Seattle Mariners: 5 Non-Tender Players to Consider

Over the past 24 hours, a number of players entered free agency after not being offered a contract by their now former employer. Today, we look at 5 of these players as potential fits for the Seattle Mariners.

When we entered this off-season, we believed the Seattle Mariners would believe their 89 games win total of 2018 and desperately try to make another push at the playoffs without spending real money.

That all changed when Jerry Dipoto announced to the world that the Mariners were open for business and shortly dealt James Paxton to the New York Yankees. Since then, he has traded Alex Colome, Robinson Cano, Edwin Diaz, Jean Segura, Juan Nicasio, and James Pazos.

This changes thing drastically when looking at free agency. Now, signing players in their late-20’s are 30’s to long-term deals makes little to no sense. However, the Mariners will still need to be active in free agency to fill numerous holes with stopgap options until help can arrive from their farm.

Today, we focus specifically on those players not tendered contracts for 2019. Why? Specifically, these players still carry club control beyond the contract they are likely to sign. In short, these are 1 or 2-year lottery tickets that eventually could be beneficial down the road, largely as a trade chip.

With that in mind, let’s get started.

Billy Hamilton, OF

We know. At first blush, this makes little sense. The Mariners already have speedy, slap-hitting players like Mallex Smith and Dee Gordon. You don’t need another one. And hey, you’re not wrong. But this season is no longer about what the Mariners “need”. Instead, it becomes about finding guys with potential value. Guys exactly like Billy Hamilton.

Hamilton is the fastest man in baseball. A prolific base-runner Hamilton has stolen 277 bases since breaking into the big leagues 6 years ago. The 28-year-old is also a dynamic center fielder. Unfortunately for Hamilton, he can’t hit. He has a sub-.300 OBP in his career, with no power. And as the old saying goes, you can’t steal first base.

However, if Hamilton could be even a mediocre bat in 2019, he could be one of the most sought-after deadline candidates thanks to his excellent 4th OF profile.