Mariners Rumors: MLB insider links top free agent slugger to Seattle

The story of this offseason for Seattle is going to be the exact same as it has been the last three or four years: upgrade the offense! The Mariners possess one of the best rotations in baseball with an anchor in the back of the bullpen as good as anyone's in Andres Munoz. However, their lackluster offense cost them a chance at really making a splash in the postseason.

As Jerry Dipoto stated, the outfield is set with Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez and Victor Robles. JP Crawford is locked in as the team's shortstop and Cal Raleigh is one of the best catchers in the game (and he emphasized that with a historic 2024 season).

This leaves three of the four infield spots and a DH (though the Mariners may opt to rotate players there) to improve at, and this is a tough free agent class to address infield issues. There are quite a few sluggers at first base that could really add some thump to this Mariners lineup, but how well do they actually fit?

Bob Nightengale links Seattle Mariners to Mets slugging first baseman Pete Alonso

Pete Alonso is set to be one of the most desirable names in a pretty talented first base class. Seattle would surely welcome him to their lineup, but at the expected cost and bidding war that is likely to ensue, how realistic is it that the Mariners will be fighting for his services? Some might say that it is extremely unlikely. Even though USA Today's Bob Nightengale linked Alonso to the Mariners, he will be out of the team's expected price range (Alonso will probably cost ~$20+ million per year).

Alonso is one of the best slugging first baseman in the league, averaging 42 home runs per season (excluding 2020, of course) since his MLB debut. He's a career .249/.340/.515 hitter and has the type of power that would play in any ballpark, even the tough confines of T-Mobile Park. So why does this move not make sense? Well, on paper it does. He would immediately become one of the team's two best hitters, but if John Stanton has shown us anything, it's that the budget will be tight and Dipoto will have to get creative.

Acquiring Alonso is something that has been brought up repeatedly but comes with serious repercussions. It would likely mean the team has to trade one of Logan Gilbert or George Kirby and figure out a salary dump trade for Mitch Haniger or Mitch Garver (a move that would cost significant prospect capital for another team to eat those terrible contracts). It also means that they likely wouldn't be able to retain any of their younger players on long-term deals; this is just a move the front office won't make.

The Mariners already have Luke Raley, who is a talented outfielder, capable of playing first base and provides good production while maintaining one of Stanton's favorite qualities: he's cheap! He won't provide the 40+ home run potential that Alonso would, but for someone expected to make less than a million dollars, he's a valuable asset to this team.

While Seattle needs significant upgrades to the offense, the likelihood of them swimming in these deep waters is slim to none. Dipoto and Hollander will likely resort to trades that no one thought was coming, or the secondary tier of free agents (think something like a Justin Turner reunion).