All-time Mariners' outfield of best players who got away

With Spring Training underway and a lot of new names on the team, it's a good time to think about the players who didn't just leave this offseason, but in the past as well. WEe already went through and looked at the best players to have played on the Mariners in the infield that ended up leaving, and now it's time to move onto part 2.

This lineup is comprised of outfielders and the utility spot which the Mariners had at control of at one point in time. Players that either played for the Mariners, or who just spent time in their Minor League system. All players who the Front Office let go of in one way or another that we wonder what could have happened had they stayed in the PNW.

LF - Tyler O'Neill - (7/21/2017) OF Tyler O'Neill to St. Louis for SP Marco Gonzalez.

We love to see 1-for-1 player swaps, and this one honestly wasn't too bad of a trade for either side. Would you take Tyler O'Neill over Marco Gonzalez? I think you would at this point. But, Marco filled a need for us at the time on the pitching staff and even was our "Ace" for a couple of those years. Not to mention having his presence and personality in the clubhouse was a big plus. O'Neill has put up a 10.0 WAR over 6 seasons in St. Louis, with the majority of that coming from his 6.1 WAR season in 2021. This was also the only year he played in over 100 games.

He is still young at 28 years old, and heading into a new situation in Boston could help revive his career. We know he has the potential to be a good player in this league, having put up a .281 BA along with 34 HRs in 2021, but only time will tell.

With the Mariners receiving Marco Gonzalez in return for O'Neill, I am not overly disappointed in the deal. Would he be nice to have still? Sure. However, this trade ultimately filled a major need for the M's at the time. If we are talking for the 2024 season, though, I would hands down take O'Neill over Marco and his flaming 89mph fastball. O'Neill hasn't been an All-Star at this point in his career, but having him certainly would have been good for this team, hence why the Mariners were rumored to have been interested in trading back for him this offseason before he was shipped out to Boston.