After spending the past couple seasons primarily in rebuilding mode, the Mariners enter the 2021-22 offseason with heightened expectations. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has already spoken about looking to add to his roster on the heels of a 90-win season, specifically citing a desire to deepen his lineup and add an infielder. ESPN’s Buster Olney recently explored the manner in which the Mariners are a good fit for many of the top-ranked shortstops in this year’s free-agent market, where Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Javier Baez and Trevor Story will all be available. Corey Brock of The Athletic took a similar look at the Mariners’ offseason, speculating that Semien would be a strong fit for what the Mariners seek.
As one would expect, the increased expectations and early speculation have generated some buzz in Seattle — enough that 710 ESPN’s Mike Salk directly asked Dipoto about the possibility of adding a marquee shortstop the mix (Twitter link, with audio). While Dipoto spoke with an open-mind, however, he also gave a substantial vote of confidence to incumbent J.P. Crawford, who took home a 2020 Gold Glove Award at shortstop and had a fine all-around season in 2021.
“One of the key elements is we have a shortstop that we love,” Dipoto said in reference to Crawford. “J.P. is our shortstop, and we feel like he is an anchor on our infield and an emotional leader for our team. So, one of the things that’s important to us is finding a player who is adaptable and willing to move around the field and maybe get a little uncomfortable.”
Interestingly, Dipoto specifically mentioned both Baez and Semien when pointing out that some of the offseason shortstop crop has done that throughout their careers already. Baez played plenty of second and third early in his career and recently slid back to second base for the final two months of the season in Queens, where Francisco Lindor was entrenched at shortstop. Semien played multiple positions early in his career before settling in as the Athletics’ primary shortstop. He shifted to second base in a full-time capacity this season and posted elite defensive marks as shortstop Bo Bichette’s double-play partner.
It’s a bit unusual to see a top-ranking baseball operations executive name-check any free agents in this manner, although Dipoto’s comments still hardly guarantee that either Semien or Baez will land in Seattle (or that the Mariners will aggressively pursue either player). Similarly, his mention of Baez and Semien doesn’t preclude the M’s from pursuing one of the market’s other high-end shortstops (Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story). And if the Mariners are indeed looking for versatile fielders willing to play a variety of positions, the market has two quality hitters well known for their defensive versatility: old friend Chris Taylor and longtime Cubs star Kris Bryant.
Dipoto calls “that kind of selflessness” a “big deal” for the Mariners as they parse the offseason free-agent market. Another key element for the Mariners will be players with postseason experience, per Dipoto, who plainly acknowledges that to be an element he’ll seek as he looks to augment his young core with veterans. “We know where we want to go, and the more we can add players who’ve been there, the better off we are,” he said.
The Mariners have some option decisions looming — most notably a $20MM club option on Kyle Seager and a $13MM player option for Yusei Kikuchi — but at present they project to have just shy of $60MM on the books. Regardless of what happens with Kikuchi and their longtime third baseman, Seager, the Mariners will be miles shy of their franchise-record $157.9MM payroll. It’s not reasonable to assume a full-throttle sprint back up to or even beyond that record level, but the Mariners also ought to have the payroll capacity to approach the offseason with a wide-open slate of possibilities.
24TheKid
Need to get two of the big names, otherwise the offseason is a disappointment. No need to trade assets for someone like Ramirez with all of the money they’ve saved past three years.
DarkSide830
they’re just finishing up with the rebuild. you dont need to complete one with a bang. Heck, the Pads made sevaral last offseason and finished farther from the playoffs than the M’s did.
bbatardo
Padres issue wasn’t just signing high priced free agents, but trading talent and depth for higher priced players
DarkSide830
its the big move in general. they dispensed more to make such moves, but the point being they fell short.
seamaholic 2
Money is not free. There is opportunity cost to it. So signing a free agent to a huge contract might seem like a far better option than trading from a stacked farm for a good major leaguer who’s still cheap, actually that’s only because you’d be ignoring part of the equation. Namely, you could be using that money on another player (remember, the M’s have a lot of space now, but also a lot of guys that are going to get expensive soon). So the tradeoff is not getting a guy for “just” money vs prospects, it’s getting two good players instead of just one for the same money, at the cost of prospects they can afford to lose.
