Mariners Whit Merrifield Trade Rumors Picking Up Steam

It's getting to a now-or-never point for MLB teams looking to make a splash ahead of the 2021 Trade Deadline. The Deadline is set for Friday, July 30 and MLB teams have less than one week to decide if they are buying or selling.

One team interested in infield help is the Seattle Mariners. The San Diego Padres scooped Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier from under the Mariners' noses, but that hasn't stopped Seattle from pushing for another All-Star infielder.

According to sources, the Mariners are making a push for Whit Merrifield, the American League All-Star starting second baseman.

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

Whit Merrifield Mariners

Merrifield earned his second career All-Star nod this past month. The six-year MLB veteran is slashing .272/.319/.402 in 2021 with 8 home runs, 52 RBIs and a league-leading 25 stolen bases. Merrifield also played .984 defense at 2B with the ability to play each of the three outfield positions.

The table setter and high-caliber defender would be a huge get for Seattle at the deadline. Despite ranking bottom-half in both team ERA (4.41, 18th) and runs scored (411, 22nd), the Mariners find themselves very much in the hunt. Seattle is just 7.0 games back in the NL West and 1.5 games back of the AL's second Wild Card spot with their 54-46 overall record.

Merrifield is a play for the future as well. He is 32 years old, but remains under contract with the Royals until 2023 at a reasonable cost. Merrifield is definitely a piece the Mariners can continue to build around this season and the next couple of years. Currently, Seattle owns +6500 odds to win the AL West. Grabbing an All-Star second baseman to the lineup could see a boost in those odds.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.