Mariners named top landing spot for one of the best free agent infielders

For cash-strapped teams like the Seattle Mariners, acquiring free agents is always a difficult endeavor. Their performance is always priced in, so better players will seek massive contracts while the less impactful names are cheaper (but may not even be an upgrade over a team's existing bench players).

This year's corner infield candidates illustrate this best. At third base, you have Alex Bregman as the clear frontrunner and he's projected to sign for roughly $180 million. The second-most valuable free agent at third base is arguably Josh Rojas, who was non-tendered by Seattle.

The ideal balance for an organization with the frugality of the Mariners is to find a free agent who is looking for a bounce-back year after being hampered by injury, or simply underperforming relative to expectations. Those players are often willing to sign less expensive (and shorter) deals but could still prove to be incredibly impactful, which is why the latest free agent rumors are so encouraging.

In a recent article by Bleacher Report discussing the top 10 landing spots for Ha-Seong Kim, the Mariners were listed at third behind the Tigers and Dodgers. He would fill a crucial gap in the infield, one that will likely contain Ryan Bliss (102 OPS+) at second base and Dylan Moore (104 OPS+) at third base, barring any other changes. JP Crawford also missed significant time in 2024 due to an oblique strain and could face further injury problems in 2025, so having a player that could fill practically any infield position would be invaluable.

Even during a season was held back by shoulder inflammation, Kim put up respectable numbers. His 96 OPS+ was slightly below league-average but was still pretty good for a shortstop. When he was fully healthy from 2022-2023, he slashed .256/.338/.391 over 1,200 plate appearances with the Padres, so he's proven himself capable of being a great hitter. Shoulder issues definitely held back his power, but his per-pitch chase rate (18.6%), per-swing whiff rate (16.1%), and walk rate (12.3%) were all in the top decile of qualified hitters. His fielding range was also excellent, accumulating four Outs Above Average and landing in the top quartile for that statistic.

Kim being one the most well-rounded infielders in MLB comes with a potential advantage, too. Because he'll be missing a portion of 2025 to recover from shoulder surgery, MLBTradeRumors is predicting that he'll sign a one-year contract worth just $12 million — well within the financial expectations of the Mariners' front office. The team could still get 500+ plate appearances from him, and if his production matches what he did in 2022 or 2023, the contract will have paid for itself.

The team doesn't seem eager to sign anyone or trade away their best assets, but there are a still few months left in the offseason for activity to pick up. Will they surprise fans at the eleventh hour or remain on the bench?