Sodo Mojo’s Seattle Mariners Q&A: Starting Pitching, Prospects and Healy

We are back for our third Sodo Mojo Seattle Mariners Q&A, and not surprisingly, pitching our on a lot of people’s minds. What else are people curios about? Lets answer some questions on this weeks Q&A!

We begin our column with questions about, what else, starting pitching. We got multiple questions about the rotation, and they all center around the same question: has Jerry Dipoto gone crazy?

Question 1

The simple answer is, no. I don’t really think Dipoto is confident in his starting rotation. Despite what many believe about him, Jerry Dipoto is not an idiot. He admitted as much in his press conference this week, acknowledging that the rotation could be better.

He knows his team needs more pitching, but does that mean he can get it? Remember, Dipoto does not set the budget. It is unlikely that the most aggressive GM in the game is choosing to sit on his hands when there are still gobs of help available to him at fair prices.

We see a trade market that is favoring buying teams, and Dipoto hasn’t made a trade in over 6 weeks. Does that sound like the Dipoto we know? Or does it sound like a handcuffed GM who is being told to wait and see?

A different question with the same theme. On the scale you described, I would say I am at about a 7.5 or 8. Do I think the rotation is good enough right now to make the playoffs? No. But the lineup and bullpen should both be good, and could keep them in contention until the July trading deadline.

The problem with this strategy is, what can the Mariners really give up get somebody in July? The farm system is barren, and buying in season is almost always harder than buying right now. The Mariners cannot afford to buy impact at the deadline, but they can afford to buy it right now.

Question 2

Ryon Healy has kind of been the forgotten man this off-season. Acquired before Dee Gordon and Shohei Ohtani came to town, Healy appears to be in the driver’s seat for the starting first base job in 2018.

Can he improve on the Mariners first base situation this season? Well, it would be rather difficult not to. Last season, the Mariners first baseman ranked dead last in all of baseball, posting an abominable .245/.313/.396 slash line while collecting a -.7 fWAR. Yes, the Mariners first baseman cost them almost an entire win in 2017.

Now, back to Healy. Can he replicate his 2017 numbers? Absolutely. Healy is very familiar with the American League West, having played with Oakland the past 2 seasons. While Safeco isn’t a hitters paradise, it is a substantial upgrade to the cavernous O.CO Colosseum (or whatever they call it these days).

Healy’s impact on the lineup will come from his tremendous right-handed power. He will likely hit 6th behind Seager most days, but could hit second against LHP. Healy should help the Mariners against southpaw, as he hit .314/.347/.526 against them.

Healy needs to take more walks, but also does not strikeout as much as most power hitters, which leads me to believe he should be able to maintain his .270 BA from last season. His defense at 3B was atrocious last season, which hurt his overall value.

Even if Healy just repeats his 0.2 fWAR season of a year ago, that will still represent a near full win more than the 2017 Mariners first baseman.

Question 3

Well, we will actually be releasing our Top 10 list in February, but as you may have guessed, Kyle Lewis is indeed atop the list. Without giving too much away, our Top 10 list consist of 5 OF, 2 1B, 2 pitchers and 1 corner infielder.

Sorry, but the final list will be out soon!

Question 4

The answer to question 1 is no. The answer to question 2 is no. Finally, the answer to number 3 is no. That is all….

Ok so more specifically, the Ichiro question was addressed last week, which you can read by clicking here. Long story short, no and thank the baseball gods for that.

Question 2 stems from a Dipoto quote where he said the Mariners rotation was on par with all but 4 AL teams from last season. Of course, those 4 team all happened to appear in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, but I digress.

When you look at the Mariners rotation in comparison with other non-playoff teams, it isn’t far off. The Rays and Blue Jays rotations are better right now. There are major questions around the Angels rotation, but it certainly has a higher upside than the Mariners.

If the Mariners ran their current projected starting 5 out for 162 starts, the claim might be true. But we no that is not going to happen. Jerry Dipoto has admitted as much. Which makes the question of why they aren’t adding the to their weakness all the more aggravating.

Finally, the answer to question 3 is a resounding no. In fact, I would argue the Mariners are in one of the worst spots to win a world series anytime soon. They are now right where they have been for most of their existence: right in the middle. And in sports, you either need to be rebuilding or going all in for a championship. The Mariners have opted for neither.

Next: 5 Trade Packages for Mariners Ace James Paxton

Thanks for all the questions guys! As always, we value your input and want you to be involved in our community. Keep the questions coming for next week, and as always, Go Mariners!