The Seattle Mariners are loaded up with starting pitching, and it’s the kind of surplus that could set itself up for trade conversations.
And this offseason, the most logical candidate for a deal could be Logan Gilbert — that is, assuming the potential lockout stays away long enough to have teams seeking out such moves.
Gilbert has only ever pitched for the Mariners in his MLB career, and he’s got the fan favorite alter ego of “Walter,” but if Seattle is going to trade a pitcher, there’s plenty of logic behind the idea that it could be him.
Logan Gilbert Trade Rumor
The Mariners have been viewed as a team set up to trade away a pitcher for a while. Other than Luis Castillo this season, though, they haven’t done it. They’ve kept their young core of arms intact.
Gilbert appears to be the closest to getting traded, because 2027 is the final year of his contract, and no extension has been reached yet.
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand named Gilbert in a new article on Thursday as one of 11 candidates across the league who could move this winter.
“Could this be the offseason that the Mariners finally trade one of their starting pitchers?” Feinsand writes. “George Kirby might also be a candidate, but Gilbert is now only one year away from free agency and doesn’t appear to be heading toward an extension with Seattle. Gilbert’s 3.71 ERA in 28 starts is his highest since 2023, but he remains a rock in the rotation, ranking seventh in the AL with 165 innings pitched. Gilbert earned $10.9 million this season and will surely earn a raise in his fourth and final year of arbitration, making him a logical option if the Mariners want to trade from their pitching depth, which includes Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan – two of MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 overall prospects.”
Anderson has already started to break out at the major league level, which should only help convince the Mariners’ front office that there’d be nothing wrong with trading a guy a lot closer to eventual free agency, like Gilbert.
Complicating Factors
A potential lockout complicates everything. If teams aren’t sure when or if next season will begin, or what new salary cap rules will look like, they won’t be in a rush to make a deal.
In some ways, the Mariners are set up to withstand that. They have a great core, including their strong pitching nucleus. If they’re forced to mostly run it back next season, including with Gilbert, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
But something went stale this season in Seattle, and the chance to shake things up could be appealing. Gilbert would return a lot of talent, whether that’s another MLB veteran or a package of prospects.
That is, if a trade ends up being a possibility at all. The baseball world is all kind of holding its breath to see just how rough this offseason might get.
Mariners’ Logan Gilbert Trade Plans Make Sense