Seattle Mariners Ranking 5 Potential Future Aces to Anchor Rotation

4. Corey Kluber

The Cleveland Indians are not hiding the fact that they’d like to trade Corey Kluber sooner than later. There were more than a few rumors this winter, connecting Kluber to the San Diego Padres. Cleveland is at the end of their window, and Kluber is making a lot of money (though still below his market value).

The team owner has already announced their intentions to let Francisco Lindor walk when he becomes a free agent, and co-ace Trevor Bauer won’t be far behind. As for Kluber, the 2-time Cy Young Award winner has 2 team options for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, worth a total of $36 million with just $1 million buyouts each season.

Price wise, there are few bargains as great as Corey Kluber. But he does have some warts. He just turned 33-years-old last week. He has racked up over 1,000 innings the past 5 years, his fastball velo is dropping, and his HR/FB ratio had jumped 3 percent over the past 2 seasons.

Still, Kluber may be sliding out of “ace” status but is still a high-level pitcher. Of course, for any team acquiring Kluber, they will have to determine what he will be for the next 2 years. But the buyouts mitigate a lot of the risk, and Kluber’s age may scare away other buyers.

This off-season, a few rumors regarding trade packages leaked. One such rumor had Kluber going to the Reds in a 3-team deal which would have cost Cincinnati Nick Senzel, a consensus Top 10 prospect in all of baseball.

Another rumor had the Indians linked to Padres OF Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe, both former top prospects who had some level of success at the big league level. Ultimately, Cleveland either thought the returns were too light or other teams thought the price tag was too heavy.

For Seattle, Cleveland would almost certainly ask for Jarred Kelenic. While Seattle would have little interest in that, they still have a wealth of good prospects to build a package around, including Justus Sheffield, Julio Rodriguez, Evan White, and even J.P. Crawford.

It is too early to actually build a trade package, but if the Mariners wanted to get involved, they have the pieces to make such a move.

3. Justin Dunn

Finally, we get to an in house option. You might be surprised to not see Yusei Kikuchi or Justus Sheffield here, but I don’t think either guy has much of a chance at ace status. That isn’t to say they can’t be really good, even great pitchers. But I think there are legitimate command issues with Sheffield, and Kikuchi just doesn’t have the raw stuff to be an ace. Both are probably solid #3’s.

I put Dunn ahead of those 2 in particular because he still has room to grow. Kikuchi and Sheffield are at the stage where they can make minor adjustments to maximize value. Dunn is still raw enough to have a significant change in his profile.

The mid-90s fastball and sharp slider already give him a great shot to be a top of the rotation option. The curveball and changeup have both shown more promise of late and Dunn is a great athlete who can refine his command even more.

He is off to a great start in the organization, posting a 1.88 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 14.1 innings with 5 walks and a .196 opponents batting average. Seattle will have to fight the urge to move Dunn to the bullpen where his stuff could play up more and can be a premier high-leverage option.

The urge shouldn’t be too difficult since 2019 is a refocusing year anyways. Seattle will let the youngster develop as a starter, knowing that the bullpen option will always be available to them. Dunn has the raw goods, athleticism, and enough helium to make the jump from mid-rotation arm to ace if things break right. He only needs time to get there.

2. Logan Gilbert

Again it’s not Dunn or Sheffield who has the highest ceiling of Mariners starters. That honor actually belongs to 2018 first round draft selection Logan Gilbert. Drafted out of Stetson University, Gilbert has all the tools you look for to make a jump from mid-rotation arm to an ace of the staff.

At 6’6″, 230 lbs, Gilbert has the size of workhorse arm but is also a good athlete which gives his profile plenty of helium. When selected, most scouts agreed that he had at least 3, MLB quality offerings. The fastball, which sat at around 93 MPH at Stetson, dipped last season in college but came back later in the season. Now, Gilbert is back up to 94-98 mph in his first taste in pro ball.

The slider and changeup have both flashed above-average and there is a good chance one, if not both, develop into a true plus pitch for Gilbert going forward. The curveball continues to be a bit of a project, but does show good bite and should be an above-average 4th offering.

For a pitcher to become an ace, he needs to have 3 plus offerings. Gilbert has a chance to get there and possibly add another above-average pitch to his repertoire. A strike thrower in college, Gilbert’s above-average command could take another step forward. If that were to happen, Gilbert’s profile could include 3, 60-grade offerings, the fourth pitch with a 55-grade, and 60-grade command.

That profile screams future ace. If the early returns are any indication, Gilbert may get there sooner than anybody originally thought. In his first 3 outings in A-ball West Virginia, Gilbert has dominated the Sally League. He has allowed just 1 run in 14 innings, collecting 22 strikeouts and walking just 3 along the way.

Though Seattle has no reason to rush the talented righty, Gilbert could force his way up the later in 2019, making a cup of coffee at the big league level in 2020 a possibility. In all likelihood, Gilbert will get his first shot to win a rotation spot in Spring Training 2021 and could become a regular member of the Mariners rotation by draft day 2021.

Gilbert has the most upside of any arm in the organization. If he continues to dominate the Sally League and show more growth, he could find his way up to number 1 in our mid-season prospect re-ranks.

1. Blake Snell

Yeah, that’s right. Blake Snell is the Mariners best shot at acquiring an ace. Unlike the other names on this list, anytime before 2022 is a bit of a stretch on ETA. Snell just signed a 5-year, $50 million extensions in Tampa, which bought out one year of free agency. But I think we all know that teams who are interested in Snell’s services won’t have to wait until he hits free agency after the 2023 season.

The Tampa Bay Rays will be rebuilding again before then, as they do every few years. And that isn’t a knock on the Rays, who are one of the better front offices in the game, but that is the most likely scenario. The Rays did it with James Shields. They did it with Chris Archer. And they’ll do it with Blake Snell.

Add on the love affair these two front offices have with each other and the collection of talent by the Mariners this off-season and going forward, and a Snell trade continues to make more and more sense.

In addition, Snell is a Pacific Northwest guy, born in Seattle, attended Shorewood High School, and actively roots for the Seahawks, University of Washington, and NHL Seattle project, as well as stumping for the return of the NBA to the area.

Snell is a northwest guy through and through. If given the chance, it is hard to imagine the two sides not showing mutual interest in one another. If Snell does ever hit free agency, the Mariners will surely rank high on his list of preferred destinations.

Honestly, I’d be a little surprised if Blake Snell didn’t don a Mariners uniform by 2025. It won’t be cheap to acquire him via trade or free agency, but he is the best shot at the Mariners acquiring an ace in the near future, so he comes in at number 1 on our list.