This past offseason featured a super class of free agent shortstops: Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Javier Baez, Trevor Story and Marcus Semien. However, very early in the offseason, just one week after the World Series ended, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto made it publicly known they were unlikely be big players in this arena. Incumbent shortstop J.P. Crawford had been told he was going to stay at that position for the club, regardless of what the rumors said. While that theoretically left the door open for one of those shortstops to be signed to play another position such as second base, that didn’t come to pass.
In order to address their middle infield, they made a much more modest move. In late November, just prior to the lockout, the Mariners acquired Adam Frazier from the Padres. Frazier wasn’t as exciting of a pickup as one of those free agents would have been, but he was a sensible addition nonetheless. His left-handed bat meant that he and switch-hitting Abraham Toro could have formed a second base platoon. Frazier also can play the outfield, which he could have done in the event Toro established himself as an everyday option at the keystone. The M’s saved their big free agent splash for the rotation, signing Robbie Ray to a five-year, $115MM deal.
Now two-thirds of the way through the season, it’s fair to wonder if this approach has paid off. Frazier has largely had a disappointing season, failing to build on his strong 2021. He hit .305/.368/.411 last year for a wRC+ of 114, indicating his overall offensive production was 14% above league average. This year, however, he’s slumped to a line of .246/.309/.315, wRC+ of 85. Toro’s been even worse, with a batting line of .180/.239/.322 on the year for a wRC+ of 61. On the year overall, Seattle second basemen have produced 0.7 fWAR, a mark that ranks 22nd among major league teams.
As for the shortstop position, Crawford has gotten the vast majority of the time there, with Dylan Moore getting a handful of starts throughout the season. Crawford got out to a blistering start, hitting .360/.449/.573 through the end of April with three home runs. He hasn’t been able to maintain that, however, hitting .231/.301/.304, adding just two more homers in that span. That leaves his overall batting line at .257/.333/.358, good enough for a 105 wRC+ that’s still above average, though it’s been sliding for over three months straight at this point.
There are also questions about his defense here in 2022, with the advanced metrics in disagreement on his 2022 work. Defensive Runs Saved has him at plus-three so far this year, a dip from last year’s eight, though he could potentially close some of the gap in the season’s final few months. Ultimate Zone Rating has him at 1.3, an improvement over last year’s 0.8 but behind the pace of the 2.5 he earned in the shortened 2020 season. Outs Above Average is the most bearish, giving Crawford -7 so far this year, after giving him zero last year and six in 2020. Combined, Mariner shortstops have produced 1.6 fWAR on the season, a mark that’s 17th in the majors.
Subpar production from both middle infield positions surely isn’t ideal, but it hasn’t decimated the team’s chances. The Mariners are 59-51, currently holding the final American League Wild Card spot, but with the Orioles and Guardians just a couple games back and both Sox clubs just behind them. The M’s are looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001 and break the longest active postseason drought in the league, though we may not know whether they succeed or not until the final days of the season.
Whether they break that drought or not, Seattle might want to think about being more involved in the shortstop market this winter. The Mariners committed to Crawford on a $46.15MM extension just before opening day, so he’s certainly going to keep a regular role. There’s a case to be made for exploring the shortstop market and considering moving Crawford across the bag, however. There’s another strong shortstop class this winter, with Correa likely to opt-out of his contract with the Twins and re-enter the open market. Xander Bogaerts is widely expected to opt-out as well. Then there’s also Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson, who are each in their final season of club control. Frazier is also heading into free agency, which will subtract from a middle infield mix that is already weak.
None of those players will be cheap, but Seattle should give some thought to paying out. For one thing, if they miss out on those four, the fifth-best option is probably Jose Iglesias, who’s having a fine season but is undoubtedly on a lower tier than those other guys. For another thing, the Mariners have the payroll space to pull this off. The club ran an Opening Day payroll of $104MM this year, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. That’s a far cry from the club’s highest spending, as they were in the $140-160MM range from 2016-2019. Next year’s payroll is only at about $67MM, in the estimation of Roster Resource. That doesn’t include salaries for arbitration-eligible players, but that won’t add a tremendous amount. Luis Castillo is likely the only player of the bunch to get a significant salary next year, probably getting into eight figures after making $7.35MM this year.
