Seattle Mariners Still Looking to Find Upgrade at Third Base, Per Reports
The MLB Winter Meetings are approaching and will take place from Dec. 9-12 in Dallas. All 30 teams will have executives representing their respective organizations, and several deals will likely spawn from the discussions that take place.
And if Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto has his way, his organization will be one of the winners of the four-day event.
Dipoto has already said the club is looking to improve the infield and specifically mentioned looking for second and third basemen along with a first baseman to pair with Luke Raley.
Dipoto has also mentioned valuing a veteran presence in the locker room, leading to speculation that Seattle could reunite with Carlos Santana or Justin Turner to play first base and designated hitter.
If the Mariners were to sign Santana or Turner, that would lead them around $10-12 million to find a starter at second and third base.
Most of the best-available first and third basemen in free agency such as Pete Alonso, Christian Walker and Alex Bregman are estimated to earn more than $20 million a year on the open market.
This leaves Seattle likely to be looking to the trade market to find a starter. And a recent story from the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal seemed to indicate which position the team might prioritize and where they might be looking:
The Mariners also are looking to upgrade at third, believing they are positioned to handle second base internally with Dylan Moore, Ryan Bliss and — at some point next season — Cole Young, the 21st overall pick in the 2022 draft.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ Alec Bohm, an obvious target, faded after a monster April, batting only .258 with a .713 OPS. Teams view him as a good but not great player. Plus, Bohm stands to earn a projected $8.1 million in arbitration, with only one more year of club control remaining after that.
It makes sense why the Mariners would prioritize third base over second. As Rosenthal stated, Seattle has several players already on the roster that can fill in at second base. Moore is under the last year of his contract in 2025 and the team still has yet to see what Bliss can do in a full major league season.
The Mariners don't have anyone on the roster that played mainly third base in 2024. Luis Urias elected free agency in the first week of the offseason and the team non-tendered Josh Rojas on Nov. 22.
Young is Seattle's long-term solution at second base, per an article from MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. And it's understandable why the team would look to find a third baseman instead of adding another middle infielder that could create a logjam at second.
Bohm also works for any long-term plans the team has on the hot corner. Despite his lackluster second half of the season, Bohm was still an effective hitter overall. He registered a .280 batting average to go with 15 home runs and 97 RBIs. He's had at least 70 RBIs and 13 home runs for three consecutive years and hasn't had a batting average below .274 during that span.
Alec Bohm rings the bell and ties the game for the @Phillies! 🔔 pic.twitter.com/DIKRKEX7Uf
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2024
If Bohm maintains his form, he could earn a contract extension and the Mariners would have their third baseman of the future. If the club chooses to let him walk after 2026, they could call up Michael Arroyo or Colt Emerson to play the position. Both of whom would theoretically be ready for a call-up by that point.
It's not ideal that Seattle might be forced into a "one or the other" situation with finding a second or third baseman for 2025. But given the team's current roster construction, trading for Bohm might be the most reasonable and beneficial avenue to explore.
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