Grading the Mariners' biggest offseason needs: Where do they start?

You don't need to be Jeff Passan to know that the Seattle Mariners are a deeply flawed team. They're often closer to the postseason than people think, but a miss is a miss, especially when it has happened in 21 out of the past 22 years.

With so many problems and so little time to fix them, what positions should the Mariners have at the top of their priority list once the offseason starts to heat up?

Mariners' Offseason Needs: Free agency and trade possibilities

1. First Base

The last Mariners first baseman that was a serious, consistent threat at the plate may have been John Olerud back in the early 2000s. Since then, it has been a revolving door of uninspiring bats with Ty France as the last person to fill those shoes. The team actually did pretty well splitting time between Luke Raley and Justin Turner following France's departure, accumulating a league-average .727 OPS from the position. However, they'll likely need a more full-time option moving forward, especially if they want Raley to return to his primary position in the outfield.

Justin Turner is reportedly interested in returning to Seattle and could sign another short-term deal during his current free agency, but he still wouldn't fill the void for much longer than a couple of years (at most) due to his age.

This year's class of first base free agents is relatively shallow, with Pete Alonso likely occupying most of the attention. Christian Walker would be a close second while Paul Goldschmidt and Carlos Santana profile similarly to Turner. The Mariners are reportedly in the running for Alonso, but if those negotiations fall short the team will have to wait a few years for the next big bat to become available.

2. Third Base

After a full year of Josh Rojas, it seems that his strengths don't fit the Mariners' needs as well as other potential options. As a glove-first infielder, Rojas would be great for teams that are lacking in run prevention, but with their pitching staff and defensive contributions from other parts of the lineup, the Mariners would benefit more from a productive bat at the hot corner.

Alex Bregman is undoubtedly the most prominent free agent third baseman and the competition isn't quite close. Other names like Yoán Moncada, Gio Urshela, and Nicky Lopez were barely replacement level and would be downgrades from Rojas, meaning the front office will have to look to trade talks to fill this gap if they pass on Bregman.

The Mariners have been linked to a potential deal with the Phillies that could bring Alec Bohm to Seattle, which would be a big step in the right direction. Bohm's 117 OPS+ and .280 average would be meaningful improvements over Rojas's own 91 OPS+ and .225 average.

3. Second Base

This may be a controversial opinion but there's evidence to suggest that Dylan Moore could be a serviceable starter at second base. His overall season numbers don't jump off the page, as a 104 OPS+ and 2.2 rWAR don't seem overly typical of a starter, but there's more than meets the eye with him.

First, he was asked to play five different positions this year, winning a utility Gold Glove for his efforts, but he saw 226 2/3 innings of second base, more than any position other than third. More importantly, his OPS when playing second base was .764, a marked increase over his overall OPS of .687 (and Jorge Polanco's .651 OPS for the full season). He's also signed through 2025 anyway, so utilizing him as a full-time player could be a way for the team to avoid having to cough up a five-figure salary for someone else.

If the front office is set on keeping Moore as a platoon or bench option, they could compete for the services of Gleyber Torres or Ha-Seong Kim, the only two free agents of note at the position. Brandon Lowe has also been discussed as a potential trade target for many teams with a similar roster weakness, but the Rays tend to drive a hard bargain, so Seattle would have to be prepared to cough up a pretty penny for his contract.

On one hand, it seems like the entire Mariners infield needs work, which is true. On the other hand, the rotation, bullpen, and outfield are rich with talent, meaning that the existing roster could be just a few deals away from reestablishing itself as a playoff contender.