3 needs the Mariners still have to become serious contenders in the AL West

No. 1 priority: Right-Handed outfielder

The Mariners have overhauled their outfield, in a way, compared to the start of 2023. In 2023, they rolled out Teoscar Hernandez, Julio Rodriguez, and a mix of Jarred Kelenic and AJ Pollock. This seemed to be a solid mix early on, but after some early struggles from Pollock and a near second-half collapse from Kelenic (after a dominant first half), there were a lot of questions surrounding how the Mariners would address their offense and corner outfield positions coming into the 2023-24 offseason.

The Mariners made it abundantly clear that they were going to be making some serious changes to this roster when they dealt the former top prospect (Kelenic), in nothing more than a salary dump. They didn't extend the qualifying offer to Hernandez (who ended up on a one-year deal with the Dodgers), pointing to some serious changes coming to the outfield when Dipoto stated that they wanted to cut down on strikeouts and improve the overall contact ability of their offense.

They have added a high strikeout bat in Luke Raley, but someone who might possess more power than both Kelenic and Hernandez. They also added Haniger, though his addition was more to even salaries with the Giants. This is where the first priority for the Mariners lies; a solid right-handed hitting outfielder.

We mentioned a few options earlier, but the Mariners would be smart to further raise their floor with a solid defender that mashes lefties like Michael A. Taylor, a bat first corner outfielder like Adam Duvall, or a solid switch-hitting corner outfielder (his numbers are significantly better vs LHP) like Robbie Grossman. All of these outfielders should fit within the Mariners remaining budget and could prove very valuable come midseason when injuries or just natural struggles take place.