Basically, any team with a farm as deep as the Mariners’ should be trading from it for cheap major league talent, AND signing short-term free agents.
24TheKid
Sorry, but not interested in trading one or a few of Marte, Hancock, Kirby or Brash for a player that they could get similar production to in free agency.
hoof hearted
Would you trade 2 top prospects + 2 other toolsy ones for…….Soto?
24TheKid
I’d trade Kelenic and Rodriguez for Soto buddy. This isn’t prospect hugging, this is trying to best utilize your assets.
whiskeyted
Soto is worth 4 of our top 10. I feel like anyone other than marte or Rodriguez would be up for grabs. We are ready to win now.
BuddyBoy
I would trade Hancock in the right deal. They won’t trade the top four guys though
BuddyBoy
I wouldn’t do that deal.
FOmeOLS
Kellenic hasn’t proven himself yet. I doubt he has as much trade value as he should.
Fred Park
True, Kelenic hasn’t proven himself yet. He did take a long time to get going. But with his performance at the end of the season, I felt that he will be fine from now on.
That’s not too common, but not alarming either.
Dipoto will keep Kelenic. You can take that to the bank.
PNW-JWS
seamaholic2 begins with: “Money isn’t free” and another wise one bestowed “Kelenic is already making fans forget about Ken Griffen, Jr”…
The wisdom espoused is incomprehensible! Though, me thinks he’s another type of ‘aholic. And the other sage thinks great players are easily forgotten. To that wise one….”SQUIRREL!!!”
1984wasntamanual
How many do you consider to be, “big names”? That seems like a pretty lofty expectation to set.
24TheKid
Bryant, Semien, Baez, Correa, Seager, Story, Marte and Taylor. They’re not all at the same level, but are clear upgrades over what the Mariners had in 2021.
BuddyBoy
Story is not someone I would want to sign personally.
1984wasntamanual
So you will consider it a disappointment if the M’s don’t sign 1/4 of the big name free agents this offseason? That seems pretty unrealistic, but to each their own. Hopefully they do improve this offseason, it’d be nice to see them get into the playoffs next year.
24TheKid
Yes, it’s time to stop having low expectations with this organization.
ayrbhoy
In addition to raising expectations you also have to ask the people who are doubting the strategy behind your comment- are the M’s one top FA/trade target away from competing in OCT or are they 2 impact players away? IMO the answer is neither! Haha…..the team needs 3 or more impact players if it wants to get past a WC game.
You’re removing Seager’s run production from the lineup- Seags may have had a low BA but he hit well w RISP and slugged (forget exact number) around 35 HR’s and 100RBI. That type of production will cost a lot of money or prospect value.
Fred Park
Hello, ayrbhoy, long time no see.
Good comment, as usual.
Stevil
It’s a 2-way street; the player has to want to come to Seattle.
Obviously free agency would be the preferred route (and I would add Seiya Suzuki to the board), but there might be a scenario where they could absorb a bad contract along with a solid player/star for mid-tier prospects in a trade.
FOmeOLS
Who wouldn’t want to go to Seattle? One of the loveliest cities in the country and a world-class opera house.
Tony Carbone
And only 30 miles from Frisco Freeze!
hennigplex
If you call walking in trash and feces a lovely city, that’s on you bud
Mi Casas es tu Casas
Seattle is near the top of the list of cities I will always avoid. Anybody who cares about personal safety and crime would avoid Seattle.
SodoMojo90
I work downtown and have never walked in feces so I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Stay in whatever $h!t city youre in and have fun
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
That’s awesome. Let’s besmirch a city we know absolutely nothing about! Glad you won’t be visiting Seattle bozo.
