Top Five Targets for the Mariners once the lockout ends

The lockout (BOO!) is upon us. That puts a freeze on all transactions. It also, hilariously, means that the MLB can’t have players likenesses on anything, making for amazing player profiles and scheduled giveaways. That doesn’t mean that, as fans, we can stop fantasizing and pining for the Mariners to sign certain players once they get back to business.

Although a couple of moves have been made so far by Dipoto and Co, it sounds like they are nowhere near finished. In fact, the Robbie Ray signing wasn’t even one of the two that were mentioned by Dipoto earlier on that day.

That means that they still potentially have two guys on the hook that they are going to be going after, or they went after Ray because a target was signed, either is good news. Personally, I’m going to continue to shoot for the moon in my expectations (believe me, I need something to keep me happy) and think that they are going after two more signings.

WHO I think they are going to sign is a different article than some of the top guys that are available. That’s what I want to look at today. Five players that should be high on the Mariners list to go after once this farce ends.

I am injected a bit of personal opinion into this by going after just hitters. I’ve heard from plenty of fans that they want another starting pitcher. I get that. I like Justin Dunn to be the number five though, so I think the rotation is fine, especially with Brash/Williamson/Kirby/Hancock all waiting in the wings.

The majority of the players I’m going to talk about have been linked to the Mariners, so it isn’t just hopes and dreams on my part. You aren’t going to see anything ridiculous either. I’ve seen plenty of dum dums on Twitter expecting their team to sign Freddie Freeman, Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, Robbie Ray, and Marcus Stroman.

Yeah, ’cause that’s realistic. Let’s just turn off the salary cap mode for that team.

These are five players that I think they should look at, but in no way do I think they are going after all of them. I’d love if they managed to get the first two, but my real hope is that they get one of them, and then one of the latter three.

Let’s get to it. Here are the top five players that I think the Mariners need to get in contact with once the lockout ends.

Trevor Story

The other day, we wrote about how Trevor Story should be the top option for the Mariners. They already got their pitcher in Robbie Ray, and Trevor Story is now their number one target that they should go for.

Yeah, I know that there is a worry about Story and his home vs road splits. I understand that argument. But the article about Story explains it in a way that I haven’t heard before. It’s also an incredible explanation and makes a lot of sense. Heck, I remember hearing about the Magnus Effect back in 1998 when they had the Home Run Derby there. it wasn’t until I read the Story article that I attached them together though.

Story has an incredible bat, and it’s something that the Mariners definitely need. They had an awful offense last year, and Story could be one more step in righting that ship. Frazier was one, Story would be a bigger one, and they could make one more to be in a great position for the future.

.270/.340/.520. 25-30 HR. 15-20 SB. 35 2B. A great arm and pretty darn good defense. Yeah, give me that all day. It’s what Story provides, and could provide a needed boost to the Mariners. Think of what the lineup could look like.

Crawford-Fraizer-France-Story-Haniger-Lewis.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I love that. It’s going to take something similar to what Robbie Ray got per season, but Story is worth it, and the team could commit to a deal like that while still staying below the league average in payroll. 6-132, make it happen.

Kris Bryant

If the team isn’t going to go after Trevor Story, then Kris Bryant is arguably just as much of a win. I know there are plenty of fans out there who actually want Bryant more than Story. If the team can get either of them, I think it is a massive and incredible get for the franchise.

Dipoto has stated that he is looking for players with adaptability and versatility. In the past, it would’ve meant that the team was going to go out and sign some near replacement level utility guy. Someone who was a fourth outfielder or backup infielder that could play a handful of positions. I’m sure there are some of us who see that in his statement this go around as well.

I don’t think it’s the case. We already have guys that can do that like Toro and Moore. What Bryant provides is a rare combination of stardom and utility. He can play third, left, right, and has dabbled at first, shortstop, and center. If the team is able to get him, he would likely step in as the main third baseman to replace the recently departed Seager.

The real hope in signing Bryant is that he can get back to the player that he was during his first five years in the league. .284/.385/.516, 30+ 2B, nearly 30 HR. It’s the kind of punch that could really make an impact for the Mariners, helping their offense rise up and finally get the M’s back into the playoffs. He’s gonna be more money than Story, but something around 6-162 would likely get it done.

Seiya Suzuki

Do the Mariners actually need an outfielder? You know what? I think they do. Although there is definitely the potential for a logjam at the position arriving in the future, there is also an immediate need at the position. Mitch Haniger has one year left on his deal (please, re-sign/extend him), Kelenic is super young, and Fraley/Trammell/Moore are all unproven or unreliable. If you don’t think they are interested, don’t take my word for it. Take Dipoto’s.

I know that guys like Deloach and Julio are waiting in the wings. If you have a chance to get a great player, though, you go and do it. He hit .321, .335, .300, and .317 over the last four seasons, and it wasn’t via slapping the ball around the field Ichiro style. No, Suzuki likes to donate baseballs to fans sitting in the stands. He has hit 31, 28, 25, and 38 HR in those four seasons.

Yeah, give me a corner outfielder that has been hitting .315 with 30 HR over the last four seasons. All day, every day. OH! He’s got a great eye also, with an OBP 100+ points higher than his average. That goes along with a strong arm and pretty good defense which earned him four gold gloves during his time in Japan.

One more thing. The dude’s got potential speed too. 4, 25, 6, 9 SB. It’s odd, but nice to know that it’s there if he needs it. When a player is hitting 30 HR and 30 2B, they aren’t always going to have that many opportunities to steal. You can see that it’s there though, and being a threat on the bases, even if it only leads to 8-10 SB, can affect what pitches the batters behind him in the lineup see.

Due to the uncertainty of how players will succeed in making the jump to the MLB, it sounds like Suzuki will get a contract somewhere in the range of 5/55. It’s a great number for the potential and would get the Mariners a great outfielder through his prime years.

Eddie Rosario

I wrote about Eddie Rosario a couple of weeks ago. It seems like every year there are a couple of players where the projected salaries seem off for the value you can get for a player. Sometimes it’s too high, and other times it is too low. To me, Rosario’s projected contract seems like a steal. Here’s why.

He’s projected to get a short deal, somewhere around 2/15. Essentially, that’s a win a year. Maybe even just under. A win in free agency is somewhere around $8-10 million depending on where you look. So, all you would need from someone on a 2/15 deal is to provide around 2.0 WAR over that time.

Going backward, he has put up WAR numbers of 1.1, 1.2, 1.5, and 4.3 (!) over the last four seasons. 2019, the 1.5 season, would’ve been even better if not for an awful showing on defense (-1.4 dWAR). It’s reasonable to expect somewhere between 1.0-2.5 WAR for Rosario… per season. Even if you get his floor, the contract is still a slight win.

I think Rosario is going to give you more than that though. He’s put together a solid track record of 20 HR, a slash line of .275/.320/.480, a little bit of speed, 20-25 2B, and a nice mix of runs and RBI.

Part of this may just be that I want guys on the team who can hit the ball. If we can get some of them for a decent price, then the Mariners should go for it.