Report: Mariners have tried to trade for Ervin Santana multiple times

The non-waiver trade deadline may have already passed, but the Seattle Mariners are still pursuing upgrades on the waiver trade market.

Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported over the weekend that the M’s have tried to trade for Minnesota Twins righty Ervin Santana “multiple times.” Divish does add however that trade talks between the two sides are currently “on hold” with the Twins passing the Mariners in the AL Wild Card standings.

The 34-year-old Santana, who named an All-Star this year, holds a 12-7 record with a 3.28 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 24 starts. He is under club control for two more seasons and is familiar with both Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais from their time with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Twins won’t be helping a fellow Wild Card competitor unless they fall out of the race these next few weeks. But they flirted with trading Santana before, and for their part, the Mariners badly need quality starting pitching, especially with aces Felix Hernandez and James Paxton currently on the disabled list.