5 questions facing the Mariners less than a month to Spring Training

The Seattle Mariners, and all of baseball for that matter, are less than a month away from reporting to Spring Training. But there are still a lot of questions surrounding this team.

The phrase “pitchers and catchers” is music to a Mariners fan ears. It immediately conjures up feelings of hope and a promise that warmer weather and longer days are on their way. But as we inch our way down the road to Spring Training, there are still some serious questions surrounding this team.

Obviously, there are numerous questions about the long-term health of the franchise and their current rebuild, but while 2020 isn’t going to be a winning season, it doesn’t mean it won’t be an important one.

So let’s identify some of the biggest questions surrounding the team in 2020. There are dozens of potential questions, but let’s start with these 5.

5. What to do with Dee Gordon

The Seattle Mariners have done a nice job in their rebuild, trading away most larger contracts and finding value in most deals. But they have been unable to find a solution to their Dee Gordon “problem” and there is no indication that they will.

Gordon has almost no trade value as he has been replacement level for the past 2-years and is set to make $13.5 million in 2020 with a $1 million buyout for 2021. Finding a taker for a $14.5 million bench option is a tough needle to thread.

We know the Mariners won’t have an issue including money in the deal, but there has still been little chatter on Gordon. Seattle cannot take PAs away from Shed Long Jr. in 2020 to try and regain a shred of trade value with Gordon, and sticking him on the bench doesn’t make much sense either.

But we haven’t heard anything about their willingness to DFA Gordon, so whether he will find himself in Peoria in a month remains to be seen. If Gordon comes to camp with Seattle, it wouldn’t be a disaster. But they need to make a decision relatively soon and time is running out.