The Seattle Mariners meet in a three-game series this weekend, and the two franchises are both in intriguing, if not precarious positions headed into the summer.
Seattle is under immense pressure to prove their early-season offensive outburst isn’t a fluke, and to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The team they beat in that postseason, Toronto, is just hoping to prove they still have a bright future.
The Blue Jays sold at the trade deadline last July, and if they can’t turn around their 17-20 start to the season, they may be forced to do so again. They extended first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before he could hit free agency, but they still have a handful of intriguing free agents.
That group includes a two-time All-Star infielder who one baseball writer believes the Mariners should have their eyes on this weekend.
On Friday, Zachary Rymer of FanSided urged the Mariners to look into trades with the Blue Jays this summer, while noting that shortstop Bo Bichette would be a particularly strong fit for Seattle as a rental second baseman.
“We know from Adam Jude of The Seattle Times that the Mariners were monitoring the infield market after Ryan Bliss went down with a torn biceps in early April,” Rymer wrote. “While Ben Williamson, J.P. Crawford, and the tandem of Dylan Moore and Leo Rivas have stabilized things since then, Bichette still stands out as a guy who could be of use to Seattle.
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“The 27-year-old is a career .289 hitter, and too much is being made of his power outage (i.e., five home runs) across the last two seasons. His expected slugging percentage this year is .496, well above his career mark of .469.”
Bichette has yet to play a game at any defensive position other than shortstop in the big leagues. But moving from short to second is a fairly smooth transition for most. Fellow All-Star Trea Turner did it at the trade deadline in 2021 when he was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This season marks the final year of Bichette’s three-year, $33 million extension. He’s hoping to make a lot more than that in free agency, but he’s got to stay consistent at the plate all summer, regardless of whether he’s in Toronto, Seattle, or elsewhere.
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