A desperate Mariners-White Sox trade to stave off the Astros AL West takeover

The Seattle Mariners ran off a 44-31 record to begin the 2024 MLB season. They held firm control over the AL West, leading the Astros by double-digit games.

But there's a reason that we play 162 games instead of 75.

Since that day, the Houston Astros have closed the gap on the Mariners entirely, tying them for first place in the division at this point. And it can be attributed to the Mariners' lack of offense.

Their offense hasn't just been bad, it's been horrible. Bottom of the league bad. They have justcfour players with over 100 at bats and an OPS+ over the league average. The rest of their roster is below league average in one of the most important offensive stats in the game.

Seattle is desperate at this point. Desperate to go buy an impact outfielder before the trade deadline, maybe trying to buy as soon as this week.

There isn't a more impactful outfielder on the trade market than the Chicago White Sox star, Luis Robert Jr.

A desperate Mariners-White Sox trade that turns Seattle's season back around

Robert, 26, has three more seasons left on a rather team-friendly contract. He's coming off a year in which is clubbed 36 doubles and 38 home runs. Following an injury-riddled beginning to 2024, Robert has bounced back to slash .232/.311/.482 with 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases in just 44 games. That's on pace to join the 40-40 club in a full 162-game season.

This mock trade gets a bit complicated, partially because the Mariners are so desperate for offense that they would be willing to take a shot on multiple White Sox outfielders, slotting both in their lineup. Obviously, the bulk of this trade is for Robert though.

The Mariners would be sending two top 100 prospects, Colt Emerson and Lazaro Montes over to the White Sox along with two more prospects ranked ninth and 11th in their organization, respectively.

Emerson, 18, is one of the higher-ceiling prospects in baseball. He's a tremendous talent that has produced some incredible numbers for the Mariners farm system. There's potential, given his ability, that the Mariners make him completely untouchable. If not, he's exactly what the White Sox would want, slashing .286/.433/.419 in 28 Low-A games as an 18-year-old.

Montes, 19, is having an even better season, slashing .298/.398/.498 between Low-A and High-A this year. He also has tremendous potential and is exactly the kind of prospect that Chicago needs.

Arroyo, 19, has taken the same path as Montes this year, moving from Low-A to High-A. He's slashed an impressive .277.405/.490 with 14 home runs, 13 doubles and six triples this season. He also provides defensive flexibility, having the ability to play anywhere across the infield.

Morales, 21, is a bit expendable. He's the highest-ranked prospect in the Seattle farm system right now, but the Mariners just drafted a loaded class of pitchers this past week, making Morales more moveable than he was before. He's having a good season, holding an ERA near 3.00 as he closes in on 100 innings.

In this deal, the Mariners land both Tommy Pham and Luis Robert to play outfield alongside Julio Rodriguez. Pham is a rental, so think about him as the cherry on top of this mock trade. Robert would spend the next 3.5 seasons in a Mariners uniform.