The air gets heavy with tension around the time of the MLB trade deadline. Contenders narrow their focus, zeroing in on one thing that could change their season. This year, two coastal titans, the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners, see their paths to October intertwined. Both are solidly in the playoff picture, but both have fatal flaws. And their route to the future happens to run through the Arizona desert.

A showdown is taking shape over Arizona’s most potent offensive weapons. According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, “The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants are keeping a close eye on those power hitters.” The targets are obvious: third baseman Eugenio Suárez and first baseman Josh Naylor. Suárez is nothing but a pure power source, bolstered by his 20 homers with 55 RBI. Meanwhile, Naylor is a more well-rounded offensive profile, slashing .300 with a .353 on-base percentage. Either could be a major addition to a contending lineup.

Their availability is the result of the Diamondbacks’ misfortune. Nightengale reported Arizona “could be the epicenter of the trade deadline, are getting swarmed with calls from rival GMs.” The D-backs boast an incredible collection of pending free agents. Beyond the bats, their list includes starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, plus relievers Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks. Arizona now becomes the best stocked seller in the game, one that will help to reshape pennant races across the league.

However, there is a significant complication in this unfolding drama. Nightengale noted, “One little problem. The D-backs (35-34) still are contenders.” Arizona’s front office isn’t ready to raise the white flag. As long as they have a legitimate shot at the postseason, they are “making it clear they are not interested in breaking up the band.” This public posture adds a layer of intrigue, turning the trade deadline into a high-stakes game of chicken.

Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen is treading that narrow line with his public comments. He has made no secret that he wants to be on the buying side of the deadline. “I’m hopeful this is going to turn around and we put ourselves in the conversation to be buying,” Hazen stated recently. He hopes the players can force his hand in a positive direction.

And yet Hazen is also clear-eyed about where his team is right now. With the team floating around the .500, the phone calls are flowing in. “When you’re sitting in the standings where we are, it’s inevitable, you’re going to start receiving phone calls about your players,” he acknowledged. And that delicate dance between selling and contending will, in the end, shape the market for everyone.

Giants and Mariners on the trade block

The Giants are an interesting case study in conflicting strengths. The team is constructed on the back of an elite pitching staff, which ranks second in all of baseball with a svelte 3.12 team ERA. It’s a staff worthy of a championship by any standard. Their offense, however, paints an entirely different picture. The offense has been anemic, with the team ranking near the bottom of the league in batting average (24th), on-base percentage (24th), and home runs (21st). This gross differential creates the need for the impact bat.

New President of Baseball Operations, Buster Posey, can fix that by using the organization’s strongest asset, its farm system. The Giants have plenty of high-upside, controllable pitching prospects. A player such as lefty Carson Whisenhunt, the team’s No.2 prospect, would be an extremely nice piece for struggling Arizona. Their ERA stands at a dismal 4.77, ranking 24th in MLB. This special alignment allows the Giants to deal from a strength to address their most glaring offensive need in a perfect trade partner scenario.

Coming to Seattle, the pressure on the front office is brutal. The Mariners need to take advantage of a historic, MVP-caliber season from catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads MLB in homers (26). Offensively, the team has been up and down, with first base a black hole all season. Mariners first basemen are 25th in OPS. General Manager Jerry Dipoto has made no secret of his desire to add a “middle-of-the-order bat, either a first baseman or third baseman.”

The fine thing for Dipoto and the Mariners, however, is that they have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. They entered the season with seven prospects ranked among the top 100 in the MLB Pipeline. That includes a bounty of high-end position players, from shortstop Colt Emerson to outfielder Lazaro Montes.

That incredible crop of prospects is what gives Seattle the ammunition to outbid nearly any other team for a premier rental bat. They have the assets to pull off a real franchise-changing trade if they want.