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The Twins, 52-48, and maintaining a slim lead for the second wild-card spot, are in a fairly different place from the Mariners, who at 46-56 are on the outside looking in. But the two clubs share a commonality in that they are future-focused and in no position to act as aggressive buyers with a championship mindset.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the five most likely players in both organizations to be gone before 3:00 PM on Friday, with notes on potential matches between the two teams:
Top 5 Most Likely Mariners To Be Traded:
1) Hisashi Iwakuma, SP
His name has been mentioned most often in trade rumors among Seattle players. Iwakuma is in the final season of his contract with the M's and although his 5.10 ERA might not pop out, his peripherals are mostly in line with the ones he posted over the past three years, during which he has gone 38-20 with a 3.07 ERA. He is scheduled to pitch on Sunday, but we'll see if he's still around.
2) Fernando Rodney, RP
Here's an interesting case. Rodney led the American League with 48 saves as Seattle's closer last year, and opened this season back in the same role, but lost his hold on it after a terrible first two months. The veteran reliever has continued to deliver uneven performances but his velocity is there. The Mariners reportedly believe he's been tipping his pitches, which seems correctable. Could another team – like, say, the Twins – take a shot at trying to straighten him out? The impending free agent wouldn't theoretically cost a ton.
3) Austin Jackson, CF
Jackson has been an ineffective player ever since coming over to the Mariners at the deadline a year ago in the three-team blockbuster that sent David Price to Detroit. He'll be eligible for free agency this winter and Seattle probably doesn't have a lot of interest in keeping him around. Given his past success, he might be viewed as a guy who could benefit from a change of scenery, and plenty of teams could use a two-way outfielder.
4) J.A. Happ, SP
Another hurler on the verge of free agency, Happ has been struggling lately after performing decently over the first two months. He doesn't boast a ton of value but could interest some club as a fifth starter, and the Mariners would take what they can get. Happ is slated to start against Phil Hughes in the series opener on Thursday.
5) Jesus Montero, DH
The Mariners hoped to be getting a cornerstone offensive piece when they acquired Montero from the Yankees for Michael Pinedo back in 2012. He played in 135 games for Seattle as a 22-year-old that year, batting .260 with 15 homers. Since then, he has played only 40 total games in the majors. It seems odd the team so hungry for offense would be so opposed to giving a talented young bat a more extensive chance, but as things stand, Montero will be out of options next year and remains trapped in Triple-A.
Top 5 Most Likely Twins To Be Traded:
1) Oswaldo Arcia, OF
Arcia is currently stuck in limbo. He's a major-league caliber hitter but there's no room for him in the Twins outfield with Eddie Rosario, Aaron Hicks and Torii Hunter entrenched. This isn't exactly the ideal time to move Arcia, given that he hasn't played in the bigs since getting hurt back in early May and his Triple-A numbers aren't overwhelming. Still, he's been one of the best hitters for his age in the majors over the past couple years, and I believe his raw hitting ability is highly respected across the league. He'll be out of options next year, so if he isn't in the Twins plans they might see if they can flip him and help themselves out this year. An offense-needy team like the Mariners could make sense.
2) Aaron Hicks, OF
Another outfielder who will be out of options next year is Hicks, and while dealing him doesn't seem to make sense given that he appears to be turning a corner, that also might be why it makes the most sense. With everything he's been showing since his latest call-up, I have to imagine that his value is as high as it has ever been, and while he's looking like he'd be a fine right fielder for the Twins next year, he might have more value to another team in center.
3) Mike Pelfrey, SP
There's little question that the Twins would like to move Pelfrey, given their logjam in the rotation and his status as the only starter who is not under team control after this year. The question is whether they can flip him for anything of value. His dreadful run over the past month, combined with a mediocre long-term track record, aren't particularly appealing. But there's a chance some contender that misses out on other options might settle for him as a plug-in at the back of the rotation.
4) Jorge Polanco, SS
Losing Polanco would be tough, since the Twins obviously have a hole at shortstop, but no one seems fully convinced he can play there in the majors, and with his combination of age, excellent minor-league numbers and MLB experience make him a valuable chip.
5) Trevor May, SP
May is a much more attractive target than Pelfrey. He has shown he can strike out big-league hitters and he has many years of inexpensive team control ahead. He's also currently miscast in a relief role. Ryan will be rightfully reluctant to part with him, but May is the kind of piece that would need to be included if the Twins want to make a substantial acquisition – like, say, a young catcher.
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