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4 Replacements the Mariners could look at after trading away Jarred Kelenic

With Kelenic being included in yet another salary dump for the Mariners, we explore their options to replace him in the corner outfield.

By Tanner Vogt |
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Detroit Tigers v Seattle Mariners / Alika Jenner/GettyImages
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Late Sunday night, the Mariners announced a trade that resulted in dumping the salaries of Evan White and Marco Gonzales. This seems fine and dandy until you realize that they had to create another hole in their offense by including former top prospect, Jarred Kelenic. The Mariners were able to clear about $15 million in this trade and Dipoto stated that they intended to put that to use to improve the club immediately. There are a few solid corner outfield bats on the free agent market, and the Mariners have plenty of ammunition to get a stud outfielder with their depth of starting pitchers as well as their farm system.

Many might question why you really need the $15 million to be cleared to make the club better as you have already gotten rid of the contracts of Teoscar Hernandez and Eugenio Suarez from last year's club. I think this signals a pretty significant move coming soon. It could be for a starting pitcher like Yamamoto or Snell, or it could be for an outfielder, or maybe even a trade where the Mariners needed the space to take on more salary.

No matter how you slice it, the Mariners need to get better in the outfield. There are a few solid corner outfield bats on the free agent market, and the Mariners have plenty of ammunition to get a stud outfielder with their depth of starting pitchers as well as their farm system. Today are going to look at 4 realistic options for the Mariners to replace Jarred Kelenic.

Mariners Trade for their bat

Randy Arozarena

Randy Arozarena has been made available, and the Rays haven't really tried to hide that fact. We have talked about the possibility of the Mariners adding Arozarena this offseason multiple times, the fit just makes so much sense. Arozarena is in the 2nd year of arbitration and estimated to earn around $9 million dollars and this is when the Rays typically look to move players. The Rays have a serious need in their rotation after they have been decimated with injuries.

Arozarena is a borderline star in this game, but I think has been sort of buried in Tampa Bay. I would love to see him and Julio roaming the outfield together, they would just bring such good energy. Arozarena had a really good 2023, but he has been that level of player since he came into the league. He has a career slash line of .265/.351/.451, with a 128 wRC+, and has had at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the last 3 years. He fits the mold of reducing strikeouts with a career 25.4% strikeout rate.

In my opinion, Arozarena is the perfect fit for this team and would be the second or third-best bat on the team behind Julio and maybe JP Crawford. He can play every day in left field and add a really good bat in the middle of the lineup behind Julio.

Mariners Offer out the biggest free agent contract in Dipoto Era

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

The largest contract handed out to a free agent in the Jerry Dipoto era was last year when they gave AJ Pollock a 1 year $7M deal. They haven't been shy about extending players they have identified like Julio and Luis Castillo, but it would be amazing to see them sign a free agent to a relatively large deal this offseason, especially after they have completed multiple moves to shed salary.

The last few years the Mariners have been hesitant to sign the bigger name free agents because of the lengths of the contracts. I think this is why they could show some interest in former Diamondback, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Spotrac estimates Gurriel will get a 5-year deal worth about $14 million per year and I think that is a pretty solid number. It's similar to the deal Andrew Benintendi signed last offseason for 5 years and $75 million. I think this is a pretty solid number and one that isn't a huge risk for Dipoto and the Mariners.

Gurriel fits the mold of what the Mariners are trying to do, limit strikeouts, with a 19.6% career strikeout rate. He has a career slash of .279/.324/.466 with a 113 wRC+, so he doesn't walk much, but he makes a lot of contact and doesn't strike out. He has 3 seasons of 20+ home runs and was worth 2.1 wins in 2023. He would be a solid addition to left field and give the Mariners a solid middle-of-the-lineup hitter that will hit 30+ doubles and 15-20 home runs while limiting strikeouts. I really like Gurriel's fit, if he is the 2nd or 3rd best bat that you add this offseason, and with the salary space they have added, I think that could be possible.

Mariners go the international route

Jung-Hoo Lee

Jung-Hoo Lee is a pretty big question mark this offseason. Lee is a 25-year-old outfielder who had a really good 2022 season at the age of 23. He slashed .349/.421/.575 with 23 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. He dealt with injuries in his age-24 season playing only 86 games while slashing .318/.406/.455 with 6 home runs. From the reports I have read, Lee is a plus runner and a solid defender in the corner. He fits the type of player that Dipoto seems eager to add this offseason with a career on-base percentage of .407 and a K/BB ratio of 304/383.

MLB Trade Rumors put out their predictions for the top 50 free agents this offseason and in that, estimated that Lee would get a 5-year deal worth $50 million dollars. I think that this is probably a pretty reasonable offer for Lee, as there are some concerns about his ability on defense, a lot of it comes from playing centerfield. He doesn't fit the prototypical corner outfielder, he's unlikely to hit more than 20 home runs regularly, putting more pressure on the contact skills.

I think if the Mariners were able to sign him to a contract for around that $10 million AAV mark, he would make a solid addition and be someone that could hit in the bottom half of the lineup and limit strikeouts and provide good, solid at bats at the bottom of a lineup. He could eventually prove to be a solid hitter and maybe work his way into the 1 or 2 hole. The investment wouldn't be a huge investment but one that could prove to be a very good investment if he can continue to improve, something that isn't unrealistic considering he is only 25.

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