Mariners Free Agency: Options for a one-year Starting Pitcher

After the Mariners signed Robbie Ray, it instantly bumped their rotation into a potentially very dangerous status. I don’t mean dangerous for us fans, but for opponents who would be facing them. Think about the top four guys that they will be putting out there to toe the rubber at the start of games. Robbie Ray, Marco Gonzales, Chris Flexen, Logan Gilbert. There’s a decent size IF associated with it, but they could be really good IF they pitch as they should.

It also leaves the last spot open. There is a boatload of possibilities there. Should they trade for another rental? Should they go after an established guy that they would have control of for a few years? Should they look in-house, to the likes of Justin Dunn, Justus Sheffield, Matt Brash, Brandon Williamson, George Kirby, or Emerson Hancock?

That’s a lot of options in-house. Some of them may not be ready yet, whether it be due to inexperience or injury history, or even lack of ability to consistently perform as a starter.

However, there is another option.

What if they signed one of the free-agent pitchers to a one-year deal to take the final spot in the rotation? I don’t necessarily mean the fifth spot, either. There’s even a hidden bonus to doing this, potentially, but let’s save that revelation for later.

There are more than five options out there for this. There are plenty of players that they could try and sign to a one-year deal to fill out that last spot in the rotation. I’m limiting it to five though, and it’s a mix of returning faces, interesting vets, and guys with a high risk/reward association. Let’s get started with the same guy that the Mariners acquired at the trade deadline last year.