Seattle Mariners Free Agency Preview: Shortstop

With less than a week remaining, we continue to chug along with our Mariners free agency preview. Today, we take a look at the possible options at shortstop.

Now, as with our third base preview, I don’t believe the Mariners are going to be in the market for a third baseman. Jean Segura is one of the better SS in the game and provides value both at the plate and in the field.

However, as good as Segura is, he plays even better at second base. The Mariners would have to be ballsy enough to move Segura to second and push Cano to first. Does that sound like the Mariners? No.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t be informed on what could be available this off-season. Let’s start right at the top of the market: Manny Machado. While most teams would prefer to play him at 3B, where he is exceptional, Machado has made it clear that any team interested in him will have to be as a shortstop.

Machado is going to get a massive contract, and at 26-years-old, it will be well deserved. The Mariners have almost no shot at getting into the bidding war, let alone winning it.

2 players that might actually make sense are Asdrubal Cabrera and Eduardo Escobar. While neither are actually full-time shortstops, both have some utility role value. Escobar is a decent defender and is coming off a .277/.333/.488 2018 season. A 30-year-old looking for his first big payday, Escobar is an interesting option, but a really expensive one.

Like Escobar, Cabrera has experience playing multiple positions and is coming off a nice offensive season. For the Mets and Phillies, Cabrera slashed .262/.316/.458 with 36 doubles and 24 home runs.

In terms of defense first shortstops, Alcides Escobar, Jose Iglesias, and Jordy Mercer are all solid options. Iglesias is perhaps the premier defensive shortstop in the league.

All in all, the shortstop class in 2018 is okay. But with Jean Segura entrenched at the position, it remains unlikely the Mariners will dip into this market.