How the Mariners Could be Impacted by the 2020 1B Free Agent Market

We continue our look at the 2019-2020 free-agent class with a look at the first baseman scheduled to hit the open market in the next 2 months and how it will impact your Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners have had quite a few players handle first base in year 1 of their rebuild. Jay Bruce, Edwin Encarnacion, Daniel Vogelbach, and Austin Nola have all spent significant time at the position.

But Bruce and Encarnacion are long gone, Vogelbach has struggled for 2 months, and Austin Nola doesn’t carry the thump needed to be the everyday option at the spot. Some have speculated that a move to first base for either Domingo Santana or Omar Narvaez could be an option moving forward, but they still need to learn the spot.

For now, the Mariners long-term plan at first base is to utilize their 2017 first-round pick, Evan White at the position. White is already the best defensive first baseman in professional baseball, making him a major upgrade over anybody who has played the position.

The bat is progressing nicely, but White still needs time to refine his hit tool and to tap into the power many deem necessary to play the position. He will, more than likely, make his Mariners debut in 2020, and will likely reach the big leagues for good in 2021. But this still leaves a hole for the start of 2020, unless Narvaez, Vogelbach, or Santana are the answer.

But if they aren’t, the Mariners would probably be wise to bring in a veteran to handle the spot, allowing Vogelbach to stick at DH (assuming he is still with the team). Thankfully, there are a few names that fit that bill.

Jose Abreu is the prize of this group, but all indications are that he would like to re-sign with the White Sox and they share a similar desire. Anthony Rizzo has a $14.5 million team option, which will surely be executed, leaving the upper-tier of this market dry.

But the Mariners don’t need a long-term answer. They need a stopgap. Several names make sense in this regards, including Justin Smoak, Mitch Moreland, Ryan Zimmerman, Yonder Alonso, and David Freese.

Of the list, most would scoff at the idea of Justin Smoak or Yonder Alonso, but both actually make a lot of sense. They won’t kill you, are likely looking at one-year contracts, with relatively cheap salaries.

Moreland should be familiar to Mariners fans, having spent most of his career in Texas before heading off to Boston, but is in the same tier as Smoak and Moreland. Steve Pearce and David Freese are more of veteran platoon bats, which could be a nice fit with Vogelbach for half a season or more.

The Mariners have a few in house options but none are particularly good. Either you are trying to teach somebody a brand new position, or trotting out a sub-par defender and ultra-struggling bat in Vogelbach out there for at least a few months.

There may not be much star power available in free agency at this position, but there are several options that do make a lot of sense for Seattle. The Mariners need to raise their floor in 2020 and improving at first base is a need that should be addressed.