TEREN'S TAKE: Seattle Mariners Need to Commit To Farm System This Offseason — One Way Or Another
For the 22nd time in 23 seasons, the Seattle Mariners have missed the playoffs.
There's many reasons why the Pacific Northwest is missing out on October baseball: The (mostly) historically bad offense, the over complicated nature of former hitting coach's Brant Brown and Jarrett DeHart's instructions, the Mariners' inability to put out a consistent lineup for most of the season and Julio Rodriguez missing three weeks with injury are just a few.
But Seattle is now looking towards 2025 with the hope that this squad can finally get over the hump.
There's many different avenues the Mariners can explore in the offseason. Trades, free agents, you name it. Will they actually do that? Who knows?
But they should.
Even if Seattle doesn't go after some of the bigger names like Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman (I'm only omitting Juan Soto because the odds of them signing him are around the same as pigs flying), then it has to look at trying to acquire someone that offers a similar value. Maybe someone they almost brought in at this recent trade deadline.
The Mariners were reportedly one of the final two or three teams in the running to trade for Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz in the waning hours of the deadline on July 30 mere days after getting his teammate Randy Arozarena.
First base is still a position of need, and there's no reason barring not wanting to take on his salary ($10 million in 2025, according to Spotrac), that the team shouldn't make another run at trying to bring in the 2023 All-Star.
There's no definitive reports as to why Seattle ended up missing out on Diaz, but the assumption is that the asking price involved at least a few top-20 Mariners prospects, something Seattle wasn't willing to acquiesce to.
But therein lies the problem. If the Mariners aren't going to use their prospects to improve the roster via trade, then there has to be an opportunity to let them try and play on the major league roster.
On the surface, it might seem a bit unfair to the organization to start clamoring for more prospects to get a chance. After all, four pitchers of the best starting rotation in baseball were all drafted and developed by Seattle and Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh are both homegrown too.
But there's a couple more examples of some players not getting real opportunities.
When the Mariners traded Ty France in July, the assumption was that the keys to first base would be handed to Tyler Locklear. He was called up on July 23 after having a two-week stint with the team in June.
Locklear didn't play well. He struggled on defense and offense and was optioned back to Triple-A Tacoma on July 30. He batted .156 this year with two home runs and three RBIs in 45 at-bats. He wasn't officially dinged with an error, but there were several misplays at first base during his stint in July.
Seattle did have a successful platoon of Luke Raley and Justin Turner at first for the rest of the year. But Raley, coming off a a career season, is best used in a utility role at first base/designated hitter/fourth outfielder and Turner is about to enter his age-40 season and is a free agent. There needs to be a long-term answer at first. And Locklear didn't get a chance to play under hitting coach Edgar Martinez and Dan Wilson when they were hired on Aug. 22.
And the short looks weren't exclusive to just Locklear.
Ryan Bliss was another player that got stop-and-go appearances in the majors this season. Bliss played better than Locklear. Bliss batted .222 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 63 at-bats. He played 177 innings at second base and committed one error in 79 total chances and helped turn 14 double plays.
One to remember 🙌@ribliss2 just LAUNCHED his first big-league home run! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/yv85ZznguV
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 8, 2024
He also didn't get to play under Wilson and Martinez.
These are just two examples of top Seattle prospects not getting sustained time to learn and grow in the big leagues, and it's something that can't repeat in 2025.
If the Mariners decline Jorge Polanco's option, then there's a gaping hole at second base (something that's become common since Robinson Cano was traded in 2018). Cole Young, the team's No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is an option at second along with Bliss. And if the team does decline Polanco's option and won't commit to bringing in a difference-making bat to fill the position, then the reigns need to be handed to the prospects.
What CAN’T Cole Young do?? 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/cVdnIoPBWG
— Arkansas Travelers (@ARTravs) September 21, 2024
Normally, a team that's in contention for the playoffs and the World Series doesn't turn the keys to a critical position over to minor leaguers. But Seattle is stuck in no-man's land. They've missed the playoffs three out of four seasons despite posting four consecutive winning records. And if big name free agents and trade acquisitions are off the table, then there's only one option left.
"We have built the model on developing our own players," Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto said in a media scrum on Saturday. "Developing a young, sustainable roster. A lot of the young players you see here today are young, young players. But a lot of them are going to play in the big leagues a lot sooner than you think. Guys like (Lazaro Montes), Michael Arroyo and Colt Emerson who have had remarkable years. Guys like Harry Ford and Cole Young, Ryan Bliss, Tyler Locklear who are right on the doorstep. Logan Evans, I'd put Brandyn Garcia in that group. Our system has really filled a lot of our holes through the years.
"And it's been more noticeable on the pitching side than it has been on the position player side. But I think you have to start somewhere. And since Scott Hunter has become our scouting director, we've drafted, signed and developed more major league players than any other team in baseball. And that's the backbone of what we do and we won't change that."
And that's the point. Players he mentioned like Bliss, Young and Locklear need to be be let though the door and given a real sustainable shot at proving they can be answers. Ford, a catcher and another player Dipoto mentioned, is stuck in a no-win situation at the moment with Mitch Garver, the backup catcher, on the team for at least one more season and Raleigh due for a long-term (and likely big-money) extension. If the team can't move on from Garver in the offseason, and Ford has to be in the minor leagues for at least one more year, his status as a two-time All-Star Futures participant and a top prospect in baseball should be enough to net someone at first base like Diaz.
And keep in mind, so far all the positions I've talked about are second and first base. If the team non-tenders Josh Rojas and Luis Urias, that's another position that will need to be filled. And even if the team does bring one or both of them back in some capacity, an argument could be made the position needs to be improved anyway.
If Seattle is really so adverse to spending money on free agents, then the answer has to be the minor leagues. Either package some players and get somebody, or trust in their development and give them the option to contribute.
But if the Mariners decide to go through a repeat of this past season and just float these players in-between Triple-A and the majors — then it will be another wasted opportunity and the "best farm system in baseball" will be just that in name alone.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
MARINERS TOP PROSPECTS CONTINUE TO RACK UP HONORS: Seattle Mariners power-hitting prospect Lazaro Montes has had an eventful several days; receiving several honors from the team and the league. CLICK HERE
DIPOTO COMMENTS ON MARINERS PAYROLL: Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto spoke before Saturday's game against the Oakland Athletics about several factors going into the offseason, including the team's payroll flexibility. CLICK HERE
MARINERS CATCHER MAKES MLB HISTORY: Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh broke a franchise and an MLB record during the team's season finale against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday. CLICK HERE
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