They also shouldn’t have too many other holes to address. All six of their rotation candidates can be controlled again in 2023, with Ray and Marco Gonzales under contract, Castillo having one more arb year, and George Kirby and Logan Gilbert still pre-arb. The Mariners have a $4MM club option for Chris Flexen’s 2023 services, though that will vest to $8MM and become guaranteed if he throws 300 innings combined between last year and this year. He’s currently at 296 2/3, making him a virtual lock to stick with Seattle next year, barring injury.
Elsewhere on the roster, Ty France and Eugenio Suarez should still have the corners covered. Catchers Cal Raleigh and Luis Torrens are both still around next year, with Tom Murphy potentially returning to health and coming back as well. Despite possibly losing Mitch Haniger to free agency, the outfield will still have a deep mix that includes Julio Rodriguez, Jesse Winker, Jarred Kelenic, Kyle Lewis, Sam Haggerty, Derek Hill and Taylor Trammell. Dylan Moore can be retained via arbitration for more utility duty. The relief corps can all be retained via arbitration except for Ken Giles, who’s barely pitched this year but can be brought back via a $9.5MM club option if the team wants.
Taking all that into consideration, the middle infield seems like the clearest way to upgrade the team for 2023. Two of this year’s super class of shortstops (Story and Semien) ended up signing to be second baseman, which is one way the M’s could go, though that requires buy-in from the player. It’s unclear if any of Bogaerts, Turner, Swanson or Correa would be interested in such an arrangement. It might be wise for them to soften their stance on Crawford’s permanence at the shortstop position, since they have the money and the roster to go after a marquee shortstop this winter.
Trea Turner for the M’s
Thank you I needed a good laugh. Trea Turner, is going to the highest bidder. Now I’m not saying that the M’s can’t afford it. But I’d be surprised if they do. After Judge leaves the Yankees, Turner will probably sign with them.
@angelsfan4life- No please stop: No Turner to the Yankees! Besides I’m staying in NY. No worries.
I hope he leaves but I doubt the yanks let him walk. He’s the face of the franchise and it isn’t even close. When was the last time the yanks let that just leave? Honest question…
They played chicken with Jeter, telling him to “drink the reality potion”:
‘Last week, Cashman told ESPN New York: “We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account. We’ve encouraged him to test the market and see if there’s something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That’s the way it works.”‘
espn.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=5862839
Yeah they did. But I also didn’t see jeter in another uniform either. I think the same can be said for judge, age is the only difference, they’re playing the game too. Ultimately he’s still a Yankee, in my eyes. Dude sells those overpriced tickets after all. It ain’t Cole or Stanton, I can tell you that much.
Cano
mike, my gut feeling is that Hal doesn’t want to pay for Judge and won’t.
I’ve been wondering if the Giants’ minimal involvement in the trade deadline was about not adding any salary in preparation for a bid to sign Judge.
I’m not sure what Zieg is thinking. $300mil for a #2 starter in Cole, trades for an all or nothing slugger in Stanton with a massive amount left on his contract, but won’t pony up the dollars for an MVP caliber player who is a marketing dream for them and just about anyone in baseball.
Just based on Judges comments and his overall demeanor when he makes them I think he is as good as gone. He is unbelievably professional so he isn’t going to scorch the earth on his way out but I sense he wants to throw Cashman and Hal threw a wall with the way they handled this. Just praying he goes to SF so I don’t have to watch him win WS in queens.
I don’t think it was chicken. They knew he wasn’t leaving and he was no longer the player he once was.
The only comparable is Cano. The Yankees made Cano the highest offer
…but the Mariners came in with more years and higher dollars. The Yankees could have quickly matched, but they believed seven years was correct, not 10. They were right. Maybe the same will happen here, with some team coming in and offering 9 or 10 years, or someone like Cohen offering $50MM per. If so, the Yankees should let him leave. My belief though is both sides want to continue the relationship, so they’ll make it happen.
The Yankees had a lukewarm relationship with Cano. Cashman also was willing to let A-Rod leave, but it was the late Hank Steinbrenner who brought him back. This is a very different situation. Judge wants to remain and the Yankees want him to remain. They’re worth more to each other together than apart.
The Cubs will be signing one of Turner, Bogaerts or Judge this offseason. They are sitting on a boatload of $, and they need a piece to start building around.
Judge would be a God at Wrigley Field.. But that’s a big contract to risk for a guy that has an injury history.
Starting to think this is Ca$hman’s last season, hopefully.
Not a Yankee fan, but why would the Yanks sign a FA shortstop after reportedly refusing to deal their top 2 shortstop prospects for Soto at the trade deadline? Hard to see them blocking either w/a big FA contract even if they don’t re-sign Judge. Somebody is probably going to tell me that they could use the prospects as trade fodder if they sign one of Turner, Bogaerts, Correa, Swanson, etc.