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Haha! Yes please stay far away from anywhere enlightened and keep listening to Tucker Carlson, please try switching to light beer though you sound frazzled.
Benjamin560
Well I just came up for a visit and was too afraid to get out of the car. Downtown looks like hobo central.
BuddyBoy
Why do we need names? How about good players being the goal, regardless of whether a big name. Some players are better fits than huge deal FA’s but may be via trade. I would absolutely trade for Ramirez as long as it didn’t include any of the top four prospects in our system.
1984wasntamanual
Well yeah, and it’d be great to sign Correa to a 10 year contract for 100m, but neither are happening.
Benjamin560
At no point in any part of Dipoto’s tenure has he come out publicly and said that the Mariners going to spend “big” in the offseason. He said that Seattle would be competitive in 2021 and we nearly missed the playoffs with a terrible offense. Seattle is where the Blue Jays, White Sox, and Padres were a year ago. This team’s window of contention is just beginning to open. The time to add significant players to contribute is now. We have a ton of cap space with a loaded farm system with which to augment the ball club. Its going to be a great offseason of free agency.
DarkSide830
tell me you miss Chris Taylor without telling me you miss Chris Taylor
Al Wasser
Zach Lee.
DarkSide830
why hasnt he tried to go to college and be a QB again? he’s not getting anywhere as a pitcher.
gcg27
He’s going to remain with the Dodgers.. especially if they somehow get past the Braves
HalosHeavenJJ
Seattle is in a good spot right now. Some nice young pieces, a really nice farm system, and a lot of payroll flexibility. In a division that should be opening up as Houston and Oakland are likely to lose more talent and the Angels are horribly mismanaged.
Samuel
Dipoto is a Preller clone (or visa versa).
They lead the league in roster churning. And today he’s in the position Preller was in 2-3 years ago, where the Padres roster and farm system looked grand. Can’t miss! He’ll be the darling of Fangraphs projections and all the other analytic sites…….that are always so far off base one would think someone would point it out and write a book……which would be the best-selling baseball book since ‘Moneyball’.
Dipotos’ moves are obviously brilliant, flashy, sexy, etc. (look how he stole young Jarred Kelenic from the Mets…..Mariner fans are already forgetting Ken Griffy, Jr.). Funny, I didn’t see the same enthusiasm for what the Rays have been doing the past 3 years….or what Chiam Bloom did with the Red Sox the last 2 years. And of course how could the Braves possibly win without that cheap ownership giving them more money….to say nothing about how failed a prospect that Austin Riley guy turned out to be.
Yes, a Padres / Mariners WS is right around the corner. Just hold your collective breath.
dshires4
You say a lot of words to write nothing of substance.
Phanatic 2022
He voted himself
Rsox
I don’t think Jarred Kelenic on the best day he’s ever had would make his own mother forget about Ken Griffey Jr., let alone the Mariners fan base
compassrose
Sammy Sammy Sammy just another bitter Angels fan that can’t face the reality that your worst enemy is Arte. If you think that old man is going to change I don’t know go to the beach and stare at the sunset. Maybe you will see an Angel cloud formation and give you a vision that the team will be good in a year or two. I give the cloud formation a bigger chance than a meddling owner. Have seen way to many in my life to think they will change.
Why does everybody talk about us getting a SS? Crawford is about as good as any out there and the value of his contract far outweighs what a Seager etc would cost. They could bring Taylor back and see if he can keep up the hitting he has since leaving. He was a ho hum guy when he left not sure if things just clicked or a new coach helped or what. Would be good to have him back with a new pitcher to be a real #1.
gcg27
The Angels are in a no win situation.. way too many big salary long term players none being pitching and no way to fill out the staff.. they are doomed.. Trading Trout might be their best option since after signing other long term contracts they now can’t move if they wanted to.. negative value
Samuel
@ compassrose;
Newsflash – I’m NOT an Angels fan. When I lived in LA I was a huge Dodger fan.
