2023 Mariners off-season trade partner: Tampa Bay Rays

Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty ImagesAs the off-season stretches on, it’s feeling more and more like the Mariners will be improving this team via trades rather than an impact free-agent signing; even yesterday’s salary dump trade felt more like belt-tightening than it did like gearing up to make a run at a premium player like Soto or Ohtani. As such, we will continue to examine which organizations match up well as trade partners at some different levels: a minor trade that raises the floor but doesn’t necessarily set the Hot Stove ablaze; a medium-spicy move that industry experts would describe as “savvy”; and a five-alarm blaze that involves a fair amount of risk and cost. Last Friday we opened this series by looking at the Chicago White Sox, a team that’s firmly in sell mode; today we’ll look at some favorite trading partners of Jerry Dipoto in the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that’s permanently desperate to shed payroll, but a direction the Mariners seem to be slumping towards financially.

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