Which pending free agents should the Mariners re-sign?

Tom Murphy: Bring Back

Good backup catchers are very hard to come by in the MLB. When Tom Murphy plays he is a really good player for the Seattle Mariners. The problem is that he has battle injuries pretty much every year he has been a Mariner. In his time with the Mariners Murphy has been a 4.9 oWAR and a 1.7 dWAR, which are very respectable numbers for a backup catcher.

Murphy was having a great year this year until he went on the IL with a sprained thumb on August 14. This season his slash line is .290/.335/.538, with 8 homeruns, 17 RBI's, and 9 runs scored. While his offense and defense are good off the bench, Murphy is also a leader in the club house. I could see and hope the Mariners bring him back on a 1-2 year deal.

Teoscar Hernandez: Bring Back

Teoscar Hernandez got off the a really slow start with the Mariners. In the first 89 games of the season. Hernandez had a slash line of .250/.307/.439, with 15 homeruns, 50 RBI's and an OPS+ of 103. Hernandez was basically an average player the first 89 games. The last 53 games have been a lot more normal for him, his slash line in the last 53 games is .299/.326/.500 with 10 homeruns, 36 RBI's and an OPS+ of 119, much more respectable than the first half.

Hernandez will only be 31 when the 2024 season starts and will be a very sought after this off season with a very weak free agent class. I think the Mariners will try to re-sign Hernandez but there will be a lot of competition for his services. I think he gets a 2-3 year deal somewhere, I also think the Mariners will give Hernandez a qualifying offer which is projected to be over $20 Million this offseason. So in the very least the Mariners get draft compensation if Hernandez leaves in free agency.