Yeah, Jeff, I don’t see that either. The one scenario I can think of would be if they traded Torres and shifted Volpe to second base, where some scouts suggested he might end up. But that seems unlikely too.
Turner is the missing piece in that lineup. Sea traded away all their depth too. They must commit
The funny thing is, I had the same thought last year but then JP has outhit both Story and Semien this year. They do need to find a place to upgrade though if they want to be more than WC contenders. 2B and OF seem to be obvious places. Not sold on anyone besides Julio in the OF.
winker has prodigious power and theres potential in those names but i agree, any upgrade is likely going to come in the middle of the infield or corner outfield, if there is a significant enough upgrade available
Winker, prodigious power? That’s funny.
Dave Parker had prodigious power, Winker has “some” pop. But let’s not act like playing in Cincinatti didn’t help his numbers, T-moble says eat more protein Winker and hit the weights.
If Parker hadn’t been involved with cocaine in the gap between his dominant years in Pittsburgh and his resurgent years in Cincy he’d be in the Hall. Winker isn’t that guy.
T-Mobile has said that to a lot of hitters over the past 22 years. Hitters won’t go there because their numbers will drop costing them $$$$.
If you look at Winker’s home / away numbers in 2021 they are H: .285 and away .314. The NL Central isn’t the toughest
I love winker but his game is obsolete. Hard to be a dh or corner outfielder with average power, even when he hits 280+. He’s a lot like Nick markakis
Everyone here loved Winker when they got him. The trade was a steal and Dipoto was a genius.
@Big Whiffa Winker is a DH only, he is probably the worst OF I have seen on the M’s in my lifetime. I have never witnessed a player take such bad angles to get to a ball, it is literally watching a drunken sailor trying to play catch.
@Samuel – Suarez has been somewhat of a revelation, he handles the hot corner much better than anticipated and has been more than solid in the middle of the order.
Winker has looked really bad in the OF but im guessing you never got the pleasure of witnessing late career Raul Ibanez pretending to still be an OF.
Suarez had gold glove potential at 3rd a few years in Cincinnati.
Yeah Winker cant hit like Ibañez could though.
He’s been very solid with the glove and the bat in Seattle so far. Definitely has surpassed my expectations
I disagree with this article, with all due respect to Darragh McDonald.
It is all right, though, for Trade Rumors to make us stop and think once in a while
But I think this team is good for a couple of years, barring unforseen new injuries.
I disagree with you, Fred. They need real improvements offensively. Bogaerts or Turner would be a fantastic upgrade. Slide JP over to 2B. You need to realistically look at the “depth” of the outfield and ask how realistic it is. Julio isn’t going anywhere. Winker is there for another season. But after that, it is highly inconsistent in the outfield. This team can pitch… but their hitting is below average.
I mean, it’s the beginning of August and JP has a 2.5 WAR and he’s been in a huge slump at the plate lately….not sure why this article is ready for the M’s to give up on him at 27 lol
Not give up on per se, as he did sign an extension. Move to second for T. Turner or Xander who says no to that?
I wouldn’t sign Xander long term expecting him to play ss
Or even 3rd, really. His lateral movement has declined drastically (not unexpectedly).
No..JP can stay at short…maybe add a 2nd baseman but adam Frazier has been on fire to the tune of .318 .362 his last 30 games..JP has made some amazing plays this year..I can tell you don’t really watch the mariners…just forced to write about them..do yourself a favor watch the games it’s about to get really interesting tonight 😉
That’s right, Kyle. I can’t wait for game time.
Most players have a slump once in a while, but JP has been remarkable consistent and will continue to be so.
@kyle- the issue is we have these guys performing at this level and we’re still not scoring very many runs. Bogaerts or Turner at the top of this lineup make the M’s much more formidable on offense.
Shortstops are overrated. With modern analytics and the shift, anyone can play that position.
Lol
Hopefully the shift is on the way out…
The shift is part of strategy. If hitters can’t adjust to strategy, they don’t belong in the Majors. Get players like Gallo out of the game.
Hitting them where they ain’t is not realistic when half the pitchers you face are throwing 97-102 MPH.
Fastballs were 87-93 MPH when Rod Carew was slapping it all over the field. At 100 MPH you’re just geared to try hit period.
This is the last year of the shift. So teams won’t be able to hide, bad defensive infielders.