I like following MLB. I like watching FO’s build teams. I like to watch teams develop and play team baseball – doing what’s necessary to win. I love watching High IQ baseball players make split second decisions on the field that turns games in their teams favor.
Don’t be so shallow as to pigeonhole a person into being a fan of a team and then stereotype him/her as you put words in his/her’s mouth. Not everyone is as thin-skinned and reactionary as you are.
If you insist on passing judgment on people in sports – look at their track records. No one’s perfect. MLB champions don’t win 162 games and sweep the playoffs. As Dayton Moore says: All teams have weaknesses. Look for those that produce. Taking a team from garbage to a bit over .500 is the easy part. Taking them to be legit contenders for a division title and subsequently to get to the WS is hard.
Baseballbean
I wouldn’t say his moves are brilliant. Losing Lopez,Peralta,Taylor,and O’Neill are not “brilliant” moves sure they got Marco Gonzalez for O’Neill but they wouldn’t need him if they had the other pitchers he traded away for nothing. They would definitely be in the playoffs right now if they had those players.
(This isn’t addressed to Sam it’s to all the delusional Dipoto stans)
bcs19469
Lopez and Peralta were far off long shots traded for immediate help as Dipoto was forced into a go fo it mentality his first 3 years. Taylor was an old prospect dealt for a high end reclamation project that didn’t work. He just completely rebuilt himself post trade. It was a bad trade in hindsight and that happens. I would argue the Marco trade is still a BIG win.
Pretty easy to cherry pick the bad trades and say we would make the playoffs without them. But would we have made the playoffs without Marco, JP, France, Kelenic, Haniger, Toro, Murphy, etc.? They were all also acquired through trade.
BuddyBoy
Revisionist history with no context
Fred Park
Most of this crop of commenters weren’t around when we had Taylor.
Yes, Chris did rebuild ;himself and that is extremely rare.
As I recall, Chris hooked up with a great teacher (can’t remember who) and they rebuilt his swing.
Baseballbean
@ bcs19469 Well you guys didn’t give away nothing for Mitch,Crawford, toro, and fraley. I’ll say that the Kelenic and TY France trades are steals. Taking advantage of a first time GM and giving him the his former clients contract is just genius. Getting Munoz,Tramell,France for Nola is great.
Do you not think you guys could win with Walker,Zunino,Marte,Graveman,Peralta,Lopez,Taylor,O’Neill,Diaz,Cortes? I won’t even mention segura because he was involved in the haniger trade as well he’s not playing SS anymore but he’s still a productive bat.
bradthebluefish
Just because Seattle churns over the roster as much as San Diego does, that does not mean that Dipoto is about to sign a bunch of players and miss out in the playoffs.
Samuel
@ HalosHeavenJJ;
The Angels way if doing baseball business is changing. You’d do well to watch.
vtadave
Yep all those brilliant pitching moves like Alex Cobb and Jose Quintana.
SodoMojo90
You mean they’re actually going to sign a pitcher?
SalaryCapMyth
@Sam. The only comparison you made between the Padres and Mariners is their farm system. I could almost get the idea from you that if you have a good farm system you WILL fail. None of us know that Dipoto is going to make the same mistakes as Preller.
Samuel
@ SalaryCapMyth;
1. I’m aware of Dipoto’s track record.
2. I’ve been watching MLB for over half a century. Teams that are sustainable contenders have a core of players that play together for years. Dipoto and Preller (among others) don’t keep players for years unless they’ve been given long-term contracts that they’re underperforming on, so no one will take them.
