Free agent Nick Swisher/Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE

In an off season that is more vital than in years past, none of the free agent first basemen make sense in the Seattle Mariners future plans.

There is a number of reasons I reached this conclusion. Some are because of age, some due to money or a combination of both.

There is one name I’d like to see Jack Z. make a run at, but more for a outfield/DH option. That is Nick Swisher. He has the potential to be a de facto extra hitting coach for the young hitters in the lineup. His presence might help young hitters Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero refine their approach. Just having someone else to talk hitting and approach with, someone who has dug through slumps and learned from them might be a good change. The M’s clubhouse has been without that type of leader for a while.

Of course Swish could plug in at first to give Smoak or Montero an occasional day off.

Now onto some of the other big name free agent first basemen. That’s what the Hot Stove is all about, dreaming of big names.

Free agent first basemen Adam LaRoche/Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

Adam LaRoche is the player on the list who is most intriguing to me. He’s 32, so he should still have years of productivity left before he declines. There’s no good reason for the Mariners not to attempt to sign him, but I don’t see him making Safeco his launching pad, as a Mariner at least. He’s coming off a great year and will be sought after, so LaRoche will have some choices. I don’t see Seattle as number one in this race.

Carlos Pena could be had at a bargain price coming off a sub-par year for the Rays. His left-handed bat could help the M’s, but the question is if his best years are behind him. At the right price he might be worth a flier as a short-term solution, but I don’t see him as the bat to build this offense around anymore.

First baseman James Loney/Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

James Loney has not met his expectations he had coming up as a young Dodgers prospect. For someone who will be 29 shortly after opening day and seven years big league experience it is unlikely he will figure it out if he hasn’t done so yet. I’m not high on Loney and hope the Mariners pass on him.

Free agent Mike Napoli/Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

Mike Napoli is primarily a 1B and DH at this point in his career, but he could catch in a pinch if needed to. His power is awesome, but he is not a very well rounded hitter. His average–aside from 2011 when he hit .320–has been around the .240-.270 range. The discouraging and frustrating thing about Napoli is that he has struck out 450 times between 2009-’12, averaging 113 K’s per year in that span. Napoli knows AL West pitching, spending his first five years in a Halos uniform before spending the last two years with Texas. Napoli could plug in well to the Mariners lineup, however I see little chance of the Mariners landing him.

Beyond the first baseman listed, I don’t see any fits for the Mariners roster. What do you think?

Of course there are other options aside from free agency. Next week I will take a look at some first base trade options–realistic and otherwise–that the Mariners could pursue this off season.

Some may see my views as being a little bold, so please feel free to debate in the comments and share your thoughts.

Here’s five things to consider.

1. Safeco Field is a pitchers park. This is unlikely to change by moving in the fences next season. According to MLBTradeRumors.com’s Non-Tender Candidate series, Hochevar had a 43.6% ground ball rate in 2012. He struck out a league average 6.9 K/9 IP, while averaging 3.0 BB/9 IP.
2. This would allow the Mariners to protect their investment in the “Big Three”, considering Paxton is not traded and how much credence there is in the trade rumors linking him to the Royals. As fans we should hope not to have Kerry Wood or Mark Prior type injuries to the young core. If they flame out because they can’t get big league hitters out that would be better than never knowing because of injury. Just my thinking.
3. As a non-tender candidate, Hochevar would come cheap with the possibility of a high reward. No one figured in 1996 that Jamie Moyer would be such a good pick up. In recent history, Oliver Perez was seen as an experiment. He paid off in the M’s bullpen in 2012. My suggestion, pick up Hochevar at a one year incentive laden deal with a 2014 option. If he doesn’t work out then the M’s wouldn’t be out much if they decided to later trade him or designate him for assignment.
4. As pointed out in the comments to my Letter to Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik , Jason Vargas home/road splits are a point of concern. Vargas is great at Safeco Field. He had good trade value at the deadline last year, but given his splits, will it remain what it was? I’m not necessarily saying Vargas should be traded, but if he could net a young bat with team control it would be worth into at least looking into.
5. Beyond the “Big Three” there are few pitching options in the organization for the rotation barring a free agent signing and/or trade. The outfield depth could be used as trade options, but the tradability and major league talent of some of them are questionable at best without depleting the outfield for 2013 and beyond.

I’m a hometown fan, but not a disillusioned “homer”. The Mariners are more than a year off from contending again. The “rebuilding by spending” has been tried and failed. Now let the kids develop on the farm and sign some stop gap help for a year before rushing the arms to Seattle.

I welcome your thoughts and comments. What do you think?

Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

The best Free Agent available still is Wilson Betemit, and while he can hit,  he is pretty much the worst defensive third baseman in baseball. All the other options available via free agency aren’t really an upgrade over the Chone Figgins/Kyle Seager duo the M’s currently have.

That means that in order to upgrade the position, the Jack Zdurencik will have to engineer a trade. The best available player, Pablo Sandoval, is no longer available since he finally received a contract extension from the Giants. After that there is no obvious player available. Zdurencik is going to have to pull off a completely unexpected trade similar to his acquisition of Brendan Ryan a year ago.

So after digging through the rosters of almost every single major league team, I think I’ve found a player that Zdurencik could target that would make me happy to have on the Mariners. The player I’m referring to Daniel Murphy of the Mets. The Mets have been struggling to find Murphy playing time because he’s trapped behind David Wright, having to play him in the outfield at times just to get him at bats. The Mets also really need pitching, so the M’s have what it takes to get this deal done, but it will take a lot to pry him away from the Mets.

At 27, Murphy is young to continue improving. In 2011, Murphy posted a .350 wOBA and  and 124 wRC+ so clearly he can hit. On the defensive side, he’s plenty good enough, posting positive UZR values at 1B, 2B and 3B. His UZR/150 at third was 6.3, but there’s a small sample size warning there.

In my mind, Murphy is one of the truly good young players at the position in all a baseball. Obtaining him wont be cheap. What type of package would it take? I’m not sure. Kyle Seager would almost certainly be in any package. A Short stop like Carlos Triunfel might also be enticing, but the true lure of a deal here would have to be MLB ready pitching. Jason Vargas could be dangled out there, and possible a young pitcher like Hector Noesi, Charlie Furbush, Erasmo Ramirez or Forrest Snow.