The Seattle Mariners are “making a push” to trade for Whit Merrifield, according to reporters Mark Feinsand and Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. The Mariners are making a surprise run for a post-season spot after a two-decade playoff drought.
The Mariners are making a push to trade for INF/OF Whit Merrifield of the Royals, sources tell me and @DKramer_. Merrifield is under control through 2023 at a reasonable cost (approx. $10M over 2 years incl. ‘23 option) and offers positional versatility, a good bat & great speed.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 25, 2021
It is not clear that the Royals would trade their two-time All-Star, although Jayson Stark of The Athletic reported last week that the Royals are “more open than in the past” to trading Merrifield, writing:
The Royals, though, have told other teams they believe they are close to contention, and are signaling that they do not want to trade established major leaguers for prospects who might not join them for three or four years.