How Should We Feel About the Seattle Mariners Offseason?

The Mariners free agency game plan going into the off-season was the talk of the town in Seattle when we heard Dipoto’s vision back on July 1st. In his weekly radio spot with Seattle Sports, Dipoto was asked how aggressive the M’s were going to be this offseason and this was his response:

“Absolutely, in a word. And I think that’s the message I’ve been trying to send both to our team and most especially to our fans. When it’s time and you know where you’re adding, that’s when you go fire your bullets and we feel like that’s coming for us this off season.”

With bats like Correa, Baez, Seager, Story, Bryant, and Semien all looking like tremendous fits, it was easy for M’s fans to get excited. What proceeded was a painful process of not only watching these talented players sign elsewhere, but we also had to watch Seager and Semien, a near perfect match for what they needed, sign with the division rival Texas Rangers, owners of a fresh 102 loss season. The pain was real, and you could feel Mariners fans start to panic.

The pain on December 1st  was eased by shock and excitement as the Mariners snagged the reigning AL Cy Young winner and strikeout king Robbie Ray. Signing such a potentially dominant front of rotation starter, and at a tremendous contract that is basically a 3 year deal worth around $23 million, the M’s first splash was a big one.

On March 23rd, the Mariners signed 39-year-old reliever Sergio Romo to a major league deal to make up for the loss of Casey Sadler and his season ending injury.

That’s it…that’s all the major league deals…

We may never know exactly what transpired between Mariners leadership and the prized offensive weapons in this year’s free agent class. What we do know is that ownership has stated multiple times that they were willing to spend and that they “Want to make our lineup longer. We would like to add offense.” They did not spend a single dollar in free agency to help the offense.

That’s just not acceptable.

Free Agency Grade: C-

While there were zero major offensive transactions made through free agency, the same cannot be said for what Dipoto did by trading for offense.

The Mariners made two trades that brought them three All-Star caliber players. First, in a trade with the San Diego Padres, the M’s acquired 2nd baseman Adam Frazier, while giving up very little. One of the best hitters in Pittsburgh before going ice cold in a summer trade to the Padres, all Frazier has done in the spring is hit .438 BA with a .526 OBP. That will play.

The second trade involved the M’s trading two solid pitching prospects, Brandon Williamson and Connor Phillips, along with outfielder Jake Fraley and fringe starter Justin Dunn, in exchange for All-Star Jesse Winker and former All-Star Eugenio Suarez. Suarez, a power hitting 3rd baseman who has had a rough going the past two seasons, appears to be healthy and ready to fill the hole left by Kyle Seager’s departure. 

The prize of that trade is, without question, Jesse Winker. Winker, an All-Star left fielder last year, produced a 2.7 WAR last season while demolishing right-handed pitching. He immediately slots in as a middle of the order bat that can continue to develop and be a part of this hopefully successful core over the next two seasons.

While there’s definitely potential in the arms of Williamson and Phillips, the upgrade the lineup will be seeing is significant, especially if Suarez returns to his hitting numbers in 2018 and 2019 (34 & 49 HRs).

These trades complete one of the most unique lineups you will see in all of baseball. The Mariners, if they decide to not call up Julio Rodriguez, will put out a lineup completely pieced together through trade acquisitions. Losing prospects is never fun, but Dipoto appears to have fleeced multiple teams, while creating the best lineup the Mariners have seen in many years.

Trades Grade: A

I believe that Jerry Dipoto and the Seattle Mariners front office has put together a unique and talented team. A team that can feel slighted and united by the fact that their previous team was willing to let them go, while the Mariners believed in them. I truly believe that will help play a role in this team’s mentality, as they try to break the “curse”.

Many will say that the Mariners chose to be cheap, but I disagree. That’s possible, but I think the Mariners have a different problem…this front office can’t sell Seattle to the top free agent hitters. I believe in Dipoto, I believe that he will be the man to get Seattle not just back to the postseason, but winning games and competing for titles. I also believe he is not the right man for the job when it comes to selling the idea of coming to this franchise.

The Seattle Mariners currently don’t have a general manager. They need to hire a general manager that can specialize in getting these talented free agents to think about Seattle as a legitimate option, not just as a team to use as leverage. The best man in the business when it comes to getting talent to sign with his team is Dave Dombrowski. Dombrowski has built consistent world series contenders, from the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and currently with the Philadelphia Phillies. Seattle doesn’t need Dombrowski, but they need someone that can think like him, to help make up for some of Dipoto’s perceived deficiencies when it comes to free agency.

If I’m Seattle, I take a look at Phillies Assistant GM Ned Rice. Rice was kept by Dombrowski after he took over the reins leading Philly. Dombrowski trusts Rice, and Rice has shown his value in free agent pursuits, being the main man getting the Kyle Schwarber deal done. Rice and Dombrowski are building a potent lineup in Philadelphia, and I believe that Rice is the perfect complement to what Seattle and Dipoto need to make the jump they so desperately are craving for.

This team is good enough to compete for a wild card spot, especially in the expanded postseason. Jerry Dipoto deserves that credit. I also believe that the majority of the fan base believes the Mariners left a bit to be desired. It was billed as the great off-season push, where the Mariners decided to start playing with the elite financially. That was not the case, and it will likely cost the Mariners a chance for an extended postseason stay this October.

It feels like we got close, but not close enough. I hope I’m wrong.

Overall Grade: B