The Mariners are clear: they will not trade any of their starters

For some time now, the Seattle Mariners have been struggling to fill the holes they had on the offensive side of the ball. The tide turned at the trade deadline, however, when Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez arrived in Washington State.

But with second baseman Jorge Polanco signing a two-year contract with the New York Mets, and Suarez still free as a bird, the problem resurfaces.

Still, even though team president Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander are desperately trying to complete a transaction, they won't touch their current rotation.

That's according to MLB columnist Erik Anderson in an article for Heavy Sports, where he points out that many members of the media know that the arms in the Mariners' rotation are untouchable.

If the Mariners really draw a line excluding established MLB starters, the trade conversation becomes narrower and prospect-centric. That could work, especially for a team like Seattle, which has always been lauded for developing pitchers.

So that means that even for Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals, the M's current starting pitchers won't be moving from Seattle. And that's understandable. Luis Castillo, Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby have all made 23 or more starts in 2025, despite Woo's injury.

Certainly, Bryce Miller has had his share of troubles, posting a record of four wins against six losses and an earned run average of 5.68. But the latter has potential, and the Mariners would like to see him achieve something akin to his 2024 season, when he finished with a 12-8 record and an earned run average of 2.94.

Not to mention the two other pitchers who add depth to this starting rotation, namely Emerson Hancock and rookie Logan Evans.

The Mariners will therefore continue to have the best rotation in the American League. But they will need to address the lack of depth in the forwards.

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