Seattle Mariners: In rebuild, what should draft strategy be?

In their rebuild this offseason, the Mariners have acquired either young, MLB-ready talent, or prospects two years or less away from the Majors. How will that affect their strategy going into June’s MLB Draft?

Jerry Dipoto has stuck to his guns this offseason, reiterating time and time again that the Mariners intend to quickly reshape their roster and compete for a championship by no later than 2022. This has been greatly reaffirmed by the moves Dipoto and co. have made over the course of this offseason, in which they have acquired several pieces ready to help them now or in the near future.

As some of their biggest trades in the Winter have helped revitalize their once horrendous farm system, the Mariners still have a great deal of room for improvement in that department. While a potential trade of Mitch Haniger would certainly help, it doesn’t feel all too likely to happen at the moment.

That leaves the draft as the next best opportunity for the Mariners to continue improving their farm. Given the rebuild and the position the M’s currently find themselves in, it’s hard to truly gauge what their strategy will particularly be come June.

The Mariners currently hold four picks in the top 100, at 20, 59, 77 (via Cleveland), and 97. It’s not out of the question that all four selections could immediately slot into the Mariners’ top 20, especially with the possibility of Justus Sheffield and Erik Swanson shedding their prospect status by that time.

Last year, the Mariners did not select a high school player until the 11th round, in which they took pitcher Damon Casetta-Stubbs. This may be the case yet again, where the M’s will look to add strictly from the college level to help meet their timeline.

It really comes down to what the Mariners value more moving forward. Do they feel comfortable in already having enough at the Major League level and through their ranks to build the team they envision, allowing them to focus on 2023 and beyond? Or will they continue to add insurance with quality college arms and bats?

This will be a topic Colby and I discuss further on our podcast later this week. Let us know in the comments what your strategy would be heading into the draft if you were in Jerry Dipoto’s shoes.