Josh Rojas has been the Mariners’ early-season MVP

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty ImagesWhen the Mariners dealt closer Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks at the 2023 trade deadline for a trio of players, most analysts saw outfielder Dominic Canzone as the centerpiece of the trade, with prospect Ryan Bliss close behind. Third baseman Josh Rojas was the “secret third thing” of the trade: at worst, a “throw-in”, and at best, a “change of scenery candidate.”

MLB expert Jeff Passan shared the view that Rojas was not the carrying piece of the trade. “I I think this trade hinges on Canzone and Bliss,” he told told Brock and Salk in analyzing the trade, pointing out that, at the time, Rojas hadn’t homered in any of his 200-plus plate appearances so far…