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3 players whose Mariners future could be cut short after Winter Meetings

With the MLB Winter Meetings set to begin, Dipoto is going to be active. The roster is set to undergo changes, and as we focus on additions, what players could be on their way out of Seattle?

By Tanner Vogt |
Houston Astros v Seattle Mariners
Houston Astros v Seattle Mariners / Steph Chambers/GettyImages
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As the Winter Meetings quickly approach, Mariners fans should expect Dipoto to be active. After the DFA of Mike Ford, the trade of Geno, and letting Teo walk, the Mariners have certainly taken the approach to cut back strikeouts to a level most fans did not realize. With those subtractions as well as the rumors of the Mariners trading from their starting pitching depth for a bat, it seems like this roster could be in for a pretty significant overhaul. We know they need to add, but with those additions, who could be on their way out of Seattle?

Dylan Moore

I said previously, the Mariners have certainly been intentional in getting rid of players that strike out a lot. Hence why I think Dylan Moore will be gone, in fact, I feel pretty confident that he will be gone in some sort of move, especially with Jose Caballero, Josh Rojas and the recent acquisition of Luis Urias.

He had a 33.9% strikeout rate in 2023, that is just awful! I think Dylan Moore is a solid player and has a good role as a super utility player, but with his career strikeout rate of 30.5% as well as being a .208 career hitter could see him on his way out of town. Caballero had a great year in 2023, with a 2.2 fWAR, and had a manageable 23.6% strikeout rate and a solid 10% walk rate. I think they will feel more comfortable having Jose Caballero be the sort of utility infielder.

The other part of this is that Dipoto has shown that he is looking to save money in addition to cutting the strikeouts down and Dylan Moore is making just over $6.5 million dollars over the next two years, and I think there is certainly a better way to spend that money, perhaps another high leverage reliever.

Jarred Kelenic

Kelenic was a top prospect just a couple of years ago, one that was regularly debated as being on the same level as Julio Rodriguez. Those expectations are certainly gone, but I think he has the ability to be an everyday 2–3-win outfielder. The Mariners, however, might not want to wait for him to reach that potential. He still possesses a lot of value in a trade and could better fit a team not necessarily looking to contend, where he doesn't face the same type of pressure.

The other part of this fits the team of the intro and the first guy I identified, Kelenic strikes out a lot! Kelenic has a career strikeout rate of 30.7% and while you can deal with that if a guy is hitting 30 home runs, Kelenic just hasn't shown that yet. He ran a 31.7% strikeout rate in 2023 and there is most definitely a scenario where the Mariners look to package him in a deal and get someone in a corner outfield spot with a higher contact ability and lower strikeout rate.

A Starting pitcher

I took the easy way out on this one. I think the Mariners could deal from any one of Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo. I think there is a higher likelihood they sign Ohtani than trading Logan Gilbert, but there is a slight possibility. Ultimately, I don't think they will deal a pitcher at the MLB Winter Meetings, as I think it is more likely that they deal one after all of the big-name pitchers have signed and the market gets thin.

I know I have proposed a lot of trade ideas of them dealing from starting pitcher for a solid young controllable bat, but I am not completely in support of trading from their starting pitching depth. I understand if they do it and get a young corner outfielder, or a young third or second baseman, but I think the trades are just so hard to work through. If it happens at the MLB Winter Meetings, I think it will be a team that is ready to contend and doesn't want to wait for the free agency market dry up and be hung out to dry. That team, in my opinion, would get aggressive and offer a package of players that the Mariners just couldn't refuse.

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