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3 free agents the Mariners missed out on last offseason

Heading into the 2022/23 offseason, the Mariners needed to add offense (sound familiar?). Here are some players that they missed out on in Free Agency

By Ryne Degroot |
New York Yankees v Seattle Mariners
New York Yankees v Seattle Mariners / Steph Chambers/GettyImages
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The 2023 Seattle Mariners season was quite a disappointment from a fan's perspective. They went from being in the playoffs in the 2022 season and looking like a team that had the pieces to compete for a World Series in 2023 if they made the right moves in the offseason. Instead, the front office decided to take a different approach and go for players who were older and hoping to bounce back from their 2022 seasons. The big acquisitions of last offseason were a trade for Teoscar Hernandez and Kolton Wong, and signing A.J. Pollock and Tommy La Stella. Only one of the four would be on the team come August.

It sucked seeing the Mariners close the gap with the Astros in the standings and miss the playoffs by one game. In a pretty average field of AL teams in the playoffs. I can't help but think that if the Mariners front office would have done more in the offseason that they could have been the AL team playing the Diamondbacks in the World Series. Let's look at three free agents the Mariners missed out on last offseason that could have helped them in 2023.

Miami Marlins v Milwaukee Brewers
Miami Marlins v Milwaukee Brewers / Stacy Revere/GettyImages

Mariners Free Agent Miss #1: Josh Bell

Josh Bell was someone I was hoping the Mariners would try to sign last offseason. He went to the Guardians on 2 year $33 million deal last offseason. He didn't have the best stats with the Guardians who at the deadline dealt him to the Marlins for their push for the postseason. He was much better in 2023 once he got to the Marlins. In 97 games with the Guardians he had an OPS+ of 96, and a slash line of .233/.318/.383, he just wasn't very good with the Indians. In 53 games with the Marlins he hit the same amount of home runs he hit with the Guardians which was 11. He had an OPS+ of 119 and a slash line of .270/.338/.480. He was much better with the Marlins and helped them make it to the playoffs.

I think having Josh Bell would have helped the Mariners in 2023 and honestly the price wasn't even that bad. For 30 year old left handed first baseman. 2 years $33 million doesn't seem that bad. He would have helped balance out our lineup, which the Mariners really needed. I am also surprised they didn't try to acquire him at the deadline when Ty France was struggling. Bell has an opt out in his contract, so maybe Jerry will try this offseason to sign him.

Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks - Game Three
Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks - Game Three / Norm Hall/GettyImages


Mariners Free Agent Miss #2: J.D. Martinez

I remember last offseason when there were reports of J.D. Martinez being seen at a restaurant in Seattle. If memory serves, he even posted something on social media when he was at Pike Place Market and it got fans hearts racing. I was pretty pumped because I was hoping they would sign him to a deal, but then he signed a 1-year deal for $10 million with the Dodgers, Mariners signed A.J. Pollock for $3 million less...

In 2023 J.D. Martinez was a 1.9 WAR player, with a slash line of .271/.321/.572 and an OPS+ of 134. Martinez was an above-average player for the Dodgers. He had 33 homeruns, 103 RBI's, overall he had a solid year for the Dodgers, the only thing that was bad was his 31.1% K rate and his 7.1% walk rate, both below MLB average. Martinez was better than all of the free agents the Mariners brought in and could have helped the Mariners win that 1 extra game they needed to get into the playoffs.

Oakland Athletics v Los Angeles Angels
Oakland Athletics v Los Angeles Angels / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages


Mariners Free Agent Miss #3: Brandon Drury

The last free agent the Mariners missed out on was Brandon Drury. Drury signed a 2 year $17 million deal with the Angels last offseason. A pretty cheap price for a 30-year-old who can play multiple positions. In 2023 Drury was a 1.8 WAR player on an underwhelming Angels team. He had a slash line of .262/.306/.497 and an OPS+ of 114, Drury had 26 home runs and 83 RBI's. While his on base percentage wasn't the best he still had an above-average year for the Angels.

Drury could have been Mariners second baseman or that super utility player that the Mariners like so much. Down the stretch he would have helped the lineup when Servais had to put out lineups with Caballero and Haggerty at the end of the season.

Have to think that if the Mariners had 1 of these 3 players in the 2023 season the Mariners make the playoffs, since the Mariners were only 1 win away from the playoffs. Let's hope that Jerry and this front office actually go for it and sign some hitters this offseason. The fans deserve it.

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