–
Contending teams also have veteran leaders that set examples on and off the field. I don’t see any veteran leaders on the Padres or Mariners that are paving the way for the younger players. I love the Tigers future. Avila is a real baseball man. He brought in Schoop and Grossman to join Miggy in setting the tone for how to play baseball at the ML level on and off the field, They do need a solid veteran starting pitcher – doesn’t need to be a star. Managers only have so much authority. A winning team needs leadership from among the players……as the players must police themselves.
Preller, Dipoto, Cashman and others have teams that are attractive to fantasy league players that don’t understand why it is they hit walls. They tend to attribute that to injuries, a bad set-up guy, a part-time position player, and/or a player they traded that did well elsewhere.
LordD99
Adaptable: Code language for seeking a player who can adapt to me not speaking to him for four years after I sign him.
bradthebluefish
Source?
TheGr8One
I believe his source is Seager. Those were his words, hasn’t spoken to Dipoto directly in four years.
Fred Park
Far too much has been made of this trivial thing.
Lots of the guys have had no direct contact with Jerry Dipoto.
Fairly normal.
Chester Copperpot
That’s absurd to start that rumor. Dipoto himself referred to talking with Kelenic a week or so ago, and even said Seager is misremembering because they’ve spoken in spring training. Who’s telling the truth? Who knows, but GMs talk to players ALL THE TIME.
You started this defense of Dipoto when Seager’s comments came out. It’s wholly untrue that It’s normal for GMs to not speak to players for 4 years.
BeforeMcCourt
So did he mention the FA by name, or only Crawford?
Mentioning your own player is hardly a big deal
Rsox
Well, its difficult to mention players by name since all are still technically under contract until after the World Series. To avoid the possibility of accusations of tampering, or simply just showing their hand he has to try to be as vague aa he can
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
“Deepening the lineup and adding an infielder”… you need an infielder to replace Seager first… so that better be one of the above mentioned players. Then you need to look at a real LF, C, and/or DH to help out this team over the top. They aren’t close by any margin if they don’t replace Kyle with a legit hitter and go out and get at least 2 more legit hitters. I’d be alright with J-Rod taking the LF role, just as long as the team goes and gets a real C and DH. Then you’ve got something. But also can’t forget a legitimate SP for the front of the rotation.
hoof hearted
Don’t need a DH.
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
Who is your DH then? Recognizing that you can’t bank on K-Lewis’s knee or Evan White’s hip, unless you still just want a rebuild season of growing pains. I’d love for both to be healthy, but when you miss that much time for significant injuries like that… bouncing back is closer to a pipe dream than reality. Especially if you want them to be true contributors. Being able to play at a high level and actually doing such isn’t easy when coming off bad injuries.
hoof hearted
They don’t have a regular “DH”.
Anyone Service is resting. Rotating position players in and out to give them kinda a day off.
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
France, Mitch, JP, Kelenic, Toro…
J-Rod and Semien?… assuming Semien signs here (pure hypothetical) and Julio wins a starting role out of spring training and doesn’t stumble majorly out of the gate. Who fills in then for the last rotating spot? Do you go with a 4 man outfield… 3 starters and 1 to play DH for the day? You can’t assume Lewis and White will be fully healthy AND productive, if you’re looking to actually compete. So who gets that last spot?
Selah Rick 2
Mitch Haniger says you can be injured for 2 years and hit 35 homers and 100 rbi’s.
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
He missed 2 years… but also had a legit track record of success before his injuries. Lewis and White don’t have that track record, especially as White was having a hard time hitting big league pitching and Lewis’s only season was the shortened Covid Season. Pitting your hopes on their health and productivity isn’t wise… not if you truly want to compete right now. I’m not saying it can’t work… but you need a little more security.
Selah Rick 2
White won’t be in the opening day lineup. And JD has said as of today there not considering Lewis as a everyday player either. He said whatever they get from Lewis they consider a bonus. France will probably be at 1st and Lewis if healthy will be 4th outfielder/ DH I think.
