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5 former Mariners without a job heading into Spring Training
There are a handful of former Mariners out there without a job heading into Spring Training, so we highlight the 5 who should end up signed for 2024
With how the Mariners operate, the team usually falls into the same type of spot at a couple of positions. What I mean is, they get players who sort of float through, providing sparks and a lot of short-lived fan interest that sometimes turns into a career long enjoyment for a player, even if they aren't that good.
That might seem like an odd intro for this article, but I think that it's a good descriptor for the majority of players on here. It's easy to like nearly every player on this list, and I would say that all of them are well-liked other than possibly the guy who reportedly fought his way out of town. (Spoiler?) Other than him, a lot of these players spent time as fan favorites while they were with the Mariners.
There aren't any massive names out there of former Mariners who are still looking for work. They don't have any of the big dawg Boras clients still looking for a gig, but they do have a fair amount of former players out there who are still looking to be signed as Spring Training approaches. Not only that, but these players might also still be able to make an impact on their new teams, even if it isn't as a starter.
Some have no reason to be on the list, either for how they played on the Mariners or how they played after leaving. Sorry Jesse Winker, Kolton Wong, AJ Pollock, and Tommy La Stella, but you'll find little love from Mariners fans.
Here are the 5 former Mariners' who should end up signing before the season starts that could still have a positive impact on a team for 2024.
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Mike Zunino - C - 33 years old
For that couple of years stretch in Seattle, Mike Zunino was so fun to root for. His final three years in Seattle saw him post WAR numbers of 1.8, 3.4, and 1.9. It was a nice stretch for certain, and there were plenty of times when it seemed like the Mariners had found their catcher of the future.
Instead, he would leave after the 1.9 season, playing marginally as a backup catcher in 4 of the 5 years. He dominated 2021, but that was his sole standout. Is there a chance that he could, not saying catch fire, but find a spark to provide plus WAR from the backup spot? I think so, at least enough for a 1YR/$1.5M deal for a backup catcher role.
Here's the thing. You could do a lot worse with your backup catcher. He's a decent enough defender, and can still run into a ball and knock it a mile. If a team needs 25-40 games, Zunino on a one-year option isn't a make or break move, but having a vet behind the plate who can hold his own can be a nice gap filler to give your starter the day off.
Mike Ford - 1B/DH - 31 years old
The Mariners have definitely had some fun first basemen over the years. Either their personality, a hot stretch, fun nicknames, or just some good memories to associate with a player. Mike Ford fits into that grouping, as some hot play in 2023 helped the Mariners avoid another terrible season from their DH role.
Ford was streaky, struck out a lot, and put together some rough stretches. He also managed to hit 16 HR, seeming to give the Mariners just enough pop from the position to cause opponents to have to give him just a little extra thought. He did hit just .228/.323/.475, but that was still good for an OPS+ of 122.
That seems like enough for a decent team, especially since Ford succeeds in reverse splits. Normally lefties hit righties better and vice versa, but Ford has done the opposite. For his career, he is a .268/.343/.577 hitter against lefites in 97 AB with a K rate of just 21.3%. He's best suited as a DH, but grabbing Ford on a 1YR deal to spell at 1B+DH to see if he really can help against lefties seems like a move that will be made before the season kicks off.
Matthew Boyd - SP - 33 years old
Is this cheating? Maybe. He pitched a grand total of 13.1 innings for the Mariners, making up a paltry 1.53% of the innings he has thrown in his career from a Mariners uniform.
But, that's good enough to qualify him here, as he did don M's jersey during the 2022 season. He had a ton of success in that short time frame in Seattle, making it by far the best stop of his career, or best season of his career.
He struggled a bit in 2023, but the FIP shows reason for promise for Boyd, as the 4.35 should be looked at much closer there than it should for the 5.45 ERA he had. His league rates look good, sitting at average or just better in BB rate, K rate, exit velo, and hard hit rate. He will be 33, but with less than a 1000 innings on his arm, that's not an overabundance whatsoever. Boyd should easily find a job as a long reliever or even as a back-end starter for a team in need of a starting pitcher.
Kyle Lewis - OF - 28 years old
Kyle Lewis might go down as one of those "Man, if this guy could've just stayed healthy imagine what he would of done" players that all so often get brought up in historical conversations. He won Rookie of the Year back in 2020 in the shortened season, and Mariners fans honestly salivated at the thought of a Kelenic+Lewis+Julio outfield.
Kelenic ended up kicking his way out of town, Julio is signed for life, and Lewis can't stay healthy enough to step on the field. Baseball changes, and it changes fast.
Since that ROY season in 2020, Kyle Lewis has played 36, 18, and 16 games. It hasn't been good. So why is he on here?
He showed that talent in 2020, and it wasn't that long ago. He's only going to be 28 in 2024, so he could still have some run and play in that body for sure. I'm not saying he gets back to 2020, and it's highly unlikely he ever does. I do think that if he is able to get healthy, Lewis is going to provide a team with a dangerous bat off the bench who can be a fill-in outfielder. That promise and talent alone should be enough to get him another look in 2024, even after struggling the last two seasons.
Daniel Vogelbach - DH - 31 years old
Had to save Vogey for last. Everyone loved Vogelbach, and it really seemed like the Mariners had stumbled onto something special. After hitting once in a while through his first 3 seasons for the Mariners, 2019 seemed different. Vogelbach did so well through the start of the season that he was named an All-Star. He deserved it, too.
Through 74 games played, he was slashing .251/.389/.531 with 19 HR. It went downhill after that, as he hit .161/.286/.341 with just 11 HR the rest of the way. Since then, he has hit .229/.348/.409, showing an ability to walk at a strong clip, and still provide a decent amount of homers (46).
Don't forget, he is a part of one of the greatest non-Mariners commercials we have ever seen.
He can hit righties, is a fun guy for fans to have around, and seems to be a good clubhouse veteran presence as he enters his age-31 season. I'd be quite surprised to NOT see him on a team by the time the season kicks off. A power-hitting DH with a good eye who can play first if need be, who hits well off RHP... well, it seems like that should be a bench role that he can fill. Best of luck, Vogey.
Each of those Mariners, while they aren't anything game-changing or special, could still positively impact a team this year, and are still good enough to have on the team. Best of luck to all of them in 2024.