Few teams around the league have needed infield help this offseason more than the Seattle Mariners; by now we are all well aware of this fact. However, it seems that the Mariners themselves have yet to fully come to terms with this.
As of right now, the Mariners need help at first, second, and third base, and the list of available options isn't exactly growing at this stage in the game. Free agents are flying off the board left and right, yet Seattle's front office has sat on their hands.
If the season began tomorrow, the Mariners would be forced to roll with glove-first utility player Dylan Moore as their everyday third baseman, which would basically be the worst-case scenario. The 32-year-old batted .201 and hit only 10 home runs this past season. That doesn't help Seattle's offensive problems.
The Mariners have very few third base options to realistically pick from
With Hyeseong Kim signing in Los Angeles on a three-year deal with the Dodgers, a prime free agent came off the board. Now, Seattle is forced to pick from the best of the rest since they're not going to be able to afford Alex Bregman or a trade for Nolan Arenado's or Eugenio Suarez's contracts.
The rest of the market is looking fairly bleak, with Ha-Seong Kim representing the best of the bunch. He's a risk due to the fact that he's going to miss time to start the 2025 campaign while recovering from right shoulder surgery, and he's coming off of a down year at the plate.
Other options include the unreliable Paul DeJong, the total wild-card Yoan Moncada, and the light-hitting Jose Iglesias.
MLB Trade Rumors highlighted a pair of NL East third baseman who could both use a change of scenery. Brett Baty of the Mets is a former top prospect whose shine has faded considerably over years of underperformance and totally falling short of expectations.
However, Alec Bohm of the Phillies remains an intriguing option. As has been the case all along, the Mariners are just going to have to budge on their willingness to give up talent to acquire talent. The Phillies have had a rich asking price to this point, but the Mariners may just get desperate enough to give in.
Bohm, 28, hit 15 home runs in 2024 while tying a career-high with 97 RBI. His .779 OPS and 117 OPS+ both were well better than league-average, but many around the Phillies were underwhelmed with what they saw. Still, he's young, controllable and has a bat that is a perfect fit for the offense-hungry Mariners.
Bregman is going to be too expensive, Arenado is too risky, and the free-agent market is just about dried up. If the Mariners are serious about giving this another go in 2025, they're going to have to walk the walk and pull the trigger on a trade that'd upgrade their roster. Bohm fits the bill.