Mariners predicted to land two key players in blockbuster with Nationals

After a dream start to their season, the Seattle Mariners are having a disastrous month of July.

What was once a 10-game lead in the American League West has evaporated completely, as the Mariners are in a virtual tie with the Houston Astros, who got off to a 7-19 start to the season, for first place. Seattle has now lost 13 of their last 19 games.

After a disappointing finish to 2023, where Seattle missed out on the playoffs by a single game, the Mariners are desperate to avoid a similar fate this season. But the offense has been putrid, and with injuries to Julio Rodríguez and J.P. Crawford, that could get worse before it gets better.

If the Mariners are going to resurrect their hopes of winning the division, they'll likely need to supplement their roster via trade. And one insider believes they can kill two birds with one stone.

ESPN's David Schoenfield wrote an article predicting the biggest "dominoes" to fall at the trade deadline. Schoenfield predicted the Mariners would land outfielder Lane Thomas and closer Kyle Finnegan in a package deal with the Washington Nationals.

"Thomas and Finnegan plug holes in the outfield and bullpen and won't cost Jerry Dipoto any of his top prospects," Schoenfield said. "It's not a major deal, and they'll still need the existing players to start hitting, but the Mariners need to do something at the deadline."

Thomas, 28, is a very solid righty outfielder made expendable by the surplus of outfield prospects in Washington. With the arrival of James Wood and 2023 first-rounder Dylan Crews still on the way, Thomas is unlikely to have a clear spot in the Nationals' 2025 outfield.

Meanwhile, Finnegan has been one of baseball's most reliable closers in 2024, posting a 2.32 ERA and saving 28 of 32 chances. Though the Mariners aren't short on bullpen arms, they could use another right-handed high-leverage arm, and Finnegan is one of the best available.

Obviously, neither Thomas nor Finnegan can solve all of Seattle's issues at once. Players like Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh, Mitch Garver, and Jorge Polanco will need to step up at the plate for the Mariners to have any chance of returning to the playoffs.

However, a move like this one could help reinvigorate a team that has fallen on hard times. Seattle has until 6 p.m. on July 30 to make any deal come to fruition.

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