The Seattle Mariners Didn't Line Up For a Rafael Devers Trade in the Way You Think They Do

Based on early reports, it doesn't appear like the Mariners were talking about this with the Red Sox. I'll be the first to admit, the Mariners SHOULD have called. If you think there's even a chance that a generational talent is available, you make the call and poke around. The Mariners SHOULD have done that, if they didn't. That said, the Mariners and the Red Sox don't really match up all that well in a deal at this time.

Here's why:

The Red Sox received four players back in the trade: Major league starter/reliever Jordan Hicks, Quad-A starter/reliever (and former top prospect Kyle Harrison), minor league pitcher Jose Bello and top position player prospect James Thibbs.

The Red Sox, who enter play on Monday at 37-36, don't appear to be punting on the season, and appear to be trying to make the playoffs. As a result, they wanted some players who could help the roster in the 2025 season. The Mariners don't have all of that, do they? The Mariners equivalent of Harrison is probably Logan Evans, who the Sox might like, but considering he's already thrown 69.2 innings this season, he isn't really an option to help a team get to the playoffs this season. His professional high is just 107 innings, meaning he just isn't an option for consistent innings down the stretch. He's more likely to be shut down than carry a heavy workload.

Even if the Red Sox wanted to move Evans to the bullpen to preserve his innings, that didn't work for him when the Mariners tried it last season, so it likely wasn't an option for Boston, either. Furthermore, the Mariners need Evans as a fail-safe in case their own rotation continues to crumble. What if Logan Gilbert doesn't come back from injury and stay healthy? Evans is necessary for the Mariners too, as is Emerson Hancock, who they also can't afford to move

Even if the Mariners wanted to trade Bryce Miller, would Boston have accepted him at this point, knowing his health is such a question mark and he may not be of any help this year?

Furthermore, the Red Sox got a reliever in Jordan Hicks. Do the Mariners have relievers to spare? They barely have enough relievers as it is for their own roster. Could they afford to give away Matt Brash in a deal for Devers? Or even Carlos Vargas at this point? Sure, you might have been good giving up anything for Devers, but if you gave away either of those two, you'd be making the bullpen worse at a time when the M's can't afford it.

The Mariners could have matched the two younger prospects, as Seattle has nine players in the MLB Pipeline Top 100, but seven of those players are position players. For a Red Sox team that clearly targeted pitching, the M's just don't have a lot of it. If Boston were to collapse and sell-off, they may be more open to acquiring position players, but it doesn't seem like that was their focus now.

Unfortunately, that's what the Mariners have the most of.

And oh yeah..... even if the Mariners did match up well, there's the matter of the $230 or so million.