The Seattle Mariners have work to do, but they have been "bought" as World Series contenders by Bleacher Report.
The Seattle Mariners had a strong first half, boasting a 51-45 record and holding the third American League Wild Card spot by one-and-a-half games.
Catcher Cal Raleigh is having an unforgettable season and may just have the greatest hitting season by a catcher ever.
Raleigh, 28, has 38 home runs and 82 RBI while slashing .259/.376/.634 in 94 games. Not only is his offensive production elite, but he catches pretty much every day at an elite level.
If Aaron Judge didn’t exist, there’s no question that Raleigh has been the Most Valuable Player.
Seattle’s business model is usually strong pitching, mediocre offense. This year, it has been the opposite. However, the pitching has been much better as of late and the team is becoming more balanced.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer bought or sold on 10 current playoff teams as World Series contenders, and he believes the Mariners have a shot at their first World Series championship in franchise history.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
“All signs point toward the Mariners being aggressive shoppers at the trade deadline, and why not?” wrote Rymer. “They have the No. 1 farm system in MLB, according to B/R's Joel Reuter, and catcher Harry Ford is but one prized prospect they can afford to lose.
“As they already have ample pitching and an ability to hit the long ball, the Mariners look enough like an October-ready team as is. They also have the law of averages in their favor, as the franchise surely won't be shut out of the World Series forever.”
The Mariners need to address one of, if not both corner infield spots for me to truly believe in this team.
However, they have been linked to both Arizona Diamondbacks Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez.
Seattle has the farm system to get a deal for both done, but if they can only pry one of them away, they would still be in a much better position to make some noise in October.
More MLB: Pete Crow-Armstrong could join the 40/50 club after strong first half
Category: Baseball
