To be or not to be, that is the question for GM Jerry Dipoto and his Seattle Mariners. With the July 31 trade deadline just around the corner, Shakespeare’s words have never resonated more true as Dipoto and company must decide whether to be, or not to be, buyers or sellers.

The Mariners find themselves at the all-star break with a record of 43-47, a lofty 17.5 games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West race, and 4.0 games back in a very crowded race for one of the two wild cards playoff spots. They are also trending in the wrong direction after having lost 10 of their last 14 games.

For much of the season, the Mariners have been without their top four starters in Felix Hernandez, James Paxton, Hisashi Iwakuma, and Drew Smyly. Minor league call-ups Ariel Miranda, Christian Bergman, and Sam Gaviglio were able to step in and somehow help keep the Mariners afloat. The prospect of a healthy return of the team’s starting rotation had Mariner executives – and fans alike – believing a strong second half playoff run was possible.

That belief, however, has waned slightly in recent weeks.

Hernandez returned to the mound on June 23 after being placed on the disabled list April 26 with bursitis in his throwing arm. Since his return, however, Hernandez has been far from his former Cy Young self, giving up 19 hits and 11 earned runs in four starts.  Such results have provided fodder to those who believe that the days of “King Felix” are over.

Paxton returned May 31 after missing four weeks with a forearm strain. While Paxton seemed to be on his way to supplanting Felix as the new “King” by posting a 1.43 ERA in his first six starts of the season – including four starts where he gave up zero runs – Paxton has since provided an unroyal-like 5.40 ERA in his seven starts since coming off the disabled list.

Iwakuma went on the disabled list May 10 with shoulder inflammation and was expected to be back sometime in June. However, his return has been put on hold while the club tries to figure out why Iwakuma’s velocity, normally in the 88-91 mph range, remains at 80-83 mph.

Smyly, Dipoto’s main offseason pitching acquisition, was shelved during spring training after suffering a flex strain in his throwing arm. Targeted for a July return, Smyly is now scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.

Yovani Gallardo, Dipoto’s other offseason pitching acquisition, is the only starter who has remained healthy all year long. However, an inability to consistently pitch past the fifth inning resulted in his demotion to the bullpen with rookie Andrew Moore, the organization’s top pitching prospect, taking his place in the rotation.

Add this all together and conventional wisdom would point to the Mariners being sellers.

Then again, 4.0 games back in the wild card race is not insurmountable, especially with the type of offense the Mariners put out on the field each and every game. Dipoto clearly understands that his club is just another hot streak away from taking control of the second wild card.

And whether or not the Mariners have a realistic shot at making the playoffs, one truth remains: The Mariners need starting pitching. Not just for this year, but for next and beyond.

Which, by all conventional wisdom, should necessitate the Mariners being buyers.

Looking ahead to 2018 and beyond, Iwakuma may have thrown his last pitch not just for the Mariners, but for his career. The same could be said for Smyly. At the very least, Smyly will miss a good portion of 2018 while he recovers from surgery. Gallardo will not be retained. And Felix is resembling more of a solid mid rotation arm rather than the ace he once was.  That leaves Paxton, who has shown ace-like stuff, but also a continued penchant for inconsistency and injury.

The Mariners do have the aforementioned Miranda, Gaviglio, and Bergman. But all three project more as back end starters. Moore has shown in his brief major league career that he belongs in the rotation. But at this juncture it remains unknown whether he’ll settle in as a top of the rotation starter, or just another young arm to round out the bottom half of the staff.

Dipoto could wait until the offseason to attempt to sign or trade for pitching. But the trade deadline presents a unique opportunity not necessarily found at season’s end. Unlike the offseason where most teams are competing to acquire (in this case) pitchers they believe will get them into the playoffs, the trade deadline is where half (or more) of MLB teams throw in the towel on the season and, as a result, look to sell coveted MLB assets for high end prospects.

Simply put, there is less competition at the trade deadline to acquire pitching.  So, even if the playoff odds are not in the Mariners favor, the reduced number of teams looking to invest in major league ready assets increases the odds of Dipoto being able to land a sorely needed starter to help this year and beyond.

The following is a short list of pitchers Dipoto should have his eyes on:

Jose Quintana, Chicago White Sox, Age: 28, 2017 Record: 4-8, 4.49 ERA, Team Control: Under contract for $30.85M over next three seasons including team options in 2019 & 2020.

• If made available, Quintana will most likely be the most sought after pitcher. He’s young, under contract until 2021, and has top of the rotation stuff. While Quintana’s stats this season are not quite on par to last year’s when he went 13-12 with a 3.20 ERA, teams will assuredly be more inclined to assess Quintana from his five prior seasons where he has compiled 49 wins, and averaged a 3.41 ERA, 190.0 innings pitched, and holds just over a 3 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio.

Gerrit Cole, Pittsburg Pirates, Age: 26, 2017 Record: 7-7, 4.43 ERA, Team Control: Arbitration eligible 2018 & 2019. Free agent in 2020.

• Should the Pirates decide to dangle Cole, interest will be high. Like Quintana, Cole’s stats this year are not as good as those in past years, including two seasons ago when Cole finished with 19 wins, was selected to the All-Star team, and was fourth in the Cy Young Award voting. However, any team looking to add a pitcher who could produce ace-like results for seasons to come will be closely monitoring Cole’s availability.

