Ohtani or Not, the Mariners Can Still Have Good Off-Season

As the Seattle Mariners and their fans hold their collective breath on Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani decision, an incorrect narrative appears to be taking place. Can the Mariners lose out on Ohtani and still win?

Perhaps, more specifically, can they do enough this off-season to make the playoffs in 2018? The answer is a resounding “yes”. Despite what some fans believe, the Mariners can still add impact talent to its roster.

Of course, the successful recruitment of Ohtani makes the off-season a slam dunk regardless of what else they do. After all, Ohtani gives the Mariners a potential Ace and an above average bat, and gives an aging team a new core to build around.

Adding Ohtani would also shift the focus of the older core built around Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager, to a group of younger players. This group includes Mitch Haniger, Jean Segura, James Paxton and Mike Zunino.

However; while no other player available is a potential “franchise changer”, the fact remains that the Mariners roster is closer than you might think. The offense is basically locked, with the exception of one OF spot.

This could allow the Mariners to spend big on its pitching staff. With big name starters like Yu Darvish, Alex Cobb, and Jake Arrieta still available, Seattle could still add an impact arm. Adding any of these 3 to Paxton, Hernandez, and Mike Leake gives Seattle a rock slid 1-4.

In addition, there are a plethora of talented bullpen arms available. Seattle will not be in the market for a “proven closer”. Instead, they can focus adding multiple quality arms like Bryan Shaw or Pat Neshek.

All these additions will cost money. With the exception of Yu Darvish, none of these moves would be considered “sexy”. We all want our teams to make the splashy move in the off-season. But more than that, we want them to win from April to October, not in November and December.

Major League GM’s should never put all their eggs in one basket. Jerry Dipoto is not an idiot, so he will have a Plan B and Plan C and so on.

Next: Shohei Ohtani, Seattle Mariners, Collision Course?

We are all hoping that Ohtani decides to make Seattle his home for the foreseeable future. But if he goes elsewhere, the Mariners season is not over. There are many routes the Mariners can take to compete in 2018. With all that being said, go get him Jerry. Bring Ohtani to the Pacific Northwest.