Seattle Mariners Buy Low Approach Should Include Brian Dozier

If this off-season has taught us anything, it is that the Seattle Mariners are serious about rebuilding. However, we have also learned that Jerry Dipoto is targeting another valuable asset: the good player coming off a bad year.

We have seen this idea in numerous trades already. Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Carlos Santana, Edwin Encarnacion, Domingo Santana, and J.P. Crawford all fit this mold to some extent. In addition to those players added to the roster, the Mariners have Dee Gordon and Kyle Seager on the roster as well.

We touched on this idea here, but I’ll reiterate some of the bullet points. No matter how bad they are going to be, the Mariners still need to have a full 25 man roster come Opening Day. While it may be tempting to push Justus Sheffield and J.P. Crawford to the Major League level, it probably isn’t wise to do so.

So the Mariners need veterans. But it doesn’t make much sense to go spend big money when the first 2 years of any deal will likely not end in a playoff push. Nor is it worth sending out any prospects of note for short-term fixes.

Ideally, the player you acquire has trade value down the line. But how do you get valuable trade chips without spending big money or prospects? Buy low. Find players who have been good for a long time, were bad in 2018, and are looking for a 1-year deal to recoup value in 2019. Enter Brian Dozier.

Dozier will turn 32-years-old in May and is coming off a season in which he hit .215/.305/.391 with 21 home runs and 12 stolen bases. This after a 2016-2017 where he slashed .269/.349/.522 averaging 38 home runs and 17 stolen bases as well.

Dozier is also a solid defender at second. Finding quality middle-infielders is hard enough. Finding one who contributes on offense, defense, and base-running who could be had for cheap? Almost unheard of.

If Dozier can find his stroke from 2017, he would be one of the premier rental bats available at the deadline. If he isn’t, you lose nothing but money. There are a few obvious problems with adding Dozier to the current lineup. The biggest, of course, is Dee Gordon.

The Mariners have repeatedly stated that Dee Gordon will be their starting second baseman. And giving Dee everyday at-bats to help regain his trade value is important as well. Perhaps Gordon can slide to SS and be the long-rumored short-term shortstop to give J.P. Crawford his time in AAA.

Or perhaps the Mariners can find a trade partner for Gordon this winter. Regardless of the end result, players like Dozier still make sense for Seattle in 2019. Potential All-Star don’t often become available in their early 30’s, and when they do, they typically require a significant contract. Brian Dozier is a rare exception.