The Seattle Mariners have arguably been the most active team at the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline. They find themselves in a spot where they need to improve their roster. Especially, on the offensive side. On Monday, the Mariners improved their lineup once again when they acquired Justin Turner from the Blue Jays.

The Mariners have made five deals at the deadline and they haven’t given up a single Top Prospect outside of Jonatan Clase. That’s a win for the Mariners. In return for Justin Turner, the Mariners sent RJ Schreck, who had just joined the team’s Top 30 prospect ranks. It’s the second deal that the Mariners and Blue Jays have done together at this year’s deadline.

Turner, 39, has remarkably continued to be an above average hitter. He has tailed off a little from his peak but still finds himself in the midst of a decent season. He’s hitting .253/.348/.370, which translates to a 109 wRC+. He’s drawing walks at an 11.2% clip this year while limiting his strikeouts to a 17.2% rate. That’s a plus for a Mariners lineup that has been a disappointment this season.

Collectively, they are hitting .218/.300/.368 for a wRC+ of 95, which places them in the bottom third of the league. Not to mention, their 27.7% strikeout rate is the worst in the league. On top of those offensive woes, Julio Rodriguez and JP Crawford are currently on the Injured List.

The Mariners seem to have a theme building at this year’s deadline. The two hitters they’ve acquired are deadly October bats, who have been on a hot stretch since June 1st. Turner has been hitting .299/.399/.396 with a wRC+ of 134 since then.

Depending on what the Mariners do during the final day of the trade deadline, it sounds like Turner will play at first base quite a bit. A position that the Mariners have struggled to get consistent production. Ty France, who was the opening day starter, started the season out hot but hasn’t been able to figure it out since his heel injury. In recent days, they’ve been using the combination of top prospect Tyler Locklear and veteran Jason Vosler, who has spent most of his career in the minors.

Mitch Garver hasn’t been as productive as the Mariners hoped at the DH spot, which has pushed him into more of a traditional backup catcher role. So Turner could see consistent time there as well, depending on if the Mariners make another move. They have been in talks for Yandy Diaz, though they could also go acquire a guy like Josh Bell.

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