3 Former Mariners For Which a Reunion Could Make Sense

Typically speaking, in sports, you get one “tour of duty” with a team to make your mark on a franchise. If you don’t, rarely will the two sides come back together to try again. But perhaps the Mariners could try this.

And no, I’m not suggesting the Mariners go out and sign Nelson Cruz and trade for Edwin Diaz. Sure, those reunions would be fun and certainly make the 2020 roster better. But they aren’t practical.

Instead, we are focusing our parameters on 3 players who played for the Mariners but didn’t exactly leave the fans with warm and fuzzy feelings when they left. Sorry Maple Grove, but you’ll have to wait until next winter for your James Paxton reunion.

We need to keep in mind that GM Jerry Dipoto has already laid out his “vision” for this off-season and at the center of it is making sure his young, position players can get every possible opportunity to play at the big league level.

This means the Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion additions are highly unlikely this winter. But there are several former Seattle Mariners who will be available on the cheap this winter and those are the guys we are focusing on. With all that in mind, let’s get started.

Justin Smoak

Yeah, I know. Justin Smoak is one of the biggest busts in team history. I get it. At least, I get why you’d say no on the surface. But the team brought back Dustin Ackley this spring and, despite the fear of a local radio personality, it didn’t sink the franchise. Did you even remember they brought back Ackley?

But anyways, Smoak isn’t Ackley. Smoak has been a good, MLB player in his career and Ackley, well, hasn’t. And we aren’t talking about a multi-year contract for Smoak either. We are, at the most, talking about one season of Smoak at first base and DH. That’s it. One season. You can stomach that.

Yes, Evan White is the first baseman of the future but he won’t be ready to play in the big leagues until at least June. You can run Daniel Vogelbach out there, but you want him to focus on hitting. You can use Austin Nola, but if they trade Omar Narvaez, it isn’t ideal.

Simply put, Smoak is a good bandaid who can fill in for a few months to allow White to actually develop without killing you. Over his last 3 seasons, Smoak has hit .243/.350/.470, averaging 28 home runs and 26 doubles per season.

He is coming off a difficult 2019 that saw him hit .208/.342/.406, which means he will be cheap. A 1-year, $7-$8 million deal is fair value for Smoak and won’t prohibit him from being dealt mid-season if White is ready to go.

Like it or not, there is some decent value to be had in signing Smoak. Put aside your bias and let a little common sense seep in. Smoak to the Mariners can work.

Drew Smyly

Ah yes, he of the “soggy arm” injury that turned into a Tommy John surgery. Yes, the Drew Smyly that cost the Mariners Mallex Smith and Ryan Yarbrough. The very same. Before we get too far into the idea, I should let it be known that I love Smyly. His acquisition may have been my favorite in the Dipoto era until the Diaz/Robinson Cano trade.

But putting my fanhood aside, bringing back Drew Smyly to fill out the back-end of the rotation for a year is an idea I am all in on. After the surgery cost him all of his 2017 and 2018 seasons, Smyly made his return to the big leagues in 2019 and things, well, they didn’t go well.

In 25 appearances (21 starts) for Texas and Philadelphia, Smyly’s production was terrible. He posted a 6.24 ERA, a 6.22 FIP, and surrendered 32 home runs in 114 innings. Very Felix Hernandez, circa 2019, like production for Smyly.

But there were some positive signs for Smyly. He posted a 9.47 K/9 in 2019. His fastball velocity was back to normal almost immediately. He was much better in the second half of the season, albeit still mediocre. And of course, he is just 29-years-old and should come pretty cheap.

Statcast’s similarity scores, which compares pitchers based on stuff (velocity and pitch movement), positively comped him to Madison Bumgarner, Joey Luchessi, and Robbie Ray, 3 pretty darn good LHP’s.

There is also the possibility of putting Smyly back in the bullpen, where he began his career with great success in Detroit. Adding a talent like Smyly at his current cost provides no risk for the Mariners and offers surprisingly good upside.

Think about it this way: if he’s even league average, he is a steal. If he’s terrible, you’re out a couple of million dollars at most.

These 3 names are not sexy and they won’t drive people to the ballpark. In all likelihood, they may not help the Mariners win more than an extra game or two. But to become more competitive in 2020 without putting undue pressure on the young kids who still need time to develop, these reunions could make a lot of sense for the players and team.