BuddyBoy
Kyle isn’t a legit hitter himself. Took a career high in home runs to offset his average and OBP. Even then he was exactly league average if you look at the numbers. Left field should be Kelenic when it all shakes out and why add a catcher unless you’re talking about a one year guy. Raleigh will be just fine with more experience. No need to add a DH when you’ll need that spot to rotate guys thru.
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
Kyle’s not a legitimate hitter??? Throw your nerdy baseball stats all over the board, you don’t just stumble on 35 HR’s and 100 RBI’s. His OBP and BA were down, without argument, but so was number around the league. The shift implementation seriously hurt his BA and OBP. But to say he’s not a legitimate hitter is just ridiculous. A high caliber 3rd baseman who delivered a huge amount of run production for this team this season, not to mention his impact in the clubhouse was valued way more than most would know. You can’t ignore he’ll be missed and without properly replacing him you’re even further from contention. Suggesting otherwise leaves no more room for such having this discussion as it would be a waste of time.
ksmurray
Dipoto doesn’t need to trade from the minors for ML talents. He just needs to be open to it. And he will be. I think that depends on what he hears early on from other GMs about willingness to come to Seattle and as Dipoto stated, their willingness to play another position (especially with the FA SSs.).
Benjamin560
100% spot on!
whiskeyted
If dipoto can sell Seattle and our last season plays a part, players will sign with the Mariners. There’s gonna be alot of movement this offseason. I’m excited
Fred Park
Sure.
All those things are no doubt involved.
The article uses a big word, “prioritizing”, but every front office knows right away which player they will try hardest for, and then failing t hat who else, and on down the line.
And front offices consider stats as well as what they have seen and heard about the individual players.
No need to make it sound more mysterious and “deep” than it is.
The word “analytics” ;just came into vogue a short while ago.
Do we believe guys like George Steinbrenner didn’t analyze things the best they could?
Sure they did.
Old forest
I hope the m’s make some big splash decisions this off season, this team was exciting but not dominant. Every game could have gone either way. None the less I am excited to see the next 12 months of them. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the “top prospects” moved. With such a deep farm system I feel that moving a couple guys for proven talent is very reasonable and one of the reasons for building a deep organization. Just my opinion.
I personally would love see Kris Bryant in Seattle, he fits the bizarre situation the Mariners have in the infield and outfield (where does Ty France play?) (where does toro play?) (when does Julio come up?) and he is a big time player that sends a firm message to the fan base.
misterlol
Lol
Mystery Team
I think Crawford is their SS for sure and signing one of the big name guys on the market would be silly. He proved this season that he’s getting better he just needed playing time. Too many teams give up on guys way too soon. Pitching, pitching, and pitching is what they should concentrate on if they’re gonna spend big they should do it on arms. Teams that listen to their fans are teams that don’t win. Let’s be honest here now that the season is over does anyone actually still believe that the Blue Jays needed to sign George Springer? I’m thinking maybe more pitching is what that team truly needed and I bet that if they could do it all over they’d steer clear of Springer and would have concentrated on pitching.
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
What’s wrong with signing one of those top SS’s then moving them to 2nd or 3rd base? JP isn’t going anywhere. If the new signings are ok with shifting over… why not go get them?
craigin805
The best teams find players on the fringes, develop their minor league system, then use free agency to get them over the top.. If i were a Mariner fan, I’d want to see them win 90 games two years in a row before dipping into big name free agents.
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
I agree on wanting to see 2 90 win seasons. With a negative run differential, you have to question the validity of their record straight up. Always multiple variables.
Johnnymarty95
I don’t think the M’s are ready to start trading away the farm system. It’s better if they sign a couple of veteran short term players that could bridge the gap for the top prospects. Who knows, maybe Seattle can revitalize the careers of a couple of veteran players and then lock them up on bargain type extensions. Then they’ll just keep the farm system to trade for MVP caliber guys.
