MLB Trades Rumors predicts Mariners sign 2 starting pitchers

It has been nearly a week since the Seattle Mariners made a 40-man roster move and we are starting to go a bit crazy. But the preeminent MLB rumor website has published an annual list, so why not break it down?

MLB Trade Rumors publishes their Top 50 Free Agent Predictions article every year and this year, they are predicting the Mariners will sign 2 players inside their Top 50 free agents overall. And perhaps unsurprisingly, both are starting pitchers.

It’s also not too surprising that both players predicted to sign in Seattle are two of the names we have already covered this winter; Julio Teheran and Alex Wood. What is interesting is that the two starters fill different needs for the same rotation in 2020.

Teheran is a safe, reliable, innings-eating, back-end starter who is a good bet to make 30 starts, cover 160 innings, and give his team average or slightly below-average production at the end of the year. For comparison’s sake, Teheran is a Mike Leake style arm.

On the other hand, Wood is an arm that has battled injuries and has shown near the top of the rotation stuff with a decently high-floor of a mid-rotation arm, if healthy. Wood would almost certainly be signed with the intention of flipping in July and if he stays healthy and reaches his 80th percentile of upside, he should net a nice prospect.

While Teheran could be flipped in July as well, it’s unlikely his market will be that robust, so keeping him around for the entire season seems more likely. Neither starter is projected to get a big contract this winter.

MLBTR predicts Teheran getting a 2-year, $18 million deal, while Wood is settling for a 1-year, $8 million deal. Ideally, these two contracts would be flipped and Wood’s value may go up as a result. Unfortunately, Wood is much more likely to take a 1-year deal at a slightly lower AAV than a 2-year deal so he can hit the market again next season.