With the trade deadline less than three weeks away, I felt it was time to take a look at some of the Seattle Mariners star players and see what the future might hold for some of them. I will take a look at the value of the more popular trade chips and diagnose what the Mariners brass should be thinking.

Adrian Beltre was a good trade chip about a month ago.  He provided Gold Glove defense at third base, and a solid bat in the middle of the lineup.  While he has not lived up to the huge contract we signed him to, he has been an integral part of the clubhouse providing veteran leadership to the younger players on the team.

His trade value has taken a serious hit with the injury he sustained.  He is scheduled to be fully recovered from his shoulder surgery in about five weeks.  The Mariners will have hardly enough time to prove to potential trade partners that he could help them during the pennant chase.  Trade Value - Low to Non-existent

At the beginning of the year, the Mariners were hoping to get a couple of long term prospects in a trade for Jarrod Washburn. Now with over half the season gone, he has proven to be a solid starting pitcher that would be doing even better with some added run support. As of the All-Star break, Jarrod has posted a 6-6 record and a 2.96 ERA. He has failed to last through the sixth inning only twice and has allowed more than five runs in a game only twice.

Washburn looks to be a valuable trade chip through the deadline. His value has increased during the year due to his durability and his effectiveness. He should be able to bring in at least one ready for the majors prospect and a couple of potential prospects lower in the minor league rankings at a minimum.  Trade Value - Definitely Rising

Erik Bedard is a painful topic. By trading away Adam Jones, we basically figured Erik would provide a solid compliment to Felix Hernandez which would relieve some of the pressure placed off of the King. He has posted a 5-2 record and a 2.63 ERA. When he is healthy, he has looked like the pitcher we expected to get when we traded for him.

Health has been a sore topic when it comes to Erik. He has been unable to stay off of the disabled list in either of the seasons he has pitched for the Mariners. Currently, he just got off of the diabled list and is trying to recover from his latest injury concern. If the Mariners are unable to trade him, they will only get one compensational pick at the end of the year. We will have traded away our best prospect in years for a guy that could not maintain his health. Trade Value - Hopefully Still Healthy

With the trade this week of Yuniesky Betancourt, the Mariners are showing to the players that they are tired of certain things.  Some of the same issues Yuni had in Seattle are still present in Jose Lopez.  Jose has been a solid member of the Mariners offense over the years, but has struggled to maintain consistency.  He has been through some tough family issues which has affected his play understandably.

With all of that said, Jose could bring in some good prospects in a trade.  He plays solid defense with some extraordinary plays at times.  He provides decent pop for a second baseman and tends to deliver in the clutch, as seen by his 51 RBIs so far.  Trade Value - Intriguing

Ichiro has been a mainstay in Seattle for nine wonderful years.  All of the batting titles, Gold Gloves, and special plays he has made over the years have been fun to watch.  He makes it look easy at times and is one of those unique players that only come around once in awhile.

Ichiro is at a crossroads in his Mariners career.  He is still hitting at the same pace he always has, but has become somewhat of a mystery of late.  The press that he got last year in regards to his selfish tendancies has some wondering if we wouldn't be better off without him.  Ken Griffey Jr. came on board this winter and has alleviated some of the media attention that Ichiro would have normally gotten by now and I believe that has helped.

While I know ownership would have a hard time fathoming a team void of Ichiro, I believe we need to take the chance at obtaining a ton of talent for a player that still has plenty left in the tank.  For what Ichiro provides day in day out, we could get potentially two super prospects and two decent prospects that would help the future of the organization.  Trade Value - Slim at best, but it Would Help

Over the coming weeks, the Mariners will have to analyze topics like this to see what direction they are going to proceed.  While they currently are still in the playoff picture, they could still think about this year and still improve the club with some of these players being trading away.  I just hope they decide to make the right choices and continue the positive path we have begun this year.