Shooting For The Postseason: The 2026 HVH Deadline Plan.

 

Tommy Gunner in action in the battle of HVH versus social media fans with loud mouths.

By Stevil, 5 July, 2026.

Expectations were at an all-time high as the 2026 season began. Some national journalists even had Seattle pegged for the World Series. The Mariners had acquired a talented left-handed reliever and one of the best utility players in the game. They had retained their prize first base acquisition from July and their backup catcher, acquired a number of interesting relievers for depth, and had one of the best prospects in baseball primed for a debut with a couple of more elite prospects advancing quickly through the upper-minors.

Injuries to Miller, Evans, and Vargas immediately tested their pitching depth before a game was even played. Fortunately, offseason adjustments resulted in the emergence of Emerson Hancock as a legitimate starter. Further, Julio showing uncharacteristic life at the plate early (never mind June), Young flashing the leather and holding his own offensively, Raley rebounding from an injury-laden 2025, steady contributions from Arozarena, and immediate production from Donovan were all positives that would seemingly reinforce the notion that Seattle would be a legitimate force.

Yet little else has went according to plan and their record in April, and most of May, reflects their struggles. They had their issues in June as well.

Horrifically slow starts (to put it politely) for Naylor, Raleigh, Castillo, and Refsnyder were detrimental as was Crawford starting the season on the injured list and Robles joining him in early April. Seattle plowed through their fielding and reliever depth faster than my cats can destroy litter boxes (that's saying something). As if all that wasn't bad enough, the outfield defense and left side of the infield looked like my cats' litter boxes—and I'm not talking Almond Roca.

But baseball is a different kind of sport. There's room to improvise, room for adjustments. Teams loaded with talent always have the potential to turn things around and dominate. Seattle hasn't exactly done that, but they fought and crawled their way to the top of the AL West and are still very much contenders as they were expected to be in spite of their flaws. 

And the flaws aren't subjective or surprising. Some of them were as predictable as the new Athletics' stadium becoming baseball's first hybrid casino. Would anyone bet against that? Nobody should have assumed 2026 would be a cakewalk for the Mariners. The depth was real, and promising, but there were many moving parts in what I would call lobsided construction.

Relying on multiple platoons, especially with defensively-limited players, presented a real risk and that risk was realized. The willingness to bank on a single utility infielder was a side effect and it proved to be an issue before opening day. Rivas ended up being the starting shortstop (and couldn't hit), which led to Bliss making the roster (and he also couldn't hit), then Wilson, then Wisdom—even Emerson was likely promoted a little sooner than they preferred. 

In June, we saw the return of Mastrobuoni, who barely played before being ditched for Weston Wilson. Buddy Kennedy has joined the squad and now Mastrobuoni is back under unfortunate circumstances. The infield support remains shaky, but the outfield issues haven't been better, to put it lightly. Injuries, poor defense, lack of production from the bench...

General inconsistency paired with some odd decisions by Dan Wilson, more so with relievers than the platoons (but also with the platoons), amplified the flaws. That remains an issue as well. Losing Brash and Speier to injury while Muñoz was struggling to find consistency exposed yet another flaw which was (is) their lack of leverage options. They absolutely needed another right handed leverage arm. They still do. Losing Brash again, and Criswell to boot, certainly hasn't helped. There's a glaring need for bullpen munitions. 

Baseball is indeed a different sport. Seattle stayed on top through most of June and they got to the top without the player who was arguably the most valuable in the league last year, Cal Raleigh. They still need help, though, and that's the main purpose of this post: identifying players who can help and how to get them. It goes without saying that getting Cal back from the IL was important, though getting production from Garver (yes, Garver) and Pereda was huge in Cal's absence. Hopefully Cal will find his timing before this is posted. 

But just getting healthy obviously isn't enough. Further, they've found themselves in an odd position by carrying six starters. This is an imbalanced team if there ever was one.

When healthy, they're overloaded with starting pitching and left-handed hitters. Could trading from their rotation and killing a platoon, help them tighten up? We think so, and we think doing so, along with a few other moves (well, triple-a-few), could solve multiple issues.

Here's what we're suggesting...

Trades

1. Brock Moore, RHP, and Spencer Packard, OF/DH, to Colorado; Willi Castro, INF/OF, to Seattle.

Castro would represent a bench upgrade for Seattle as a veteran, switch-hitting utility infielder who can get on base. He's had notable success facing lefties this year, and his road numbers vs. southpaws have been better than at home. 

