Under-The-Radar Options For The 2014 Mariners

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

1. OF/1B Scott Van Slyke

The Dodgers are looking to trade an outfielder, as they currently have  four (or in my opinion five) starting-caliber outfielders on their roster for only three spots. Andre Ethier seems to be the guy most believe will be moved, as he is a good enough player to entice a team in need of a corner outfielder, but he isn’t as good as Matt Kemp or Yasiel Puig, and his contract is a little unsightly. So unfortunately, this is one of those rare times when a team may choose to trade a better player over the worse one. Spoiled Dodgers.

What that means is that my target, Scott Van Slyke, may not be a likely candidate to move. The Dodgers may choose to move the more expensive, better player, and keep the cheap, versatile 4th outfielder. But let’s discuss “SVS” anyway.

Van Slyke has been up and down for his career, bouncing between the minors and majors based on what LA needed. But last year, after dominating in Triple-A to the tune of a 192 wRC+, he earned a full time roster spot as a bench bat both in the corner outfield and at first base.

In 152 plate appearances at the big league level, Van Slyke produced an impressive .240/.342/.465 line with a 129 WRC+ and 7 home runs ( a 27 homer pace over 600 plate appearances).

His batting average may not seem too appealing, but I think we are advanced enough to look beyond that, and see that he gets on base at a great clip, thanks to his 13.2% walk rate, and has a fair amount of pop.

If the Dodgers would be willing to move Van Slyke (likely in addition to Ethier or Matt Kemp) then he is someone the M’s should target. He would probably come cheap, maybe Erasmo Ramirez as the headliner, but could potentially be a 2+ win player in right or left field.

Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

C Dioner Navarro

Navarro had a sneaky good year for the Cubs, but people probably have no idea. He picked up 266 plate appearances, and posted a .300/.365/.492 line with a career high 13 home runs. That is by far the best offensive performance of his career, so there is a good chance he never comes close to it again. His 136 wRC+ was 53 points higher than his career 83 mark, another red flag.

But there is something that suggests he can contribute going forward, yet maybe not to the same extent. Navarro has a career 108 wRC+ against left handed pitching, and posted a 208 against them last year. That is absolutely amazing for the record, even though it won’t happen again.

The Mariners need another catcher to backup Mike Zunino, or even better knock him down to Triple-A for a little while longer. And even if Zunino gets most of the time, if Navarro is even a shell of himself against lefties this year, he could probably be a platoon option at first base or DH. Best of all, Navarro will likely come cheap, and considering he plays average defense at catcher, doesn’t need to hit amazingly well to be of value.

Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

OF/2B Kelly Johnson

Johnson was one of the better 2nd basemen in the league in 2o1o, posting a 5.4 WAR. Since then, he has slowly lost playing time, and his role has changed. Instead of being a full time 2nd baseman, he has slowly been converted to an outfielder and/or utility player off the bench. And it makes sense.

Johnson was terrible at the plate following the 5.4 WAR season (93 and 85 wRC+), but had a slight uptick in production last year. The Rays acquired him, and used him mainly as a platoon left fielder. He had 408 innings in left field, 118 innings at 3rd base, and 135 innings at 2nd base.

In that time, he posted a 101 wRC+ and 1.2 WAR over 407 plate appearances. Not great obviously, but the M’s need upgrades anywhere they can. Johnson’s ability to play three or more positions, while hitting near league average would be very valuable off the bench or in a part time role. If a player who mashes lefties can be brought in, Johnson would serve as the other side of that platoon, and would serve as insurance if Dustin Ackley and/or Nick Franklin bomb again.

Honorable Mentions:

1B/OF Garrett Jones
OF Franklin Gutierrez
1B/DH Corey Hart (discussed a little to often to be talked about in this list)

Any number of these players, or others like them, would be smart acquisitions for a team that lacks quality players at multiple positions. Ellsbury or Napoli would be nice, but those two alone won’t get it done.

But, if combined with a few smart undervalued players could get the Mariners close.