Mariners News: Brian Anderson, Edgar Martinez, and more in a Q&A session

How do we make space for Brian Anderson?

Brian Anderson is an interesting contender for the third base job in Seattle, a role whose full-time occupant is yet to be determined. Neither Josh Rojas nor Luis Urias have made immensely compelling cases thus far in Spring Training. Urias has batted quite well (.916 OPS over 33 plate appearances) but has seemingly struggled throwing to first base, especially since experiencing shoulder inflammation earlier in the offseason.

Anderson, on the other hand, has his own set of issues. He was released by the Brewers after a lackluster year at the plate and signed a minor league contract with the Mariners in late February. In his best years with the Marlins (2018 and 2019), Anderson was a strong hitter with a decent glove. In the past two years, he's regressed to a near-replacement level. Although his barrel rate is slightly above average, his average exit velocity and high strikeout rates are both in the bottom quartile of qualified players. The only thing he truly excels at is arm strength. He averaged 88.7 mph on his throws from third base and a whopping 96.0 mph from the outfield.

Arm strength is a great tool to have, but to hold down a starting job in the big leagues, you'll need a little more than that. It'll be interesting to see how he performs in the minors this year and if he'll be able to fix enough issues to claw his way onto the 26-man roster. In the event that he does somehow make it to the top, I imagine that Seattle will end up optioning Luis Urias or Josh Rojas, or trading one of them for a prospect or two. Both players still have one option left so depending on the faith of the front office,.