Mariners’ Kade Anderson, Ryan Sloan shine at MLB Futures Game; next stop, Seattle?

More of the same, yes, from Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan – even against the best hitting prospects in baseball.

The Mariners’ top two pitching prospects each threw a scoreless inning for the American League during the MLB All-Star Futures Game in Philadelphia on Sunday, a showcase event for the sport’s best minor-league talent.

Anderson and Sloan have been dominant this season at Double-A Arkansas, and the anticipation for their arrival in Seattle at some point this summer will only continue to rise, especially as the Mariners limp into the All-Star break with a sub-.500 record and trailing Texas in the AL West.

How Anderson and Sloan fit into the Mariners’ second-half plans remains an open question.

Would they join the Mariners’ already-crowded starting rotation? Would they pitch out of Seattle’s bullpen? Do they have a strict innings limit?

The Mariners should have more clarity after the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Over the past few years, the Mariners have maintained one of MLB’s best starting rotations, and the front office has resisted the temptation to trade from the strength of their major-league roster.

This summer, though, sources have said the Mariners are at least open to idea of trading one of their six established starters.

They would prefer to hang onto their five youngest (and most affordable) rotation arms – Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and Emerson Hancock – and appear motivated to move 33-year-old veteran Luis Castillo.

The Mariners have pinpointed two clear needs at the trade deadline: a high-leverage reliever to add to the back of the bullpen and a right-handed bat to balance out a lineup that has struggled mightily against left-handed pitching.

Castillo’s contract situation could complicate his trade value. He in the fourth year of a five-year, $108-million contract, and he’s owed about $24 million for 2027, plus an option for $25 million for 2028 that vests if he reaches 180 innings pitched in next season.

If the Mariners were to trade Castillo (or another starter), that would presumably open a spot for Anderson and/or Sloan.

Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 draft, got the start for the American League team Sunday and needed just 10 pitches in an efficient first inning, retiring three of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects. Milwaukee’s Jesús Made, the No. 1 overall prospect via MLB Pipeline, had a bloop single off Anderson with two outs.

A 22-year-old left-hander, Anderson leads the minors with a 1.36 ERA in his first 14 professional starts.

Sloan, a 20-year-old right-hander, topped out at 100 mph during his 17-pitch fifth inning, averaging 98.1 mph with his four-seam fastball. He worked around a two-out double by getting Made to fly out to end the inning.

Anderson and Sloan are both ranked among the sport’s Top 10 prospects by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, and they’ve become close friends during their time together in Arkansas this year.

Anderson is the more polished of two, after earning Baseball American’s College Pitcher of Year honors and leading LSU to the Men’s College World Series championship last year.

Some scouts, though, project the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Sloan to have the higher upside. He’s been compared to the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole, and on Sunday he featured his four-seam fastball, a sweeper (85.8 mph), a cutter (92.4) and a splitter (90.9).