3 moves that could make the Mariners AL West favorites

With the first big domino falling, Ohtani to the Dodgers, their division rival followed suit signing the KBO star JUng Hoo Lee to a 6-year deal worth $113 million. Now the rest of the offseason should really get underway, hopefully, the Mariners get that memo.

With few moves being made by the rest of the MLB outside of the NL West, the Mariners could surprise fans and get a jump on the rest of the class. They have some payroll to work with after clearing Eugenio Suarez, Marco Gonzales, and Evan White's contracts off the books. Ironically, I think we will see the largest free agent contract handed out in the Jerry Dipoto era this offseason. However, that isn't hard to beat considering it was a 1-year, $7 million agreement with AJ Pollock last offseason.

According to Spotrac, the Mariners are just under $114 million with the way their current roster sits. After these 3 moves, and assuming they traded Dylan Moore and his $3.1 million this year, this would put the Mariners total payroll around $143 million. This is basically where they ended last year regarding their payroll. Yes, they will still need to add, but you will have taken care of some of the biggest needs on the team, all while retaining your young pitching staff, something Dipoto seems reluctant to trade away.

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.