Colorado would be getting a decent reliever prospect to move forward with and a prospective fourth outfielder/DH. It's hard to see Castro's value being much higher given the lack of power and the guaranteed salary for 2027. 

2. Luis Castillo, RHP, to Chicago; Seiya Suzuki, RF/DH, and Brandon Birdsell, RHP, to Seattle.

Castillo has pitched better than fans may realize. Poor defense and some bad luck help explain some of the early ugliness, but since 25 May he has a 2.72 ERA and a 2.92 FIP. Those numbers, along with past history, should be enough to peak the interest of teams in need of starting pitching. The Cubs should be one of those teams.

Chicago is believed to be looking for a top of the rotation starter. That might be a tall order given the state of their farm and the number of vacancies they'll have to address in the offseason. They need a controllable starter that won't cost them much prospect capital and Castillo fits the bill. If anyone thinks Peralta would be a better option as a rental I would challenge them to look at his game log since mid-May. Skubal would be a pipedream. Castillo, however, is a solid mid-rotation starter they can afford and there aren't likely many of those available.

Birdsell is still recovering from surgery late last season. He won't pitch in the majors this year, but he could serve as vital starting depth next season. He was Chicago's pitcher of the year in 2024. 

Suzuki would be a rental for Seattle, of course, but the salary relief from unloading Castillo would allow Seattle to reallocate the savings elsewhere in 2027. They might even consider bringing Suzuki back if things were to go well. 

3. Luke Raley, OF/1B; Carlos Vargas, RHP, Cooper Criswell, RHP, and Brock Rodden, INF, to New York; Luke Weaver, RH, to Seattle.

This may not seem like the most flattering suggestion for New York, packaging a pair of currently banged-up arms with a platoon bat and a 40 future value infielder, but this would give the Mets both immediate and future depth, which feels like something David Stearns would want (and should want) in a trade. Weaver's salary is affordable, but it's not nothing, either. That has to be a consideration here. If they'd prefer a different package with a higher-ceiling player or prospect involved, so be it, but it should go without saying that asking for Ryan Sloan, or nearly any other top-10 prospect, wouldn't be realistic. Keyword: nearly. 

Of course, Seattle wouldn't be in this position if they had signed a leverage arm in the offseason, but what's done is done, and it would be a mistake to not find at least one more option before the deadline. 

4. Teddy McGraw, RHP, to San Francisco; JT Brubaker, RHP, to Seattle. 

JT is an under-the-radar reliever who has an excellent sinker and an undervalued slider and changeup. He has to be on Seattle's target list, and although he generally hasn't been used in a set-up role, or in leverage situations, we think he could handle it quite well. His current role is a multi-inning reliever. Seattle could keep him in the same role, or have him harry right at opponents when an attack is imminent. Yes, I realize few people will get that. 

Teddy McGraw has an excellent sinker and solid slider. He's battled injuries, but is now healthy and working in a relief role for Arkansas. He could help the Giants at some point in 2027. That's pretty much what should be expected in a return. 

Internal moves

5. Utilize Brendan Donovan in a true utility role. 

There may be a clear need for him in a specific position by the time he returns from the IL, but nobody should have a problem with him in a utility role if there isn't a glaring hole. He would still still play fairly regularly, he just wouldn't play the same position exclusively with everyone healthy. Then there's the issue of his own health and needing to take things easy. A utility role would make that easier to manage. 

His positional flexibility was what motivated Seattle to overpay to acquire him despite having offseason surgery and only two years of control. This is what Seattle likely anticipated in the second half, anyway. 

6. DFA Rob Refsnyder, OF/DH, and Weston Wilson, INF/OF; Buddy Kennedy, INF, TBD.

It should go without saying that moving Refsnyder in a trade would be preferred, but somehow, someway, Seattle needs to move on, and the most likely way is DFA. It's a shame it hasn't worked out, but it is what it is. If by some chance Kennedy realizes his potential, perhaps Seattle wouldn't need a veteran utility player like Castro, but going with experience would be the safer route. 

7. Recall Jhonny Pereda, C, on 1 September; move Mitch Garver into weak-side DH platoon role opposite Dominic Canzone. 

Garver has hit LHPs this year. Check for yourselves if you don't believe it. In this hypothetical move he would replace Refsnyder. 

