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

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.