MLB Trade Deadline: 5 moves the Seattle Mariners should make

For the better part of the past two years, the Seattle Mariners have been in a steady push to make themselves the foremost contender in the American League West. Starting with the huge coop of Robinson Cano before the 2014 season and continuing to fortify their lineup by landing Nelson Cruz last year, the Mariners have not been shy about going after premier talent in their push towards relevancy.

Yet to date, they have not been able to grasp that ever-elusive hold atop the division. Two years ago, the Los Angeles Angels took the spotlight from them, while a year ago a resurgent Texas Rangers club, along with the breakout team of the year in the Houston Astros jumped ahead of the M’s.

In an effort to curb this continued string of underwhelming seasons, a new general manager in Jerry Dipoto was brought aboard from his previous post with their in-division foes in Anaheim. And in turn, he made the Mariners one of the most active teams in all of baseball this winter, retooling everywhere he could, all while mostly avoiding committing to the headline-producing moves that had characterized his predecessor Jack Zduriencik’s era with the team.

However, with the MLB trade deadline immienent, the Mariners once again find themselves on the outside looking in at the AL West race. They are six games behind the division-leading Rangers, but also six games ahead of the fourth place Oakland Athletics. Stuck in-between their rise are also the second-place Astros. They currently are fifth place in the AL Wild Card race and behind by a slightly more reasonable 4.5 games.

But if the Mariners are to truly make a push of any type, they will likely require more than what they currently have on their roster. So what moves would be the right type to push the Mariners out of the mid-range area they are mired in, and towards the postseason once more?

Here are five players that could be the catalyst the club needs.

Next: 5. Jay Bruce