Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners

Trade George Kirby? In this economy? Yes, actually, the Mariners are considering it -- because the state of the marketplace in Seattle has reached its most unstable point of this season that began with such expectations. According to league sources, as of Saturday morning, the Mariners had been engaged more aggressively by other clubs on the availability of Kirby ahead of Monday’s Trade Deadline. However, multiple teams who’ve checked in get the sense that they would be surprised if he winds up being dealt, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. “Lots of talking happens at this time of year,” one source with knowledge of the Mariners’ discussions said. A real tell to whether or not Seattle is open to trading Kirby is if he remains on turn to start Sunday’s matinee vs. the Twins -- the club’s final game before Monday’s 3 p.m. PT Deadline. He was seen going through his full pregame prep on Saturday, and manager Dan Wilson said after a 4-3, walk-off win a few hours later that it remains the plan for Kirby to make that start. Regardless, the fact that Kirby is being discussed speaks to a potential outlook shift within Seattle’s front office -- on the heels of a 2-5 road trip and after Friday night’s homestand-opening loss to Minnesota at T-Mobile Park, which dropped the club to five games below .500. The Mariners did rebound on Saturday, via Cal Raleigh’s walk-off fielder’s choice, which scored Randy Arozarena from third base on an extremely close, head-first slide. But they remain in third place in the American League West. Overall, the vibes around the club have been the lowest in nearly two years, when the club dismissed manager Scott Servais in late August of 2024 and replaced him with Dan Wilson.