Seattle Mariners: 5 “Budget Ballers” to Consider this Winter

Yes, the Seattle Mariners are going to spend this off-season trying to get better. But they won’t have unlimited funds to try and end their 17-year playoff drought. They’ll need to get creative.

Which brings us to today topic: undervalued players who could help the Mariners in 2019. This, in layman’s terms, is what a “budget baller” is. A player who is a rock-solid producer who, for one reason or another, will be drastically undervalued by the market.

Perhaps it is age, an injury, or a split/playtime issue, but these players can represent a value to the team who takes the risk. So without further ado, let’s get started with our first “budget baller”.

Kurt Suzuki

Mike Zunino will more than likely be the starting catcher for Seattle in 2019. But Seattle has never been able to find a backup who can not only relieve Zunino but push him for the starters job. The closest they have come is the 1-year they got from Carlos Ruiz. Enter Kurt Suzuki.

Suzuki is coming off his best 2 season stretch of his career, slashing .276/.341/.485 in 2017-2018, elite offensive numbers for a catcher. In addition, Suzuki is still a good athlete behind the plate and has been on a 28 home run per 162 game pace in that stretch.

Suzuki could very well be the 3rd best offensive catcher in free agency but has yet to generate any significant buzz. So what gives? First and foremost, he is well beyond his statistical prime. At 35-years-old, Suzuki is old for any position by MLB standards, and especially so for a catcher.

Second, the pitch framing metrics are no friend to Kurt Suzuki. He grades out as the 4th worst framer in all of baseball. In addition, he doesn’t have a rocket arm. But his athleticism shows up in blocking balls in the dirt. But with all the focus on pitch framing, Suzuki’s value may take a big hit.

Overall, what Suzuki lacks in defensive prowess, he more than makes up for at the plate. But in a position where everybody wants a defensive stalwart, Suzuki just doesn’t fit the mold. Therefore, Kurt Suzuki is a budget baller.

Steve Pearce

Little known fact about Steve Pearce: the guy can really hit. A career .257/.336/.447 hitter in 12 seasons with 7 teams, Pearce has really come onto the scene lately. In 2018, Pearce has hit .284/.378/.512 in just 251 PAs.

In his younger days, Pearce struggled to find a defensive home. He has logged 200 or more career innings at 1B, 2B, LF, RF, and DH. Now nearly a full-time first baseman, he plays the position well and can still cover a corner outfield spot on occasion.

Pearce missed most of May and June this year and will enter 2019 in his age-36 season. Traditionally a weakside platoon player ( facing LHP, roughly 30%-35% of the season AB’s), and his age may limit Pearce’s market, although a strong postseason has certainly helped.

For the Mariners, Pearce is likely to become the 1B or DH in a regular role. More of a #6 type of hitter against RHP, Pearce is a middle of the order force against LHP. Having a guy in the lineup or on the bench like Pearce would give the Mariners something they thought they had in Ryon Healy.

At 36, Pearce will most likely be looking at a 1-year deal, 2 at the very most. A short-term fix makes more sense for Seattle, who can charitably be described as at the end of their window. He isn’t a sexy name, but for the money, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better option.

Kendrys Morales

I can sense your snort of derision and I completely reject it. Kendrys Morales is a good hitter. He didn’t make sense as a first baseman and isn’t better than Nelson Cruz. But now, with Cruz possibly on the way out, the 35-year-old may make sense for the Mariners.

With only 1-year and $12 million left on his 3-year deal, Morales is a prime candidate for a rebuilding Toronto Blue Jays franchise. He is coming off a solid 2018 season, which saw him slash .249/.331/.438 with 21 home runs in 471 PAs.

The numbers are a bit misleading, as Morales really struggled in September. But from Jun 1st to August 31st, Morales slashed .286/.366/.538 in 61 games with a 39 home run pace in that time period.

The stretch also included a 51:31 K/BB ratio, a very “control the zone” type of line. In addition, Morales posted the same barrel percentage, 8.3%, was tied for 25th place with the likes of Justin Upton and Paul Goldschmidt. His average exit-velocity was tied for 14th with the likes of Mookie Betts and Christian Yelich.

Morales doesn’t strike out much and walks at an acceptable rate to plug into the middle of the lineup to feel good about his production. A switch-hitter, Morales has shown a minimal split vs handedness in his career, posting a .796 OPS against RHP and a .769 OPS against LHP.

Morales will be the costliest player to acquire (money-wise) but there is a decent chance the Jays may eat some salary. If that’s the case, the Mariners could get a potential cheap option to replace Nelson Cruz with a short-term deal.

Anibal Sanchez

As crazy as it is to say after watching Anibal Sanchez pitch for Detroit, the truth is that he was excellent in 2018. Sanchez went to the Braves and become a totally new pitcher. In 136.2 innings, Sanchez posted a 2.86 ERA, a 3.62 FIP, 135 strikeouts, and 42 walks.

Sanchez was a revelation who helped push the Braves timeline up a whole season, and now should be rewarded on the open market. The Mariners, like many teams, will certainly be in the market for this caliber of starter.

Sanchez will turn 35 in February and is likely searching for his final payday after pitching for $1 million in 2018. However, with his age and utter ineptitude from 2015-2017, Sanchez may be forced to take a short-term “prove it deal”.

In 2018, Sanchez got back to the groundball rate he had in his heyday, posting a 45% GB rate. Sanchez even tied his career high K/9, nearly striking out a batter per inning. Even in his struggles, Sanchez avoided walks, and 2018 was no exception as he posted a 2.77 BB/9 rate.

In addition, Sanchez posted the second lowest opponents average exit velocity in all of baseball, as opponents put the ball in play at a meager average of 83.7 MPH.

So we have a groundball-heavy, bat-missing, no walking, soft-contact inducing, starting pitcher who may not be a hot commodity in free agency. For a team like Seattle who will need to hit some home runs, giving Sanchez $7-$10 million could be the biggest home run they can hit this winter.

Perhaps the Mariners will surprise us and be players for Patrick Corbin and Michael Brantley. But in the most realistic scenario, they’ll need to continue to play the value game this off-season. And if they want to make the playoffs in 2019, they’ll need to hit home runs this winter, not just singles and doubles.