Mariners could be getting involved with one of Scott Boras' top free agents

Throughout the offseason, the Mariners have been one of the busiest teams in baseball. For the first time since Dipoto took over, the Mariners signed a hitter to a multi-year free agent contract when they inked Mitch Garver. Add that to the literal dozen trades that they have made, and the roster looks massively different than it did last year. There have been reports and rumors that they aren't done yet, and could be saving their biggest move for last. No, sorry, it's not Blake Snell.

Ryan Divish has now mentioned it multiple times, most recently on Brock and Salk, that the Mariners are in on Matt Chapman, and have been having discussions about him. Whether or not it's just a team doing due diligence or actual heat, the timing of it makes you have to wonder if it's something that could actually be in the works.

Matt Chapman to the Mariners would change the AL West

There are a couple of angles that we need to look at when thinking about Matt Chapman on the Mariners, if it was to happen. The first, and most important, is the cost. Predictions were around 5-6 years and between $20-25M AAV. It just wouldn't make sense for the Mariners to give a contract like that. It doesn't fit their M.O., and Stanton has given no indication of wanting to go that high.

What if the Mariners could get him for half that length, though? Would a 3YR/$75M deal get it done as Spring Training gets closer? Would even a 1YR deal be possible? Scott Boras has showed before that he is willing to convince his players to take a one-year deal and then go right back on the market. There is a reason he is one of the best agents in sports, as he either gets the best deal for his client or puts them in the best position. He just doesn't lose very often. 1YR/$25M?

Say they do sign him for 1-3 years. That likely gets him off the Mariners before they have to extend any of the young guys in Gilbert, Kirby, Raleigh, etc. So it could definitely work from that side of things if Stanton does wany to pay that much, and push the payroll into the 160s.

What about the fit? Chapman is a big name, one of the best defenders in the league at third base as a multi-GG winner, and hits the ball really hard. He strikes out a fair amount, but not as often as Teo/Geno/Kelenic. He also walks a lot, which would be a good add and fit in with what the Mariners like at the plate. Although his slash line of .234/.324/.429 isn't off the charts, that exit velo of 92.8 mph and hard-hit rate of 54% are incredible, and great indicators that he isn't slowing down.

It's not the massive bat the Mariners need, but locks down the hot corner on defense and gives them another dangerous bat with Garver, Dumper, and Polanco in the middle of the order.

The other part of this is how it impacts the Mariners depth. You now have Moore, Urias, and Rojas on the bench, with the latter 2 deserving of starting time, and definitely strong platoon time. You also have your backup catcher in a spot, giving you a deep bench, and one that looks better than it has at any point in the past.

Chapman on a long deal makes no sense. But the heat around him coming to the Mariners would make this team better than it's been in 20+ years, and does make a lot of sense if it's on a 1-3 year deal. Could we see one of the core four from Boras sign with the Mariners? It seems like it could be in the works.