“Don’t do it,” Julio Rodriguez urged the Mariners’ management last offseason. His message was clear: don’t trade away their young starting pitchers. A year later, the star center fielder still holds the same view.
“Those guys are our foundation — they’re the team,” Rodriguez emphasized in late September. “They keep us in every game, every single time. What we all want to see is more support for them.”
The question now is whether the Mariners can strengthen their offense without having to give up one of their key pitchers.
This dilemma will shape the Mariners’ offseason strategy. Ideally, they want to enhance their lineup without parting with any of their top five starters — Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Luis Castillo, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo — from a rotation that ranked among the best in baseball this season.
Last offseason, the Mariners resisted offers for their pitchers, especially for Miller and Woo, despite strong interest from other teams. But with their glaring need for offensive firepower, and after missing the postseason for a second consecutive year, will they be forced to trade one of their valuable arms this winter?
When asked about this on the penultimate day of the season, Mariners’ president of baseball operations, Jerry Dipoto, was clear: “On a scale from A to Z, that would be Plan Z, at best,” he said. “We could hurt ourselves by overthinking. Pitching is the backbone of our team. I love our rotation.”
However, he concluded with a caveat: “That’s not Plan A, but we’re always open to ideas that could improve the team.”
And indeed, sources within the industry have noted that the Mariners have entered the offseason “open to anything” when it comes to potential trade discussions.
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