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.

Blake Parker

The Seattle Mariners now need to address their bullpen after trading Edwin Diaz, Alex Colome, Juan Nicasio, and James Pazos in the past week. Rebuilding teams should not spend massive resources on their bullpens. Finding arms for a bullpen is the easiest thing to find in professional baseball (and it’s still hard) and the difference between an elite bullpen and mediocre one is no more than a handful of games.

However, the team still needs to have arms to cover all the innings of a season and bullpen arms are always in demand at the deadline. The quickest way to recoup a handful of lottery ticket prospects is to move bullpen pieces at the deadline.

The Mariners should be interested in a lot of these arms, but Blake Parker might be the best fit. Parker, a short-time Mariner and a Los Angeles Angels reliever the past two seasons, and has quietly been one of the better relief arms in the AL.

Over the past 2 seasons, Parker has posted a 2.90 ERA, a 10.5 K/9, a 2.4 BB/9, a 3.55 FIP, and 146 ERA+ (100 is average). Parker uses a 93 MPH fastball and splitter to get his swings and misses,

Parker has 2-years of club control left and some experience closing out games. Parker is the perfect bullpen target for Seattle. He has the potential to be a high-leverage arm with more than a year of club control to maximize trade value in July.

Avisail Garcia

The Mariners outfield is pretty stacked up right now, but if Dipoto does find a Mitch Haniger trade he likes, it may open the door for Avisail Garcia. The 27-year-old, 6’4″ OF is coming off a disappointing year in 2018.

2018 was a disappointment because Garcia busted out in 2017. It was a career year for Garcia who slashed .330/.380/.506 with 50 XBH. Unfortunately, Garcia dealt with injuries and poor play in 2018, where he slashed .236/.281/.438.

Garcia would be a 1-year rental unless he signed a multi-year deal, but he may be worth the gamble. If he finds his 2017 success, he becomes a 4.5 win player, and a great chance to recoup prospects at the deadline.

Aside from his bat, Garcia is an average base-runner. He doesn’t walk a lot, but also puts the ball in play at an average rate. Defensively, Garcia has graded as an average or slightly better defender in right field, with the exception of last season. However, battling knee and hamstring issues may easily explain why his metrics in the area went down.

It is possible Garcia could fit in a rotation with Ben Gamel, Carlos Santana, and Jay Bruce at 1B/DH/LF, but unless an outfielder gets moved, it seems unlikely. However, with Jerry Dipoto at the helm, nothing is impossible in the current seller’s mode.

Brad Boxberger

Remember all that stuff I said about Blake Parker and the bullpen? Well, it all applies here. The Mariners need ammo to trade this July. They also need bullpen help to get them through the season.

Brad Boxberger was the closer for the Diamondbacks in 2018, racking up 32 saves along the way. Boxberger has a history of injuries but when he is right, he generates a lot of swings and misses. In 2018, Boxberger posted an impressive 12.0 K/9 rate in 53.1 innings.

However, he saw his control diminish and he struggled to keep men off base. Things were different in 2017 when Boxberger posted a 12.3 K/9 and a 3.4 BB/9 in 30 games.

Boxberger turns 31-year-old in May, and will likely demand just a 1-year, prove it type of deal in free agency. While he is not a great pitcher, he can strike enough hitters out to be used as a 7th inning type of arm, similar to Nick Vincent.

Boxberger has watched his velocity drop from 94 MPH in 2014, to just under 92 MPH in 2018. This drop in velocity has led to the decline in his playable slider. However, there may be a saving grace for him.

The Mariners have a knack for teaching the cutter, a pitch similar to the slider but with a bit firmer action. Boxberger’s changeup is still a solid pitch and would play well off the cutter. Boxberger needs to make adjustments and stay healthy to bring up his value for a mid-season trade. But with minimal guaranteed money and only 1-year deals coming in, it may just be worth the risk.