The Mariners will be looking for veteran pitching this winter, The Athletic’s Corey Brock writes, though they’ll be focusing on relatively inexpensive hurlers on one-year deals as the rebuilding team will give priority to its younger arms. Tanner Roark, Andrew Cashner, or Tyson Ross are suggested as the types of pitcher (if not those names directly) the M’s could target as they look for experience and the ability to eat innings.
Evaluating how any pitcher will perform on a year-to-year basis is always an inexact science, of course, though Brock also notes that the Mariners and other teams will face an added wrinkle in this year’s offseason market — not knowing how the official MLB baseball could be adjusted in the wake of the home run onslaught that was the 2019 season. Only three teams allowed more homers in 2019 than the Mariners, despite playing their home games in a relatively pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Here’s more from around the AL West…
- The Angels officially introduced new manager Joe Maddon at a press conference today, with the veteran skipper telling reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) that he hopes to remain with the club beyond the length of his current three-year contract. That deal, a three-year/$12MM pact, also includes a bonus clause that will be unlocked if the Angels win the World Series under Maddon’s watch, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports (Twitter link). Should the Halos win a title, Maddon will earn an extra $1MM in each subsequent year of the deal.
- David Newhan, manager of the Angels’ Double-A affiliate, isn’t expected return to the organization in 2020, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). Newhan spent the last three years working for the Angels, working as the minor league infield coordinator in 2017-18 before serving as Double-A Mobile’s skipper last season.
- In regards to a reader question about potentially using Elvis Andrus to fill the Rangers’ hole at third base, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan highly doubts the team would consider such a move. For one, moving Andrus would simply create another vacancy at shortstop, and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to move Andrus when he is still a defensive plus at his current position. Though 2019 was Andrus’ first negative year (-6) in Defensive Runs Saved since 2016, he has long been considered an above-average fielder by the UZR/150 metric, including a 2.2 UZR/150 last season.
It was a pretty awesome press conference. Definite looking forward to his leadership and energy as the new manager.
No offense Halo, typical Joe sounded like he was running for the Angels job as opposed to already getting the job. Lived in Dallas for 25 years from 1989 and they dominated. the west for most of those years. Good luck.
with the help of a basket of white stuff in the clubhouse. allegedly.
Ha, I don’t think Joe will ever see that $1M bonus. Tampa hasn’t missed a beat, without Joe. He is good at hype, it wears on people, over time. He is not good at managing the game.
Did anyone dominate the West from 1989 to 2013?
The Angels dominated from 2002 to 2009. But that’s only 8 years out of 25.
Could the Angels look to move Justin Upton to free up money for a run at Cole & more pitching ????
he was injured all season and went to have a surgery as soon as the season ended. healthy, he will be a valuable member of the angels again.
It’s the what have you done for me lately group..
In 2017 and 2018 the man had a combined OPS+ of 129. He has a foot injury and now he’s done?
Just for some perspective, Michael Brantley had an OPS+ 0f 126 this year.
he has negative value right now. Wrong side of 30, just had the worst year of his career, owed a lot of money.
Joe Joe did what Joe Joe does best; dealt with the media. The guy’s a master.
And cut the Angel beat guys some slack. They had Soscia all those years, and Mike felt sportswriters belonged doing a job more suited to their talents; picking farts out of hospital bed sheets. And Asmus (bright guy, Brad) talked over their heads sometimes.
Maddon might help. But let’s face it, analytics, sabermetrics and a 7 year old playing with Legos all know the Angels’ issues. 6 pitchers would be nice.
“GENIUS!”
How about just a healthy Canning, Heaney and Ohtani. And a very good free agent pitcher.
I’d take that in a heartbeat.
And they don’t win
They haven’t won? They led the majors in wins once this decade.
The last four years when all but one starting pitcher (Rickey Nolasco) has gone on the DL, they haven’t won. And if they lose all five starting pitchers this year, they wont win again.
You’re kidding me right?
You actually think the angels will be able to win against the Astros and the As? The rangers are about to go deep in it again.
I’d like whatever you’re on
The Astros. No.
The As. Yes. I still don’t know how they are getting so much out of their journeymen pitchers. Not one starter under 30 except for the PED user. But they may do it again. But I’m not scared to death of a team that hasn’t won a ALCS game since 1992.
The Rangers are going to go deep again? Oh.. OK.
The Astros will lose Cole next season, Verlander and Grienke both are on the wrong side of 35 and a year older, The Astros have seen their best years and now with a diminished farm system will be significantly worse next season…
Nice to see Joe as manager. About a decade after I was pining for it, but oh well.
Hopefully Arte is committed to winning and Eppler picks the right free agent pitchers. So far Eppler has a really bad record on the FA market, though, so I’m a little worried.
The Angels may be the favorite to sign Cole in FA, add another pitcher such as Wheeler, and possibly Strasburg, and Grandal, A rotation of Cole, Wheeler, Ohtani, Heaney, and Canning should make the Angels an instant contender next season.
It’s nice to have an Angel manager that is actually an Angel.
When is that last time that happened? Jim Fregosi?
Guessing Mariners fans aren’t too excited about their team pursuing the likes of Andrew Cashner and Tanner Roark.
Why wouldn’t they? As a Mariner fan, I would be excited with the signing of either of those players.
Doesn’t really matter who we get- I don’t think many Seattle fans are expecting us to sign Gerritt Cole! We know we’ll prob get a ‘gap filler’ a veteran to pitch a few months, maybe 1 full season in Seattle. Whoever we get is just keeping the bench warm until our stud #1 SP prospect Logan Gilbert is added to a rotation of Marco Gonzalez, Kikuchi, Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn. Trust me, we might not be excited about the veteran who fills the gap but we are ecstatic about Logan Gilbert- this kid is going to be good and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he won a spot in the rotation with a strong 2020 Spring Training. Barring injury, he will be pitching in Seattle in some point in the 2020 reg season.
I don’t expect them to go after Cole, but I wish they would at least try. If it only comes down to money and years, which his agent is always about, the M’s are in a better position than most every other team.
They were really good on the padres. They might thrive in that giant stadium
If they have the luck the As had the last two years with reclamation projects or the Rangers last year, they’ll be ecstatic.
Todd Frazier will go to the Texas Rangers as starting 3B
That actually would be OK with me. I do think the Rangers want someone on a multiyear deal to build a bridge to Josh Jung or David Wenzel, both are multiple years away. I was thinking they make a run at Donaldson actually.
If the Mariners wanna contend sooner rather than later then they need another ace. They have the cash to do it. You need at least two aces to win a World Series
The Mariners are still a year away from being ready for the big free agents. That’s what smart teams do to fill in the final pieces, not at this stage of the building.
One year shouldn’t stop them. You must personally want him on the Halos or the Yankees
I agree. There is no one coming on the FA market like Cole anytime soon. He’s relatively young with not a ton of innings on his arm. So baring major injury, I believe he will still be a top of the rotation starter 7 years from now.
TEX should just give Willie Calhoun a shot at 3B. They keep playing him in LF when he’s an infielder by trade. Leave Gallo in LF instead.
hes a 2B by trade. Kid doesn’t throw well, noway does that translate at 3B.
I think Roark will get more than one year.
Maddon has an amazing frown. I was fascinated by it when the Cubs were losing to the Dodgers a couple years ago.