3 moves that could make the Mariners AL West favorites

Sign Jorge Soler - 2 years $37M with a 3rd year club option for $18M

Jorge Soler is arguably the best bat remaining, strictly on the offensive side of things, not factoring defense. But who cares about Soler's defense? Have you seen that man hit a baseball? T-Mobile could not keep him under control as he would smash through the marine layer daily. I told one of the writers here at Sodo Mojo, that if the Mariners are worried about ticket prices, they need to sign Soler because I would pay $50 to watch that guy take batting practice. If you look at his baseball savant page, all the max exit velocities and average exit velocities are lit up red like a Christmas tree.

I touched on why the Mariners needed to sign Soler ASAP previously. He fits this team so well! Last year alone, he amassed 75% of the home runs that the Mariners lost in Eugenio Suarez and Teoscar Hernandez. He also strikes out at a much lower clip than both of those guys, a 24.3% K rate in 2023 was over 2% below the league average. The energy he brings along with his impressive strength and ability to absolutely destroy a baseball would be awesome to see hitting behind superstar Julio Rodriguez.

The Mariners have a limited budget, but you need offense and badly, and for $17-$20 million a year, you would be hard pressed to find better value that Jorge Soler.

Trade for Max Kepler - Emerson Hancock and Jonatan Clase for Kepler

The Mariners have been linked to pretty much every offensive bat this offseason, rightfully so. From Ohtani and Bellinger to Mitch Garver and Justin Turner, the Mariners are absolutely exploring every avenue of improving this offense. Why not return to a rumor that Mariners fans have heard numerous times over the last few years? Max Kepler is said to be available by the Twins as he is in the last year of his contract, coming off the best year of his career since his monstrous 2019 season. In my opinion, when you factor in cost to acquire the player, the player's salary, the offense, defense, and contractual commitment to the player, I don't think there is a better fit for the Mariners than Max Kepler.

Let's start with the money, because obviously that is the most important thing to the Mariners right now. Max Kepler is due only $10 million in 2024, his last season under club control. This is relatively cheap for a plus defender and a bat coming off a 124 wRC+ season. This would be a great way for the Mariners to fill a corner outfield spot without breaking the bank, and 1 year commitment is easier to swallow than say a 3 to 5-year deal for someone like Lourdes Gurriel, who could also command $15+ million per year.

Max Kepler would fit perfectly into T-Mobile, with an average exit velocity over 3 mph harder than the MLB average and an improved launch angle, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kepler run into 25-30 home runs in Seattle. Kepler also controls the zone very well, with a 18.4% career strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate. Finally, Max Kepler is a solid, above average right fielder, which could be very valuable with what is most likely a below average left fielder in Dom Canzone. Ultimately, Max Kepler could prove to be exactly what the Mariners need after losing Teo and Kelenic. Of the guys on this list, it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up being the biggest addition for the Mariners, all things considered.

Trade for Austin Slater

Jerry Dipoto has come out recently and said that in one of the corner outfield spots there will most likely be a platoon. On the left side of that, expect to see a lot of Dominic Canzone, who I think could really break out and replace Kelenic's production. We could also see some of Cade Marlowe, maybe even Taylor Trammel or Zach Deloach.

The Mariners will need to work to find the right-handed side of this platoon as they currently don't have any other right-handed outfield options other than Dylan Moore, and as I have stated, I think he is a strong trade candidate. In searching for the right-handed side of the platoon, the Mariners should turn to the San Francisco Giants, who now have a gluttony of outfielders after signing Jung Hoo Lee. They should target Austin Slater, a guy who has absolutely mashed against left-handed pitchers.

Like I said, Slater has absolutely dominated lefties. In his career, 787 plate appearances, he has slashed .285/.374/.463 which is good for a 131 wRC+. He has impressive CTZ rates as well, a 10.7% walk rate and a 22.7% strikeout rate. Slater is also a slightly below average centerfielder and can probably give you about average defense in left field, he just doesn't have a great arm, but he won't kill you out there. He also has an impressive baseball savant page.

With an average exit velocity of 91.1 mph, that is over 2.5 mph harder than the MLB average. He is also really good at finding the barrel, with an 11.8% barrel % which is almost double the MLB average of 6.9%. Finally, like Max Kepler, Austin Slater is a 1-year rental, but is fairly cheap at $4 million. For a platoon bat, one that is one of the best bats against lefties, that is a pretty solid deal, one that could prove very valuable for the Mariners.

I don't think Slater would be very expensive to acquire for the Mariners as he is a 1-year rental and is a platoon bat, but the Giants are a team that doesn't necessarily need to move him. They would move him if they got more value out of moving him than keeping him, say for a reliever. The Giants may also be looking to get more athletic, so someone like Cade Marlowe or Dylan Moore could make a lot of sense for them as well.

After these moves you would still have a 1-5 rotation of Castillo, Kirby, Gilbert, Miller and Woo. And you lineup would go something like JP, Julio, Soler, Kepler, Cal, Ty France, Canzone/Slater, Urias, Rojas. That is a lot more respectable lineup and one that I would put money on having a higher floor and being more reliable than the lineup they rolled out last year.