Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Seattle Mariners are considering trading star pitcher George Kirby after an underwhelming season and a recent losing streak.
- Three contenders could offer compelling packages combining MLB-ready talent and top prospects to address Seattle's offensive needs.
- Each potential deal highlights a different strategy for building a championship-caliber roster by the trade deadline.
It wouldn't be the MLB trade deadline without a curveball or two. All along, conventional wisdom has assumed that the Seattle Mariners would be buying rather than selling this summer. But after a third straight loss — and the eighth in their last 10 games — to the Minnesota Twins on Friday night dropped Seattle to 53-58 on the year, it appears anything and everything is on the table.
That includes trading star righty George Kirby, with ESPN's Jeff Passan reporting that "multiple teams have engaged" with the Mariners on a potential Kirby deal. And Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times quote a team source as saying "we'll consider anything".
Kirby is in the midst of a second straight underwhelming season, with a 3.98 ERA and a career-low strikeout rate. But it's worth noting the former number is inflated by his most recent outing, in which he gave up seven runs (including a whopping four homers) in four innings against the Texas Rangers. The inability to miss bats is a concern, but Kirby boasts elite command of a very deep repertoire highlighted by a high-90s fastball. Add in his track record (3.31 career FIP) and the fact that he's under team control through 2028, and suddenly he jumps right to the top of the list of non-Tarik Skubal arms available at this trade deadline.
The Mariners don't have to deal Kirby, of course, and they'll expect a unique combination of MLB-ready bats and prospect value in return. But several contenders can offer just that.
Cubs trade package for George Kirby
Even if Seattle pulls the trigger on a Kirby deal, it likely won't be as part of a fire sale; this team is too talented on paper, and the AL West is too winnable. Rather, Jerry DiPoto would hope to deal from pitching surplus to help fix his team's ailing offense, and of all the potentially interested contenders, the Chicago Cubs have the best option: outfielder Seiya Suzuki.
Suzuki is a righty power bat for a team that's struggled mightily against left-handed pitching and needs to hit the ball over the fence more often. Yes, he's a rental, but again: The Mariners hardly want to punt on the rest of the season just a year after getting within a game of the World Series. And he's just the tip of the iceberg here: Ballesteros is a former top-100 prospect who hasn't looked overmatched in his MLB experience so far, while Conrad was a first-round pick last year and could move quickly now that he's back healthy after missing the start of the year due to injury.
The Mariners are still pretty set on pitching for the foreseeable future. But this package would give their lineup a shot in the arm in 2026 and beyond.
Braves trade package for George Kirby
The Braves are starting at a disadvantage here, as unlike some other potential suitors, they really don't have a big-league (or big-league-caliber) bat to offer. But they do have several enticing options to replace Kirby in the rotation, headlined by Smith-Shawver, who's flashed big-time upside in his MLB career to date and is now back on the mound after undergoing surgery last year.
And to compensate, Atlanta would also include serious prospect capital. Hartman has been one of the biggest breakout stars of this Minor League season, with elite power/speed potential if he can keep making contact like this all the way up the ladder. Gil, meanwhile, is a true burner who will stick somewhere on the left side of the infield and could really take off if he learns to tap into his power more at the plate. The Mariners could talk themselves into not missing a beat with Smith-Shawver sliding into the rotation while nabbing a borderline top-25 position player prospect.
Brewers trade package for George Kirby
The Brewers need an arm behind Jacob Misiorowski given all the injury uncertainty in their rotation right now, and Kirby would seem to fit their M.O. as a cost-controlled pitcher with multiple years remaining before free agency. (Heck, they could always pull a Freddy Peralta and deal him at the end of the 2027 season.) Like Atlanta, there isn't an obvious solution for the "MLB-ready offense" problem, although Seaettle could really use a righty slugger like Sanchez to take reps at both first base and DH.
But the real bet here is that dangling Peña and Fischer would be more future value than the Mariners could reasonably turn down. The former is right in the sweet spot for a trade like this, as a blue-chip prospect who is nonetheless blocked by the No. 1 prospect in the sport in Jesus Made. Fischer is polarizing, offering bonkers power and troubling contact issues in equal measure, but Seattle might be on the right side of that fence given their struggles finding infielders who can provide pop at the plate. Meaningfully improving their lineup now while dumping rocket fuel onto their farm system moving forward may be too good for DiPoto to pass up.
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