OPINION: Three Players The Seattle Mariners Should Target During Offseason
For the 22nd time in 23 years, the Seattle Mariners are watching the playoffs from home.
The Mariners have had to watch former players like Will Vest, Edwin Diaz, Ryne Stanek and Teoscar Hernandez all have solid games for their current teams. Such has been the case for most of this century.
Which makes this offseason all the more important for Seattle.
The Mariners are reportedly increasing payroll according to President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto.
Later comments by team owner/chairman John Stanton made it seem like the team won't be big spenders in free agency despite the increase in funds.
But Seattle has a lot of holes it needs to fill. First baseman/designated hitter Justin Turner is a free agent, the team is reportedly expected to decline second baseman Jorge Polanco's option and third baseman Josh Rojas and Luis Urias could both be non-tendered.
That's three out of four infield positions in need of improvement.
And there's more than a few candidates the Mariners can target.
1. Yandy Diaz, first baseman (trade)
Current team: Tampa Bay Rays
Outlook: Seattle pulled off what was thought to be one of the better trades of the deadline when they acquired Randy Arozarena from the Rays. But they were close to acquiring his teammate Diaz, too.
According to a report from Francys Romero, who broke the Arozarena trade, the Mariners were one of three teams in the final race to acquire Diaz along with American League West rivals the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees in the waning hours before the trade deadline.
Seattle was reportedly the first team out of the three to drop out of the running for Diaz's services. But there's no reason to think that the Mariners can't make another run at the 2023 All-Star.
For one, Tampa Bay and Seattle are common trade partners. Dipoto and Tampa Bay President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander have developed a good working relationship.
Couple that with the Mariners' eight top 100 prospects (according to Baseball America), Seattle is in a great position to acquire Diaz.
There was no reported reason why the Mariners didn't secure Diaz. But one could assume it was due to the asking price related to the prospects. Barring an absurd request by the Rays, Seattle shouldn't be shy on parting ways with at least one top 100 player.
2. Pete Alonso, first baseman (free agent)
Current team: New York Mets
Outlook: If the Mariners do opt to break out the checkbook in the offseason, Alonso would be the player to do it for. Even during a "down" year for Alonso, he still batted .240 with 34 home runs and 88 RBIs.
He's also the pinnacle of health. He's played at least 152 games in five out of six professional seasons. He played in 57 out of 60 games during the COVID 2020 season.
Alonso's status as a free agent would also guarantee Seattle security at first base for years if it signed him. The power potential of him and Luke Raley as the first baseman/designated hitter combo is also incredibly enticing.
But again, this is all contingent on whether or not the Mariners are willing to pay.
Alonso is reportedly seeking a deal worth over $200 million according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
If Seattle were to acquiesce to Alonso's reported price, he would be one of the few players in franchise history to earn that amount. Two other examples of players who earned that total from the Mariners are Julio Rodriguez and Robinson Cano.
3. Alex Bregman, third baseman (free agent)
Current team: Houston Astros
Outlook: Seattle fans probably aren't to keen on having an Astro on the roster. Much less one that was on the 2018 World Series squad that received sanctions from the MLB for an infamous cheating scandal.
But beggars can't be choosers. And Bregman would be a significant upgrade at third base over the team's current options.
Bregman hit .260 this year with 26 home runs and 75 RBIs. He's hit at least 25 homers in four out of nine professional seasons, 30 home runs twice and 40 home runs once. He's a career .270 hitter and has a career OPS flirting with .850.
The one issue? Scott Boras. Bregman's agent, Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh's agent and Alonso's agent.
Boras is famous (or infamous depending on who you ask) for getting his clients big money on the market.
Bregman has a market value of four years, $119.86 million according to Spotrac. Boras being at the table will likely inflate that amount.
But Bregman will amost definitely be cheaper than Alonso.
If the Mariners can sign Bregman, that leaves more funds available to re-sign Justin Turner. If the team does that, they would have third base solved. It would also allow the team to continue the successful first base platoon of Turner/Luke Raley that they utilized in the second half of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
Willy Adames, shortstop/second baseman (free agent)
Justin Turner, first baseman/designated hitter (free agent)
Triston Casas, first baseman (trade)
Christian Walker, first baseman (free agent)
Ha-Seong Kim, shortstop/second baseman (mutual option)
Brandon Lowe, second baseman (club option)
Gleyber Torres, second baseman (free agent)
Gio Urshela, third baseman (free agent)
Final words
Bregman and Alonso are the two most unlikely candidates of the top three mentioned, strickly because of their cost. But there's also benefits to both. Signing Bregman would give Seattle the flexibility to go after another low-cost free agent to potentially fill in at second or first.
Alonso would likely be an immediate fan favorite and could elevate the offense a ton in a clean-up role behind Victor Robles, Rodriguez and Raleigh in the lineup.
But in past years, the Mariners have favored trades a lot more than going after free agents. That makes Diaz the most likely target out of the top three mentioned.
Diaz would provide a very similar role to what Turner did this past year. The two posted very similar numbers in 2024 in home runs, walks, strikeouts and OPS. But the biggest difference is batting average. Diaz hit at a .281 clip compared to Turner's .259.
Seattle has a lot of avenues to improve in the offseason. Now will they actually them? That's a big question.
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