Julio Teheran, Atlanta Braves, Age: 26., 2017 Record: 7-6, 4.79 ERA, Team Control: Under contract for $31M over the next three seasons, including a $12M team option in 2020.

• Recent reports have surfaced indicating that the Braves may look to move Teheran for the right price. At first thought, this would seem unlikely, as the Braves are in rebuilding mode, and trading away a 26 year old fire-baller who has a 3.39 ERA over his first five seasons doesn’t really make much sense. Then again, the Braves current rotation already contains a few youngsters in Mike Foltynewicz (25) and Sean Newcomb (24), and their minor league system is stacked with highly regarded pitching prospects, as evidenced by their seven pitchers listed in Baseball America’s midseason top 100 prospects.

Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers, Age: 24, 2017 Record: 9-6, 3.19 ERA, Team Control: Arbitration eligible 2019-2022. Free agent in 2023.

• The idea that the Tigers would part ways with Fulmer is impossible to fathom.  For one, the veteran-laden Tigers are in need of getting younger.  And two, Fulmer is not only “younger” but the kind of young major league talent no team want to trade away.  I mean, what GM trades away a sub 25 year old pitcher who in their first two seasons as a major leaguer is a combined 20-13 with a 3.11 ERA, won the 2016 Rookie of the Year Award,  finished 10th in the 2016 Cy Young Award voting, and was selected to this years All-Star team?  But just like the Braves and Teheran, there are whispers that the Tigers could be willing to move Fulmer for the right price.  That “price” would surely be steep, and have to entail several top shelf prospects that would end up filling multiple future needs for the Tigers.

Dan Straily, Miami Marlins, Age: 28, 2017 Record: 7-4, 3.31 ERA, Team Control: Arbitration eligible 2018-2020. Free agent in 2021.

• Two seasons ago, Straily was a journeyman pitcher who the Reds claimed off waivers from the Padres. There must have been something in that Cincinnati water because all Straily did in 2016 was go 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA. Straily has continued that breakout success this year with Miami by going 7-4 with a 3.31 ERA. It may be still too early to claim Straily as a top end starter, especially considering not long ago that he wasn’t even considered 40-man roster material. However, many see Straily’s improvement not as an outlier, but due to his maturation and development resulting in reduced walks, upped strikeouts, and an overall increase in velocity.  At age 28, the former top 100 prospect may finally be coming into his own.

Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics, Age: 27, 2017 Record: 4-4, 4.00 ERA, Team Control: Arbitration eligible 2018 & 2019. Free agent in 2020.

• The question for most teams concerning Gray is health. After establishing himself as one of the top young arms in baseball by averaging 11 wins and a 2.88 ERA from 2013 to 2015, including a third place finish in the 2015 Cy Young award voting, Gray endured an injury plagued 2016 campaign where he made only 22 start, went 5-11, compiled a 5.69 ERA, and landed on the disabled list twice, the final time coming August 7 where a forearm strain essentially ended his season. The beginning of the 2017 season didn’t do much to dissuade any injury concerns as Gray missed the first three weeks of the season with a strained lat. But since coming back on May 2, Gray has steadily worked himself into form, and has stayed healthy thereby lessening concerns about his health.  In Gray’s last seven starts, he has limited hitters to a .227 batting average, has an ERA of 3.45, and is averaging 6.3 innings per start. All of which could be a sign that the Gray of old is on the verge of returning.

Johnny Cueto, San Francisco Giants, Age: 31, 2017 Record: 6-7, 4.51 ERA, Team Control: Under contract for $109.4M over the next five seasons including a $22M team option in 2022.

• Of all the pitchers listed, Cueto is the oldest at 31. But with age comes a track record of being a bonafide #1 starting pitcher. Cueto has produced seasons of 18, 19 and 20 wins. He has a career 3.31 ERA. He just missed out on the Cy Young award when he placed second to Clayton Kershaw in 2014, and finished sixth last year after going 18-5 with a 2.79 ERA. Cueto certainly would be a boost to any team that acquires him. But Cueto is also a huge risk.   Not only is Cueto owed an average of $21.8M through his age 35 season, he also has an opt-out clause in his contract that allows him to become a free agent at season’s end should he so chooses to exercise it. What this means is that any team that acquires Cueto not only risks being stuck with an albatross of a contract, but will most likely have to pay deeply for a player who could end up being just a second half rental.

This all said, the big question is whether Dipoto could even put together an enticing enough package to land a pitcher with this mix of youth, proven results, and team control. The Mariners farm system is far from loaded with coveted talent, but they do have a couple top MLB prospects in outfielders Kyle Lewis (#34) and Tyler O’Neil (#38). They could also part with one of their young MLB outfielders in Mitch Haniger, Brad Gamel, or Guillermo Heredia. And the emergence of Moore in the starting rotation could allow Dipoto to part with someone like Miranda who could immediately step into a major league rotation.

In his short tenure with the Mariners, Dipoto has proven the ability to acquire the players he wants. Let’s hope come this trade deadline, Dipoto has his sights set on a top flight starting pitcher.