Mariners' plan to take down the Astros now involves a former Houston menace

When it comes to the type of player who would appeal to the Seattle Mariners fanbase, what would this include? Well, we feel very confident that a versatile, right-handed bat who can hit lefties and has inflicted pain on the Houston Astros would fit the profile. Step forward Andy Ibáñez.

As per Francys Romero of Beisbol.comFR, Ibáñez has signed a minor league deal with the Mariners and will report to Triple-A Tacoma. The 33-year-old was released last Friday by the New York Mets and he was always going to find at least some interest in his services. In a lot of ways, he's the type of bargain pickup that president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto loves.

Ibáñez enjoyed his most success during three seasons with the Tigers between 2023-25, when he batted .251 with a .684 OPS and compiled a 3.8 bWAR in 304 games. His best season came in 2023, when he hit .264 with a .744 OPS on the way to a career-high 1.9 bWAR. However, arguably the highlight of his time in Detroit came the following year, when he ended the Astros' season in the playoffs:

Aside from showing Ibáñez can be clutch in big moments, this is only enhanced by the fact it came against Astros' six-time All-Star reliever Josh Hader. Goodness knows the Mariners could use someone who can hit against southpaws, with them ranked second-worst this season with a team .220 batting average and 25th with a .676 OPS. For his career Ibanez has hit .272 with a .753 OPS versus left-handed pitching, and in that 2024 season specifically he batted .292 with a .802 OPS.

It's not all a bed of roses with Andy Ibáñez, but there's still more to like than dislike with his signing

Before we get too carried away, it's only right we also point out that Ibáñez dipped during his final year in Detroit. In addition, this season he has only made 14 combined Major League appearances for the Athletics and then Mets, producing a -0.6 bWAR in the process. However, he did hit .310 with a .807 OPS while in the Mets' minor league system, including .269 with a .723 OPS during 31 games in Triple-A Syracuse.

The Havana, Cuba native also offers some invaluable defensive versatility, with the ability to play at first, second and third base, and even at shortstop and the outfield corners if needed. It helps that he has excellent Range (OAA) which reached a peak of the 91st percentile in 2024, to highlight his above-average glovework.

At the very least, Ibáñez offers a nice bit of depth. And maybe ... just maybe ... there's still something left in the tank to recreate a similar scenario to that hit in Houston, if he gets the opportunity in Seattle with the Mariners.

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