Seahawks Draft: A mid-round edge rusher with elite length
While the offensive line has long been a need for the Seahawks in drafts, this year running back, edge rusher and cornerback are among their top positions of need.
Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard highlighted a pair of players who could help bolster the Seahawks’ edge group as he continued his draft profile series Tuesday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
In this edition of Huard’s draft profiles, he looked at Michigan edge rushers Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham, who also played on the same team together in high school at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore.
Huard pointed to the connection head coach Mike Macdonald, a former Michigan defensive coordinator, and many members of his coaching staff have to the Michigan program.
“They know these guys, they know them inside and out,” Huard said. “They typically like they’re Michigan men, and these are two physical guys that have all the attributes you’re looking for on the edge.”
The high-floor pick
Moore is coming off a decorated four-year career at Michigan where he piled up 24.5 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, eight passes defended and three forced fumbles in 53 games.
This past season, the 6-foot-3, 255-pound Moore totaled 10.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles while earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.
“I think this is a pretty fair quote about him: ‘Unselfish, well-rounded, high floor.’ Is he a high-ceiling guy? Not as much as Barham, but he’s a very high-floor guy,” Huard said.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Moore ranked as the No. 65 prospect in this years draft. ESPN has him ranked 60th.
“He is just your fierce, tough, edgy, productive (player),” Huard said. “He played in space a little bit more. They are field-boundary scheme at Michigan at times. He’s been more of the field rusher, more against your left tackle. And (he’s) just got more in the tool bag… He’s been a defensive end. He’s pretty well versed in it. He’s going to have a bigger tool bag, I think, than both Boye (Mafe) and Derrick Hall had, and he’s going to be a second, late-second-round (pick). Rugged, tough Michigan guy.”
The high-ceiling pick
Barham spent his first two college seasons at Maryland, which included earning Freshman All-American honors in 2022, and transferred to Michigan in 2024. He played linebacker at Maryland and in his first season at Michigan before making the move to edge for his final college season.
In 12 games at a new position in 2025, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Barham amassed 10 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
“Jaishawn Barham is a little bit more of a wild card, and one of the scouts that was quoted in some of the prep for this said he may bloom with the right coaching,” Huard said.
Huard recalled seeing Barham as a freshman at Maryland while he was doing color commentary for FOX and being in awe of how physically mature he already looked.
“I remember being on the field, as a freshman, looking at him going, ‘There’s just no way. There’s no way humanly possible that that guy played high school football the year before,’” Huard said.
Jeremiah has Barham ranked as the No. 77 prospect in the draft. ESPN has him ranked 88th.
“He is a higher ceiling guy you’re going to have to coach up,” Huard said. “He doesn’t come with years and years and years of experience on the edge.”
Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft coverage
• An under-the-radar Seattle Seahawks need Brock Huard sees
• NFL Draft: What – and who – Seahawks could get by trading back
• Why Hasselbeck says Seahawks are in great spot to trade back
• Seattle Seahawks open to trading top pick for bigger draft class
• A player Seahawks could trade for another draft pick
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