But the acquisition of Castro and a healthy Donovan would allow Seattle to be creative with the platoon immediately. Nobody should have a problem with having multiple options.

8. Select the contract of Kade Anderson, LHP; promote him to the active roster. 

This is a move that may actually come before the deadline, but a later promotion is just as feasible as it would buy them time to decide where/how to use him. We see him as a starter first, reliever second. The performances of the current starters will dictate where Anderson should be used. For now, we'll assume the current starters will maintain their positions and project Anderson for a relief role. 

9. Select the contract of Ryan Sloan, RHP. *

This wouldn't have to happen until just before noon, 1 September. It may not even be necessary, hence the asterisk.

There's an argument against this given Seattle's lack of starter depth, especially if they trade a starter like we're suggesting. But they've come a long way and their window is open right now. They should be doing everything they can to get to the World Series. All of their weapons should be on the battlefield and Sloan's changeup could do a lot of damage to opponents down the stretch and into the postseason. 

10. Utilize Victor Robles for a late-inning defensive upgrade. 

This is something Dan Wilson probably should have started doing once Robles returned from the IL. This wouldn't be necessary every game, but it could make all the difference in a game or two when they have a small lead heading into the eighth or ninth. That's assuming he's still onboard beyond the deadline.

That's a wrap on the transactions. Here's what we might be looking at with these suggestions...

Rotation

1. Logan Gilbert

2. Bryan Woo

3. George Kirby

4. Bryce Miller

5. Emerson Hancock

Bullpen

1. Andrés Muñoz CL

2. Luke Weaver 

3. Kade Anderson L

4. Matt Brash

5. Gabe Speier L

6. Eduard Bazardo

7. José Ferrer L

8. JT Brubaker

9. Ryan Sloan (September)*

Lineup

1. Cole Young, 2B L

2. Julio Rodríguez, CF 

3. Dominic Canzone, DH L

4. Randy Arozarena, LF

5. Josh Naylor, 1B L

6. Cal Raleigh, C S

7. Seiya Suzuki, RF

8. JP Crawford, 3B L

9. Colt Emerson, SS L

Bench: Brendan Donovan (L), INF/OF, Mitch Garver (R), DH/C, Willi Castro (S), INF/OF, Victor Robles (R), OF, Jhonny Pereda (R), C (September).

***

Some might say we're jumping the gun with these suggestions. In fact, we admit as much. Everything could change by the time the deadline arrives. We're going off of what we know right now and our goal is to generate rational thinking outside the box. Fans with itchy trigger-fingers are welcome to take their shots, but time stamps and context will be telling. We do not possess a crystal ball and hindsight is as worthless as any of the many blogger, video blogger and podcast suggestions that are sure to come. Kidding, of course. Some of them might have comedic value (much like our suggestions). 

Seriously though, this plan would kill the right field platoon, eliminate the shortcomings of the DH platoon, strengthen the bench, strengthen the defense, and overhaul the bullpen with four, promising upgrades. It's possible all four could actually handle leverage situations. Further, there would be better lineup balance and less vulnerability due to handedness.

We may not see any of these actual players acquired or internal promotions/changes made as suggested, but the strategy should be similar, regardless. The front office knows the weaknesses better than we do. It's hard to believe they'll continue with two platoons if a realistic opportunity to eliminate one of them is there. It's even harder to believe that an opportunity won't be there. 

We know they'll find relievers (yes, plural). The same (the plural) should apply to the position side as well. The notion that there isn't much work to do is nonsense. 

Notes

*There are a number of other players we like, but it's getting harder and harder to see a significant deal materializing with an AL club, hence the focus on swaps with NL organizations. That might change of course, but as always, this is more about the type of players we're suggesting than specific names. We really don't care where help comes from. 

*Payroll would only increase by roughly 4 million in this plan. 

*The team should be prepared for the possibility of Colt Emerson needing more time in Tacoma (and hope it won't be necessary). Donovan and Castro would provide insurance, regardless, and no, one utility player isn't enough. It wasn't enough to start the season, why would that be any different now?

*One of our biggest goals was to address what we felt was a glaring mistake last year, which was not adding enough relief help. Seattle can't rely on half their bullpen for a postseason run again. They have to give opponents different looks and keep everyone fresh. 

*Deeper explanations for these targeted players will be made in the comment section. 

*Alternative suggestions will be made throughout July and early August if necessary.