Seattle Mariners Free Agency Big Board: Who will they target?

3. Marcus Stroman, RHP New York Mets

You may start to notice a trend here in our conversation: the Seattle Mariners should be looking heavily into the starting pitcher market this winter. Marcus Stroman would be a solid addition to the middle of the Mariners rotation and provide solid #3 production.

Stroman is similar to Odorizzi, in that both are a decent bet to give you 160+ innings of above-average production. In 3 of his past 4 seasons, Stroman has thrown at least 184 innings and he has never posted a FIP higher than 3.91. Stroman’s 15.8 fWAR in 4 full seasons is an impressive feat and is sure to make the athletic righty a lot of money.

Unlike Odorizzi, Stroman is an extreme groundball pitcher. From 2016-2018, Stroman posted groundball rates higher than 60%. That took a dip to a career-low in 2019, all the way down to 53.7%.

Stroman doesn’t rack up the strikeouts like Odorizzi but does a better job at managing the strike zone, posting a 2.59 BB/9. Stroman turns 29-years-old in May, meaning he’ll enter free agency entering his age-30 season.

Stroman doesn’t miss bats, which will hurt his value in free agency, but thanks to his athleticism, safety, age, and production, Stroman won’t be cheap for any interested party. But a 5-year deal, worth around $100 million is probably a good starting point from Stroman’s camp.

There is a debate to be had as to who is the better fit for the Mariners, Jake Odorizzi or Marcus Stroman? But both make a lot of sense for a Seattle team looking to make some noise in the playoff race in 2021.