The Mariners are notably tight-lipped about player acquisitions, not wanting to tip their trident too early; even during the flurry of trades this off-season, leaks tended to come from national or the other teams’ beat writers, not our own. That goes double for the draft, as we tend to only find out about the Mariners’ interest in certain players (Justin Dunn, Jarred Kelenic) well after draft day. But when we do hear something, it’s worth according that at least some credence, especially when it comes from two separate sources. In Keith Law’s latest mock draft for ESPN (subscription required), while he projects UNLV SS Bryson Stott to the Mariners, he includes this nugget:
One weird rumor I picked up while working on this had the Mariners going way over slot for Anthony Volpe, a prep shortstop on the same team as Jack Leiter.