Signing Mark Canha Makes Sense for the Mariners

The Seattle Mariners offseason is underway, and players are about to officially be free agents starting Sunday evening, November 7th. The Mariners have already been in the rumor mill as Mark Canha posted a picture on Instagram at a Seattle restaurant recently, and Twitter was buzzing about the potential to sign him.

Whether or not Canha was in Seattle to talk to the Mariners about a contract, he should be on the Mariners radar. Canha didn’t have a great year in 2021, but he had a 111 OPS+, doesn’t strike out much, and walks a lot. The Mariners like players that control the zone, and Canha does just that.

The Mariners could use Canha primarily as their left fielder and as an occasional bench bat; if the Mariners signed Canha and added a center fielder, he and Mitch Haniger could split time between DH and right field. Having Canha would raise the floor of the Mariners offense dramatically, and gives the Mariners a proven professional hitter to play in the outfield.

It would most likely not take much money to bring Canha to Seattle at all. Canha made just under $7 million in his final year of arbitration last year in Oakland, so the Mariners should be able to go out and give him a one year contract for $7-10 million. The 111 OPS+ of Canha was higher than any Mariners players except Ty France or Mitch Haniger, and he posted a 2.5 WAR according to Baseball Refence, so he would give the Mariners a solid upgrade.

Mark Canha would fit in very nicely to the Mariners team for 2022. Canha isn’t the biggest name on the free agent market, but he would provide an outfield upgrade and knows the division, having played in Oakland for six years.