With Deadline looming, will Mariners make another move?

CHICAGO -- For one dominant weekend, the Mariners’ middling offense looked, felt and played like a completely new group.

Seattle ambushed White Sox All-Star Garrett Crochet early and ran away to another convincing win on Sunday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field, this one a 6-3 decision that secured a series sweep. Over these three games, the Mariners outscored the White Sox, 22-6, and pulled back into a tie with Houston for first place in the American League West.

Encouraging signs, to be sure, even against a Chicago club that’s now lost 14 straight. Yet back in Seattle, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander are actively looking to keep adding to the lineup, with just 48 hours to do so shortly after final out.

“With the offense, we do still feel like there is still opportunity.” Dipoto said Sunday morning on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, “Whether that’s adding a bat to the corner infield positions, another outfielder – we feel like the offense, again, is an area that has been in need of help.”

Word is that Seattle’s front office has been as aggressive as any contender in recent days, with multiple scouts from opposing teams saying that Dipoto and Hollander have checked in on just about every big-name bat that might be available.

Yet the “availability” of some of those players remains the biggest question. It’s largely why Dipoto and Hollander pounced on Randy Arozarena -- who could wind up being the biggest name moved -- in the wee hours on Thursday night.

“It’s a pretty thin market right now, and we feel like the fact that it moved quickly this week is pretty indicative of how few players are actually available,” Dipoto said. “And who knows how that’ll shake out in the next two days. Maybe the market will open up.”

• These are the most likely trade candidates before the Deadline

With Arozarena solidified in left field, the clearest runway for acquisitions would be at the corner infield positions and right field.

First base is the obvious, especially after the club designated Ty France for assignment last Tuesday and handed the full-time job to rookie Tyler Locklear. The club’s No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline has big power upside and the potential to be an impact big leaguer, but there’s inherent risk in relying on a rookie to navigate the MLB learning curve in a pennant chase.

One of the seemingly strongest trade fits, Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes, was dealt to the Cubs on Sunday. Sources said that the Mariners pursued Paredes, but Chicago’s offer included an established MLB player in third baseman Christopher Morel.

“We just don't have enough to subtract from our Major League club where I think it would make a ton of sense for us to go try to thread the needle in that way,” Dipoto said.

Yet with Tampa Bay in full sell mode, first baseman Yandy Díaz -- last year’s batting champion and perhaps an even better fit -- might be available.

Dipoto was specifically asked about Díaz, along with A’s outfielder Brent Rooker, Angels outfielder Taylor Ward, Marlins first baseman Josh Bell and Tigers utility man Mark Canha.

“We're going to call on all of those guys,” Dipoto said.

The biggest fish, though, is Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. But all indications suggest that the Blue Jays -- even in clear sell mode, having dealt high-leverage reliever Yimi Garcia to Seattle on Friday -- won’t move the 2023 Home Run Derby champ.

As of now, it’s possible that the Mariners could work a hybrid of Locklear and Luke Raley at first and Raley and Mitch Haniger in right. But Victor Robles, who has been playing center field with Julio Rodriguez on the IL, will need a spot when Rodriguez returns.

“That kind of dulls the need for another right-handed bat in the outfield and allows us to focus on the infield,” Dipoto said of Robles. “But we're not immune to the fact that if there is a good everyday player that doesn't require a platoon partner, we could go that way as well.”

But the Mariners intend to be as bold as the market will allow in the coming days -- and Dipoto made it clear that they’re willing to part with just about any prospect in their hitter-heavy farm system.

“The key is not to overstep, and hopefully we exercise good judgment and balance,” Dipoto said. “We love our prospects, and we also see an opportunity to go win.”