Seattle Mariners trade rumors again link the team to the New York Yankees. This time, a suggested James Paxton trade has come up, thanks to a report by NJ.com. In the report, it is postulated that the Mariners could look to deal Paxton if they start out the 2018 MLB season slowly. That would certainly be terrible news for Mariners fans.

It’s no secret that the Yankees are still looking at adding another starting pitcher, which is why so many MLB trade rumors link the team to affordable players. The Yankees are likely done spending money in free agency unless a player is willing to take a short-term deal without a lot of salary attached to it.

Enter the trade discussions.

Why would Mariners trade Paxton?

The Seattle Mariners are definitely trying to compete this year, even though the American League West is getting better and better. The team acquired Dee Gordon from the Miami Marlins to play center field and traded to acquire Jean Segura during the previous offseason. Now there is a lot of money invested in the veteran core of the team. It's time for them to put more games in the win column.

The Mariners aren’t projected to do well this year. Most analysts have the team finishing with around 82 wins or fewer. That would be an improvement over the 2017 MLB season, but it definitely wouldn’t get the team back to the postseason. If the Mariners approach the All-Star break in fourth or fifth place again, it might force the front office to start dealing off pieces.

That would come as really bad news for the loyal fans of the team.

While the New York Yankees could certainly use a pitcher like James Paxton, it would take a lot to acquire him. For now, these Seattle Mariners trade rumors don’t make a lot of sense, but things could change if the team stumbles out of the gate. Most baseball analysts will be paying very close attention to the situation in Seattle.

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