Looking to upgrade, here are 4 Corner Infielders for the Mariners to Pursue in Free Agency

In 2022, Ty France and Eugenio Suarez were two of the best members of a breakout Mariners team that made it to the ALDS after a 20-year postseason drought. Ty France slashed .274/.338/.436 and received his first-ever all-star nod. Suarez posted a .791 OPS (129 OPS+) and had some magical moments that included a walk-off home run against the Atlanta Braves to keep up the end-of-season momentum.

But this year was different. Both guys hit right around league-average (Ty France - 99 OPS+, Eugenio Suarez 101 OPS+) and were generally less-impressive than the year prior. Suarez improved significantly as a fielder, keeping his rWAR at a reasonable 2.2, but France's rWAR of 0.7 was significantly lower than that of his other two seasons with the Mariners.

Assuming the Mariners want to explore the current free agent market, finding offensive upgrades at the infield corners could be their first item on their grocery list, so let's take a look at who's available.

Mariners upgrade #1 - Josh Bell (1B)

There were two versions of Josh Bell we saw last year. The first was an underwhelming offensive addition to the Cleveland Guardians that posted a .701 OPS (96 OPS+) over 393 plate appearances. The second was a power bat that had the fourth-highest OPS (.818, 119 OPS+) on a playoff-bound Miami Marlins. Assuming Bell decides to forgo exercising his $16.5mm player option, the Mariners might be able to pursue the latter this offseason.

Bell might be one of the more underrated hitters in baseball. While he's not quite the best in any one area, he's very good at almost everything, a sort of jack-of-all-trades. Most importantly, despite having great exit velocity (90.9 mph on average, maximum of 114.0 mph), he struck out at an average rate and walked pretty frequently (10.2%, 72nd percentile). In today's game, it's quite rare to find sluggers and home-run hitters who are also able to avoid strikeouts and low batting averages.

Bell might be an expensive addition but his hitter profile and switch-hitting capabilities just might make him worth it.

Mariners upgrade #2 - Jeimer Candelario (3B)

How one evaluates Jeimer Candelario largely depends on how much emphasis is placed on his short stint with the Chicago Cubs. A slash line of .234/.318/.445 over 157 plate appearances is somewhat underwhelming but it's important to recognize that he spent most of the season with the Nationals where he posted an improved .258/.342/.481 over 419 plate appearances.

Like Bell, Candelario is more of a well-rounded hitter than a one-dimensional threat. Most importantly, he struck out at a 22% clip this past season, significantly lower than Eugenio Suarez's strikeout rate of 30.8% in 2023. He also serves as a switch-hitter and is capable of sending the ball to all parts of the field.

Candelario isn't the most impressive defender the hot corner has ever seen and would likely end up being a fielding downgrade from Suarez but given the talent of the Mariners pitching staff, it's like they would prefer more run support over more defense. Candelario fits the bill and is an unrestricted free agent.

Mariners Upgrade #4 - Matt Chapman (3B)

Matt Chapman's performance to the All-Star break was exceptional. He had an .807 OPS and was an extremely effective defender as per usual. He regressed significantly in the second half, posting a .663 OPS but it's clear that he's got the tools needed to find the magic again.

He doesn't look like it, but Chapman is one of the hardest-hitting players in the sport. His average exit velocity (93.4 mph), barrel % (17.1%), and hard-hit % (56.4%) are all in the 98th percentile or higher. Specifically, his hard-hit rate was second only to Aaron Judge, beating out key names like Matt Olson and Juan Soto.

Unlike the other names on this list, Chapman also has immense defensive value. He posted five OAA and 12 DRS, the usual fielding numbers for a two-time platinum glove winner, and is also nominated for a gold glove this year.

He's ranked as the third-best free agent this offseason by MLB, behind just Cody Bellinger and Shohei Ohtani. However, it's reported that the Yankees and Mets are currently interested in him so if the Mariners want to make a move, they'd better make it fast.