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.