3 Options for the Mariners at 3rd Base if Luis Urias is Hurt

While the vibes have been high and the team has looked impressive so far in the early stages of spring training, not all is well in Peoria. On Tuesday, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (paywall) wrote about some of the injuries that have popped up this spring already. While the potential injury result of rising star reliever Matt Brash could have the biggest impact on the team, the issues with winter acquisition Luis Urías could be the most disappointing.

Urías, a potential star infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers as recently as 2021 and arguably even in 2022, was acquired by the Mariners after a rough go in 2023 that saw him split time between the Brewers and Red Sox. Hoping to bounce back at only 26 years old and in a platoon role at 3B, a shoulder injury has Urías looking like a lock to enter the season on the IL. To add more salt to the wound, it was reported by Divish that Urías showed up to Spring Training in “less-than-stellar shape” after a pretty lackluster performance this winter in the Mexican Pacific Winter League.

For a guy whose once-promising career appears on the brink, this is a pretty brutal double whammy for Urías. It's hard to fathom him being healthy enough to make the necessary throws from 3rd base, which could have major repercussions on Seattle's lineup and defense going into a make-or-break season. 

With that said, here are 3 options at 3B, considering the Luis Urías news.

Option #1: Trust in Josh Rojas & in-house vets

In what is arguably the most boring option, giving Josh Rojas and the in-house company control is the most likely scenario. Urías does still have an option left, so Seattle could let him get healthy and in shape while down in Tacoma, forcing him to earn his way back. It might not matter all that much if Seattle gets the Josh Rojas they acquired last summer.

Added along with Dom Canzone and Ryan Bliss in the Paul Sewald trade, Rojas was having a nightmarish season (62 OPS+) before a resurgence in his final 46 games in Seattle (103 OPS+). He will never provide the power or defense that Eugenio Suarez brought to the ballpark the past two seasons, but Rojas should be a more consistent contact hitter who provides speed, versatility, and energy to this roster. As the left-handed side of a 3B platoon, the Mariners could do much worse if the Seattle version of Rojas is here to stay.

As for his platoon counterpart, expect to see a trio of players battle for the opportunity that appears open at third. Dylan Moore is paid and expected to be a valuable utility piece to this ball club in 2024, but health, inconsistencies, and not a ton of 3B experience in the past few years are a concern. Michael Chavis is 3rd baseman/utility infielder who has struggled offensively in the bigs but has had a solid start to spring. The third challenger should be Samad Taylor, who comes over in a trade with KC. Known more as a major speed threat who can play multiple positions, Taylor has shown some real power early on in Peoria.

Option #2: Move Polanco to 3rd and/or give the young guns a chance

When the Seattle Mariners traded four pieces to the Minnesota Twins for Jorge Polanco, the focus on the deal was acquiring a potential all-star caliber bat, not a gold glover. While Polanco is considered a slightly below-average defender, his ability to play both second base and third may prove to be extremely valuable.

If Josh Rojas ends up reverting to his 2023 Arizona numbers, and the backups are playing like backups, then Seattle may need to make some tough decisions by the first month plus of the season. This also likely means that Seattle will decide (be forced) to give some of the young talented prospects in their system an early shot.

In this scenario, there are a few routes Seattle could take. The most obvious move would be calling up Ryan Bliss to play 2nd base. Bliss had an extremely productive run after joining the Mariners in Tacoma and dominated in the AFL. Watch some of his tape and it doesn't take long for him to not remind you of a certain arch-rival 2nd baseman in Houston. Altuve has put up Hall of Fame caliber numbers (cheater), so the comparison is unfair, but the speed and aggression are there for Bliss.

While Bliss would likely be the man in this aggressive scenario, don't be stunned if at some point we see Polanco stay or go back to 2nd base, while the M’s call up promising prospect Tyler Locklear, who can play both infielder corners, or maybe even super prospect Cole Young.

Dipoto in a recent interview discussed how excited they are about these two guys, and how they may be closer to the Show than people think. Judging by what we saw from Cole Young so far in Spring Training, the future may be the present.