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Ranking Remaining Third Base Options for Mariners

By Curtis Christianson

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 15: Carlos Correa #1 of the Houston Astros reacts as he rounds the bases after he hit a home run in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game One of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 15, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 15: Carlos Correa #1 of the Houston Astros reacts as he rounds the bases after he hit a home run in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game One of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 15, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Kris Bryant has experience playing third base
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 05: Kris Bryant #23 of the San Francisco Giants throws to first base against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the top of the ninth inning at Oracle Park on September 05, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Bring in Kris Bryant

Kris Bryant offers the Mariners a plug-and-play, natural third baseman. The Mariners would know the second they signed Bryant that he can be relied upon to play third base for them. Kris Bryant also brings versatility that many fans and insiders have talked about all offseason. What the Mariners need, however, is a third baseman. The Mariners should want Kris Bryant to be their everyday third baseman, not an occasional corner outfielder.

Kris Bryant would certainly not cost as much as Correa, and be a much shorter contract. A 5-year deal should be the maximum the Mariners should go for Bryant. He is going to be 30 at the start of next year, and some suggest that he is going to age poorly. He is already not a great defender at any of the positions he plays, but if he were given the task of only playing third base, and working with Perry Hill on his defense, he should improve. If he were to play left or right field once or twice a week, he would be focusing a lot more on other defensive adjustments besides third base.

Several advanced metrics suggest that he is not a good defender even now. Baseball Savant has him in the bottom 1% of outs above average, and bottom 20% in outfield jumps. Those are not good numbers for anyone. He is only slightly below average at all of the positions, but as he turns 30 and continues to age, he will be a safer bet to stay average on defense at third base.

The most important thing that Kris Bryant has to offer for the Mariners is his bat. He hit 25 home runs last year, had a .835 OPS, and had a 123 wRC+ according to Fangraphs. He brings a threat to the Mariners lineup that would be a huge boost to the lineup. A stretch of Ty France, Mitch Haniger, and Kris Bryant would make pitchers be very careful about their pitch selection. They would be a strong right-handed power trio for the heart of the lineup.

Kris Bryant gives the Mariners a pure third baseman to play there every day. There is another option that they have been linked to that would not be a career third baseman, and that possibility lies in a former mile-high masher:

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