A Mariners-White Sox trade to give Julio Rodriguez the outfield running mate he desperately needs

To say that the Seattle Mariners need offensive help is quite an understatement. According to Baseball Savant, Seattle ranks dead last in batting average and xBA. They have also struck out more than any other team in the league. Yet, they're still firmly in control of first place in the AL West.

But the Mariners are quite lucky in one regard. The trade market is loaded with talent, including an outfielder who hit 38 homers last year en route to a Silver Slugger award. Of course, the outfielder I'm speaking of is Luis Robert Jr.

For the Mariners to acquire the White Sox outfielder, Luis Robert Jr., they will need to be willing to pay a steep price. Good thing for Seattle is that they have a loaded farm system, headlined by five top 100 prospects.

A Mariners-White Sox trade to pair Luis Robert Jr. with Julio Rodriguez

The asking price for Robert is going to be steep. Chicago has already voiced their willingness to wait until the Winter to trade him if the price isn't right. With teams like the Phillies and Braves also in hot pursuit of Robert, his price could get outrageous as it turns into a bidding war.

Before we really dive into the trade package at hand, I want to explain why Robert is so expensive.

Robert has shown in the past that he can hit with the best players in the league. He comes with team control for multiple more years and his numbers are destined to trend upwards. Yes, he's hitting around .200 right now, but he didn't get a Spring Training so his numbers are a bit deflated. He'll come around, as his power numbers have still been incredible.

For Robert, the Mariners would need to package two of their MLB Pipeline top 100 prospects, much like they did in the Luis Castillo trade a few years ago. Mariners fans, remember that trade?

Emerson and Montes surely have the star potential that the White Sox are looking for in this deal. They're both still teenagers and haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what they could be as baseball players. When the White Sox state they want young, high-potential prospects, this is what they mean.

Logan Evans has been incredible since entering the Mariners system. He holds a sub-2.00 ERA across 76.2 innings pitched. Seattle is loaded with pitchers, so he's a bit blocked in their organization.

Clase is an MLB-ready outfielder that's slashing .278/.384/.483 in Triple-A this year. The 22-year-old has all the tools to make it in the big leagues. All that's left now is a consistent opportunity and to prove that he's as talented as the Mariners believe he is.

The Mariners need an impact bat in their lineup. In fact, they need three or four impact bats. But they have to deal with the holes in their lineup one at a time and trading for Robert would be a huge fix to their biggest hole.