Jim Bowden's contract projection for J.P. Crawford would nix a Mariners reunion

The Seattle Mariners (hopefully) have big fish to fry this offseason, with roster needs that include a big bat and an impact relief pitcher. Some bench depth would also be a good idea, and the door should remain open to J.P. Crawford if he's for real about becoming a utility infielder.

But at what cost?

Jim Bowden of The Athletic has contract projections out for his top 40 free agents for the MLB offseason, and he has Crawford A) ranked 38th on the list and B) projected for two years and $20 million.

For the Mariners, that wouldn't be a discount after the two sides finished off a five-year, $51 million contract this season. Even if they do have as much as $30-40 million to add to next year's payroll, committing a quarter or even a third of that to Crawford wouldn't make for good roster math.

He's 31 years old and coming off the worst of his eight seasons as a Mariner, playing in 116 games and managing just 0.9 rWAR. His shift to third base in deference to Colt Emerson was a nice gesture, but it ultimately did little to quell question marks looming over Crawford's diminishing range and arm strength.

There's a needle to thread for a Mariners-J.P. Crawford reunion to make sense

All that said, it's not hard to see a scenario in which another team values Crawford as a starter or something reasonably close to an everyday regular.

He can still give good at-bats at the plate. The .335 OBP he posted this year is more or less in line with his career mark of .340, and he finished strong with a .363 OBP in September. Defensively, there may yet be more arm strength to come if he's able to strengthen his shoulder during the winter. It was compromised by injury from Day 1 this year, and he indicated that he played more than half the season with one good arm.

Bowden has the St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins as fits for Crawford, and that's reasonable enough. Both have an opening for a left-handed hitter at third base. Each also has a lineup that skews younger, and could thus benefit from Crawford's clubhouse presence.

As for what Crawford wants, there are still echoes of the times he spoke of wanting to finish his career with the Mariners. The team needs to keep those in mind, and even be prepared to act as the price is right. If he could be brought back as a platoon infielder capable of playing all four spots, that could work so long as the trade-off is Brendan Donovan seeing more time in the outfield.

It's just that the "right price" in this case should be more like one year for seven figures, not two for eight per. Crawford absolutely should jump at the chance to get a deal like that if he can, but that's when his goodbye to the Mariners would become official.

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