Seattle Mariners Reportedly Interested in Free Agent Third Baseman Yoan Moncada
The Seattle Mariners could be gearing up to make their first acquisition of the offseason, and an interesting name has recently come up as a possible signing for the team.
The Mariners still have needs at first, second and third base and recent comments made over the offseason by team owner/chairman John Stanton and General Manager Justin Hollander cast doubt on Seattle going after a big-name free agent or trade acquisition in the offseason.
The Mariners could be looking at a low-risk, high-reward option for third base instead.
Per a report from Francys Romero, Seattle, along with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, are among the clubs monitoring free agent and former Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada.
Romero is the same reporter that broke the news of the Mariners acquiring Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 25.
Sources: INF Yoan Moncada is generating interest in the free-agent market.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 13, 2024
More than five MLB teams are interested in Moncada. Among the teams that have monitored him are the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Mariners.
Moncada elected free agency on Nov. 1 after the White Sox declined his $25 million club option for 2025 on Oct. 31.
Since Aug. 27, 2022, Moncada has been on the injured list four separate times with a hamstring strain, back soreness, back inflammation and an adductor strain. That last injury kept him out for most of 2024 after playing just 12 games. He hit .275 with no home runs and no RBIs in his limited sample size before injury.
In 2023, Moncada played 92 games and batted .260 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Yoán Moncada leaves the yard! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/QOid5viGzD
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 12, 2023
Despite being riddled with a variety of ailments the past two years, Moncada makes a lot of sense for Seattle. He'll be cheap, most important of all. He has a market value of just one year, $1.5 million according to Spotrac.
It's hard to imagine Moncada isn't aware of the fact he won't earn the kind of money he was going to with Chicago. That could make it easier for Seattle to bring him to the Pacific Northwest without taking a big chunk out of the club's payroll. He received a $5 million buyout when his option was declined.
Moncada's injuries are a concern. But his switch-hitting ability would give the Mariners some lineup flexibility. Moncada could also be platooned at third with Josh Rojas, maximizing the offensive capability of the former while utilizing the Gold Glove caliber defense of the latter, while minimizing injury risk to the former White Sox slugger.
The last time Moncada played at least 140 games was in 2021. He hit .263 with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs that year. His best season came in 2019 where he batted .315 with 25 homers and 79 RBIs in 132 games played.
Bringing in Moncada essentially is a no-lose situation for Seattle. At worst, Moncada will be a cheap free agent signing that doesn't work out. At best, he could be a significant offensive upgrade to the position and could inject more power into a lineup that struggled during most of the year.
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