Mariners Need OF Help, Ben Gamel Out 4-6 weeks

The good news train keeps rolling out of Seattle Mariners camp. Today, it was announced that Ben Gamel has an oblique strain and will be out 4-6 weeks. What can the Mariners do to help replace him?

Not Ichiro. No thanks. The former Mariners legend isn’t good anymore. Please stop with this ridiculous non-sense. Winning in 2018 is more important than pretending it’s still 2001. Let’s move on to names who can actually help you.

The Mariners need for a OF stretches beyond the Ben Gamel injury. Mitch Haniger appears to be on the way back from a hand injury, but has yet to begin BP. Guillermo Heredia has finally seen game action at the plate, but still has not played in the field, and should not be given a full workload in his current status.

This leaves Seattle with one healthy big league outfielder on its roster: second baseman Dee Gordon. Yeah, I said that right. The only healthy outfielder for this team is the one who has never played the outfield in a Major League game. Yippee.

The number of possibilities has shrunk in recent days, but there are several intriguing options remaining.

Who makes the most sense for the Mariners? Can they find that player for a reasonable price? Lets look at some of the options.

Jose Bautista

A big argument I am seeing for the Mariners signing Ichiro is that it would be fun. After all, most don’t think the Mariners are going to win in 2018, so why not be fun. If that is your actual argument, then why not kick it up a notch and sign the king of fun, Jose Bautista ?

After all, if you don’t care about winning, why not go for the brash style and long home runs of Bautista? He isn’t going to demand a multi-year deal. He would cost peanuts for the team to acquire. Why should Ichiro be an option, but Jose Bautista is a hard pass?

After all, Bautista is just a year removed from a season where he slashed .234/.366/.452 with 22 homers in 116 games. He still walks a lot, and actually graded out as straight average in RF in over 1200 innings in 2017 (don’t know how).

Yes he is old. So is Ichiro. Yes he isn’t that good anymore. Neither is Ichiro. Sure, with Ichiro you get to relive the teams glorious years of 1 playoff appearance in Ichiro’s 10 years. But with Jose Bautista, you might get more of this:

No, Jose Bautista doesn’t make a lot sense. But he makes just as much sense as Ichiro does.

A Few Trade Possibilities

Right now, there are but a few potential outfielders who are openly being shopped, and most of them seem to play for the Brewers.

The biggest name out of this group is likely Domingo Santana. Santana is an interesting player, and is coming off a fantastic 2017. He slashed .278/.371/.505 with 30 homers and 15 steals for the Brewers.

However, there are some massive warning signs surrounding the 25-year-old, chief among them is his career 31% K rate. Santana would also cost a pretty sizable trade package, and is a long-term player who could block Ben Gamel going forward. If the Mariners truly believe Ben Gamel is their “left fielder of the future” does it really make much sense to trade for Santana?

Another option from the Brewers might be Keon Broxton. Broxton has a major strike out problem too. In fact, his career 37.2% K rate is the worst in baseball. But, Broxton manage to go 20/20 in 2017, and has been a borderline elite centerfielder when healthy.

The 27-year-old does have 1 option remaining, so he makes more sense as a band-aid than Santana does, and at a significantly more palatable cost.

Finally, Eric Thames could make some sense too. He has a reasonable salary, provides left-handed pop to the lineup, plays both corner outfield and first base, and takes his fair share of walks. He isn’t an especially exciting player, and may just serve to block Gamel or Ryon Healy, and thus, isn’t a very likely option.

Next: Ian Miller Says He is Ready to Help Seattle

Other options will likely surface in the coming weeks. Colby Rasmus, Carlos Gonzales, and Michael Taylor might fit into what the Mariners want, and could all be available (or in Cargo’s case, is available) in a few weeks.

The Mariners have seen good things from youngsters Braden Bishop and Ian Miller, so perhaps the team can stay with its internal options. But one this is clear, the Mariners need Ben Gamel in 2018, and must find a way to survive until he comes back.