Vizionaire
diputo meant tradable pieces in 7-8 months.
rangers92
So basically they want Chris Taylor and possibly Kris Bryant
bullred
I don’t think Kyle Seager or Yusei Kikuchi are worth picking up their player options. I would instead take the 20 mil and add what I would need to get Semien and add a bit more and get a reliable pitcher.
houkenflouken
Player options mean the player gets to choose whether they come back. Team gets no choice. Seager has a team option, yusei has the player option
Tony Carbone
Edman would be a nice trade for.
Jon Gray, being a groundball pitcher would benefit from an Edman, JP duo up the middle.
Gray would not cost a ton allowing more money to be spent elsewhere plus Gonzales will benefit from having a tall righthanded power pitcher in front
of him.
He is a strikeout pitcher who doesn’t walk a ton.
The question is Gray a front of the rotation pitcher and if not now would be take a step forward with a good defense and favorable park behind him?
houkenflouken
I like that. Both good players to add
FOmeOLS
I don’t know what Seattle’s Pythagorean record was but they had a horrible negative run differential, so I wonder how lucky they were and what’s going to happen next season when Lady Luck smiles on some other team?
Sign Simien to play second, resign Seager and they need a pitcher.
Call Baltimore and trade for John Means.
And then sit back and laugh at Anaheim and Oakland and watch Houston try to replace the guys they’re losing.
houkenflouken
This 2021 Seattle roster probably would win 90 games 5/100 times tbh. Plus, we had a pretty even run differential ever since that padres series in May or so. We def need to add some high level talent, not 1-2 WAR type players.
BabyBoyBlueDiamond
They’re not resigning Seager, so that suggestion is void. They benefitted from a very talented bullpen that kept them in close games. Their run differential was bad due to the times the starters got shelled. They didn’t score as many runs… just enough to stay relevant in most games. They were used to close games and gained much needed experience and grit to handle it later down the line. Now it is time to significantly improve. Not doing so will send them back to the gutter.
SodoMojo90
If they’re looking for adaptable, my guess is that they will be talking with Marcus Semien and Javier Baez. Semien would look great in the lineup. I can’t help but wonder if Baez just needs a change of scenery or if he’s on the downtrend
Dadbodfromseattle
Ms should go hard after susuki if he gets posted. Throw the boom at him. Remember last time we had a Suzuki here
UWM'sFan
Javier Baez isn’t worth the money he’ll be looking for. .307 career OBP, 104 career OPS+. 6:1 K to BB ratio – ew. Last thing a lineup that finished 3rd to last in OBP and 5th to last in K’s needs.
Sign Semien to play 2B. Trade for Jose Ramirez to play 3B. Add Michael Conforto for OF depth. Sign a TOR arm like Gausman, Ray, Rodon `to a short-term deal. Additions add about $60-$70 million. None are ultra long-term deals that hamstring the team’s ability to add future talent.
1. Marcus Semien 2B
2. Ty France 1B
3. Jose Ramirez 3B
4. Mitch Haniger RF
5. Michael Conforto LF
6. Kyle Lewis DH/OF rotation
7. Jarred Kelenic CF
8. Tom Murphy/Cal Raleigh C
9. JP Crawford SS
Selah Rick 2
Love it!
Benjamin560
Seattle will not be trading for J. Ramirez! You can bank on that. They WILL BE going hard after Marcus Semien and Trevor Story. FACT! Other than that, the rest of your idea is sound.
trussell
FA sign Semien and Ray then go for depth and skills but not a $$$. I’m all for spending but don’t want to blow the bank in one offseason. I also like trading for C Willson Contreras who can also be a depth piece for OF. I’d like to see $ spent in players like Contreras who can fill immediate needs but don’t break the bank plus we wouldn’t be stuck with him for 7 years. He can help mentor Cal who needs more time to develop. Of course if Contreras plays C that takes AB away from Cal. We can trade Cal now, too, but it would be nice to give him more time, too. He could also go back down to AAA which seemed to help Kelenic