Our good friend Nav, asked if I could come up with 7 free agent position player targets for the Mariners this off season, also targeting 5 starters and 5 relief pitchers. This seems like a difficult task, so naturally I wanted to tackle it. Position players seems like the easiest, so I will start there. They way I look at it, we are weak at left field, right field, 1st base, catcher, short stop, and DH (I love Cruz, but he is not getting any younger.) I do not know anything about contracts, caps (if there are caps in baseball) or anything else money related, so I am opting to simply ignore this variable and just look at who I think could upgrade the Mariners.
C – Wilson Ramos – We still have Mike Zunnino, but we could use another hitting catcher, and it appears that Ramos could be our guy. Plus he is young (29) so we have probably not seen his ceiling yet.
RF – Josh Reddick – I love watching him fielding. Fast, and playing with almost a fearless act towards the ball. He also appears to be able to hit the ball from time to time.
LF – Ian Desmond – Upgrade to hitting, base-running, and defense. Maybe not the long answer to left field, but has anyone watched what we have put out there recently?
1B – Dae-ho Lee – I am unsure if this is cheating, but he is a free agent and I am not over Lee, yet. If nothing else can we move him down to AAA or bring him back to help getting Dan up to speed?
SS – Corey Seager – I read somewhere on the internet that Corey Seager is a free agent. We need someone who can actually play shortstop, as well as hit the ball. Corey fits this void nicely and will end up being the Free Agent MVP pick up of the year for the Mariners.
OF/1B/DH – Mark Trumbo – I liked Trumbo, and I would not be upset to see him come back. He could play 1st, right field (as a last resort) or pick up DH duties. I am not suggesting we drop Cruz, but we need some help with Cruz’s injuries.
CF – Dexter Fowler – He seems to get on base, 79 walks last year to go with his okay BA of .276. Nothing wrong with this. Maybe he could compete for the lead off hitter after an off season with Edgar Martinez?
Pitching is my weak point. Every time I say I like pitcher X, someone like BFS is quick to point out how stupid my opinion is, and how awful said pitcher is. I am still going to try.
SP – Rich Hill – I have watched a game or two where Rich Hill’s nasty curve ball destroyed the Mariners line up. I think he is my number 1 pick.
SP – Hisashi Iwakuma – We already have him, bring him back. He is no ace, but seems to stay consistent through out the years.
SP – Colby Lewis – Colby is getting old (37) but he appears to still have some arm left in him. Not a long term deal, but short term could help out.
SP – Doug Fister – Another pitcher I have heard of, and apparently once was a Mariner. He was not pleasant to go against as a Astro.
Closer – Mark Melancon – I do not know anything about this guy, except that his ERA was 1.65 in 71.1 innings last year. And he is a right hand pitcher.
I see only 5 relief pitchers still available in free agent. Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Mark Melancon, Santiago Casilla, and Daniel Hudson. I guess I am stuck with them, but the 1st 3 seem pretty solid. Hopefully I have not upset BFS too much.
Top Dawg™
SF is last