Building a Mariners trade package for Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of the biggest names who could potentially be dealt in advance of the July 30 MLB trade deadline. Chisholm's combination of tools, youth, club control and 2024 production make him a potential target for many teams and easily the most valuable trade chip on the Miami Marlins active roster. 

Should the Marlins be shopping Chisholm or building around him? You could make strong arguments both ways, but like it or not, the team's intentions are clear: they're focused on infusing more young talent into their farm system with the expectation of contending several years down the road. Investing in the current major league roster is not a priority. If the Fish receive a fair offer for their Bahamian star, he will be on the move.

Leading up to the deadline, I'll be proposing hypothetical trades that the Marlins could make involving Chisholm. The series continues with the Seattle Mariners.

How Chisholm fits in Seattle

Three years in a row, the Mariners front office has whiffed on their acquisitions of veteran second basemen. It was Adam Frazier in 2022 (80 wRC+), Kolten Wong in 2023 (35 wRC+) and now Jorge Polanco in 2024 (76 wRC+). With Polanco posting the highest strikeout rate of his career and also rating as a below-average defender, there's no chance that the Mariners will exercise his $12M club option for 2025. If they were to get Chisholm, it would be to take Polanco's job.

Also worth mentioning, the status of star center fielder Julio Rodríguez is somewhat uncertain as of this writing. Rodríguez suffered a right ankle sprain on Sunday and is set to undergo an MRI. Picked up off the scrap heap last month, Víctor Robles is Seattle's current backup plan in CF.

Having scored the fourth-fewest runs in Major League Baseball this season, the Mariners need offense wherever they can find it. Chisholm has more weighted runs created (50) than anybody on their roster. In all likelihood, he'd be plugged into the leadoff spot of their lineup, supplanting J.P. Crawford whose production has cratered after an excellent 2023 campaign.

Trade proposal

• Mariners receive INF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. and LHP A.J. Puk
• Marlins receive INF Felnin Celesten, INF Ben Williamson and RHP Brody Hopkins

In addition to Chisholm, I think that the Mariners would love Puk. Their organization fetishizes good control (leading MLB in walk rate this season) and the tall lefty has issued only six free passes in 28 ⅓ innings pitched since going back to relief work. Seattle's bullpen is headed by a trusty closer, Andrés Muñoz, but they lack a standout setup man and have generally struggled in high-leverage situations. Puk could make a big impact in the seventh and eighth innings.

Like Chisholm, Puk is under club control via arbitration through the 2026 season. With an estimated surplus value of $8.2M, according to Baseball Trade Values, his inclusion in this deal should meaningfully increase the return coming to Miami.

There might not be another realistically available prospect in the minor leagues who fits what Peter Bendix is seeking more perfectly than Felnin Celesten. A prized international free agent who signed with Seattle in January 2023, the 18-year-old switch-hitter has been playing shortstop for the ACL Mariners. He was among the complex league's top bats (slashing .341/.423/.561 with a 146 wRC+) before being sidelined by left wrist soreness. Conveniently, he is expected to resume game action just in time for the trade deadline.

"Celesten’s physicality stands out immediately and, as he approaches age 19, would stand out in a big league clubhouse," Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote in ranking him the No. 4 prospect in the Mariners system. "He probably weighs 15 or 20 pounds more than when he signed and every bit of it is muscle; Celesten’s shoulders look like he’s shoplifting grapefruits up his sleeves." If the Marlins were to add him, Celesten could spend August and September getting his first reps at Low-A.

I previously brought up Ben Williamson as a logical target in exchange for Bryan De La Cruz. Well, De La Cruz has performed horribly ever since, so it's up to Chisholm/Puk to bring back the prospect haul themselves. One year removed from being drafted, Williamson is already an above-average Double-A hitter with smooth defense at third base. A likely spring training non-roster invitee in 2025, he would be the quickest player from this package to reach the big leagues.

The sixth-round pick from Williamson's 2023 draft class, right-hander Brody Hopkins was a two-way player prior to turning pro. The 22-year-old has a 3.13 ERA, 4.21 FIP and 1.24 WHIP at Low-A while making all 17 of his scheduled starts. He's shown outstanding consistency with two or fewer earned runs allowed in 15 of those outings. Hopkins' groundball rate is among the highest in the minors among pitchers who've topped 70 innings this season. Nasty slider.

Previous Chisholm trade proposals

• Building a Yankees trade package

Which other teams do you want me to include in this Chisholm trade package series? Comment below to let me know.