FanSided

3 Players That Will Start But May Not End the Season with the Mariners

Who are some players that might be released or sent off to different teams before the year's end?

By Jason Wang |
Texas Rangers v Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers v Seattle Mariners / Steph Chambers/GettyImages
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Baseball rosters change a lot, arguably more than in any other major American sport. When it comes to clearing roster space in the middle of the season, teams that are seen as playoff contenders tend to make trades to acquire talent now, while teams that have thrown in the towel seek to invest in their future. Whether the Mariners decide to trade for present or future value, certain players are more likely to get left behind than others, so let's take a look at some of the names that might be sent away as soon as this season.

Josh Rojas

Josh Rojas came aboard following a blockbuster trade that sent Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks and although he was mildly productive with his new team (103 OPS+ over 134 PAs), he saw a significant decline in performance towards the final months of 2023. After a .783 OPS in August, he slipped to a .652 OPS in September and returned to expectations.

Many of his Savant figures including his xwOBA, average exit velocity, and barrel-rate were in the bottom quartile among qualified hitters. His defensive capabilities and six outs above average were nifty but on a team with already incredible pitching, his offensive shortcomings simply overshadow any contributions he'd make with his glove. Furthermore, with ZiPS projecting him to post a similarly dismal .643 OPS and 83 OPS+, the Mariners might be better off playing Dylan Moore at second base while #1 ranked Cole Young continues to develop into a prolific middle infielder.

With an arbitration salary of $3.1 million, Rojas isn't breaking the bank but his salary can still be a considerable amount for a relatively frugal team like the Mariners. Without much foreseeable future value and with younger talent already on the rise, it might not make the most sense for him to stick around for much longer.

Anthony DeSclafani

Acquired from the Giants as part of the Robbie Ray trade, DeSclafani is still trying to recreate the magic of his outstanding 2021 season. After posting a 3.17 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 167 ⅔ innings, he's yet to pitch more than 100 innings in a season since. Over the combined 118 ⅔ innings he did pitch, he averaged a lukewarm 5.16 ERA and 1.37 WHIP, steep declines from just two years ago.

Much of that missed time is due to injury, after receiving right ankle surgery in 2022 and a right elbow flexor strain in 2023. He'll be right around 34 years old by opening day so there's not telling how much toll back-to-back season-ending injuries will have taken on his ability to reach peak condition. Even if he ready to pitch on opening day, how many starts would he be able to make before hitting the injured list again? With a $12 million salary, his expected production just doesn't make financial or baseball sense given the circumstances.

While there may still be life in his pitching career, there doesn't really seem to be room for him in the Mariners rotation. As things currently stand, there may not even be room for promising #6 ranked prospect Emerson Hancock. With more incentive to retain and develop their young nucleus of pitching talent, it seems unlikely that DeSclafani fits in the Mariners pitcher picture.

Ty France

Ty France is not your prototypical first baseman. Most first basemen are expected to make up for their defensive weaknesses with a plus-bat. They often hit for power over contact and usually boast the highest OPS numbers on the team. Last year, Matt Olson (.993 OPS), Freddie Freeman (.977 OPS), and Yandy Diaz (.932) were the three best-hitting first basemen while Ty France (.703 OPS) was 17th out of 20 qualified players. More importantly, the difference between 16th ranked Andrew Vaughn (.743 OPS) and France was bigger than the difference between France and last-ranked Jose Abreu (.679 OPS).

While it might be concerning that his OPS+ went from 125 in 2022 to 99 in 2023, what's more important to look at is the fact that his expected stats were actually quite similar. In fact, his xwOBA of .342 was the second-highest mark of his career, trailing just his 2020 season where he had 500 fewer plate appearances. Between 2022 and 2023, his average exit velocity, barrel-rate, and strikeout rates have all remained within the same ballpark (no pun intended). The thing that has changed the most has been his luck.

The biggest difference between his expected stats and his realize stats were in his slugging. His xSLG of .420 was significantly better than his actual SLG of just .366. Whether he fell victim to defensive wizardry, poor wind conditions, or some divine action is still unclear. What's not unclear is that at his newly agreed upon salary of $6.775 million, France will have to make significant improvements to his hitting if he wants to stick around.

With offense still their primary concern, Seattle is also incentivized to pursue power bats at the position if they want to stay competitive in an increasingly sweaty division. Hopefully his time at Driveline this offseason will pay dividends for him and the Mariners organization.

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