Seattle Mariners: 5 Non-Tender Players to Consider

Matt Shoemaker

So assuming the Mariners ship off Mike Leake, they’ll need a starter to help fill out the rotation. Thankfully, Jerry Dipoto may know just the guy. Matt Shoemaker, a 32-year-old pitcher was recently non-tendered by the only organization he’s ever known, the Los Angeles Angels.

Dipoto has a deep background with Shoemaker, who made his way through the ranks and into the Angels rotation smack in the middle of his tenure as the Angels GM.

Shoemaker was a very reliable and solid middle-of-the-rotation arm from 2014-2016. In those 3 seasons, he posted a 3.80 ERA, a 3.77 FIP, an 8.0 K/9, and a minuscule 1.9 BB/9, averaging 144 innings in that span.

Since then, injuries have derailed Shoemakers promising career. He has been able to make just 21 starts combined in 2017 and 2018. In those starts, Shoemaker has been okay, posting a 4.62 FIP with an 8.3 K/9 rate and a 1.28 WHIP.

So what makes Shoemaker a worthy risk to take? Overall, his 3.93 FIP and 1.20 WHIP in his career points to a solid #4 type of starter. In addition, his K/BB ratio is almost 4:1 in his career as well. All of these numbers point to an above-average pitcher, who just needs to stay healthy to contribute.

Shoemaker also has 2-years of club control remaining, meaning even if he signs a 1-year deal with Seattle, he can still be offered arbitration for the 2020 season. If Shoemaker can get healthy in 2019, this makes him a nice trade chip in July, since he would not be considered a rental.

Jerry Dipoto knows what Shoemaker can bring to the table more than any GM in the game. If the medicals check out, Shoemaker makes a ton of sense for the Mariners. They need guys to eat innings and bring value to them in 2019. If Shoemaker can stay healthy, he very well may be that guy.