Gallo is doing that himself, and last I checked you need to put the ball into play first for the shift to matter.
The shift needs to go. No explanation necessary.
I used to think this way when the shift began. But things haven’t changed at all. With pitchers throwing harder than ever, I believe only the best of the best can turn it around and go the opposite way. Hall of famers aren’t a dime a dozen and I believe most(not all) would go to the opposite field, if they could, to help the team and their own wallet. Home runs are what they are but outs in key situations are more important to winning and losing games. If the hitters could do it they would based on the sample size we have now, it seems most can’t.
@Old York- I hear you. No shift next year? Joey Gallo will make the All-Star team next season. Watch.
Just a few examples: Anthony Rizzo and Freddy Freeman might say otherwise.
Lay a bunt down from time to time to keep them honest. Devers did it not long ago, I thought it was awesome.
@drtymike0509
The game has evolved so much with different strategies for different eras. We had the dead ball era where players actually put the ball in play, even when speed of pitches was slower. Then the homeruns came into play. Should MLB have banned homeruns because it was not part of what baseball was at the time? Most players weren’t able to hit 30 homeruns in a season. Let the game evolve and develop. It will be good for the game as it will help bring up better hitting talent. I don’t have a link but I was listening to MLB Network and they were saying talent in the MiLB is starting to show improvements to beating the shift.
$21002046;
That makes no sense.
So what you’re saying is that pitchers are throwing so fast that batters can’t hit the ball to the opposite field when the defense is playing him to pull.
Did you ever play baseball?
Old York;
The smart MLB teams are now putting a priority on getting young position players that are contact hitters.
The name of the game is balance. When it gets too extreme the smart teams come back to the center. And they win.
@Samuel
That’s what I like about baseball. It is all about change and strategy.
And how fast were the pitches Ichiro hit?
Hmmm….In 1974, when he won his fourth batting crown with a .364 average, Rod Carew hit .538 (seven-for-thirteen) versus Nolan Ryan – with a home run, four walks and four whiffs…..so maybe batters can “hit it where they ain’t” against 100 mph fastballs.
Unless they start shifting the catcher when he gets two strikes on him it won’t really matter for Gallo.
Rod Carew could, anyway.
Great point; do people on this site really believe a Hall of Famer couldn’t perform in today’s game? To hit the ball to the opposite field the hitter has to let the ball travel deeper in the zone before making contact. Carew would hit .400 easily against today’s shifts. For several years Carew had over 20 bunt base hits. It’s called “taking what they give ya”, Lost Art in today’s game.
Yeah let’s compare generational talents to other baseball players. Nobody had the hand eye coordination or has the hand eye coordination Ichiro had. Nobody
The Reds would beg to differ. The Eugenio Suarez project last year at SS did not work out at all.
@solaris602
LOL!
Guy has a negative career dWAR. Doesn’t matter where you put him, he’s terrible on defense.
Have you even watched him this year. He’s been way more solid than what was sold to us during the trade. Suarez is above average at 3rd with a strong arm.
Credit to Perry Hill?
@Banieljp
This year, he has a 0.2 dWAR so it’s not much of an improvement to others. His value this year is on offense.
First- dWAR is not the best metric to measure a defender. Take for example how dWAR measures one of the best 1B to play in Seattle: John Olerud. by that metric John Olerud is a career -2.0 dWAR player. How can you take that metric seriously?
Second- if you’re judging E Suarez’s defense in Seattle by analyzing 20 sec video clips highlights and comparing his past numbers on a graph your
comment can’t be taken seriously.
Third- if you watched Eugenio man 3rd on a regular basis and paid attention to what people IN the game are actually saying about his defense you’d know that he has actually turned a lot of heads with his defense this year. Ex Seattle pros, baseball industry people have all said the same thing- “we weren’t sure what we were getting but he has been a pleasant surprise.”
ZiPS projects 2023 and 2024 WAR of 2.9 and 2.6 for J.P. Crawford and 2.5 and 2.4 for Dansby Swanson, who is a year older than Crawford.
For years teams would overpay a free agent coming off a career year. That happens less frequently these days.
Dansby Swanson is having a fabulous 2022 season. However, a short year ago Swanson posted 3.4 fWAR and 1.9 bWAR in 160 games while J.P. Crawford posted 3.3 fWAR and 3.8 bWAR in 160 games.
There is no guarantee that Swanson would represent an upgrade over Crawford.
If Correa didn’t have an opt out, I would guess the signing team of every one of last years FA SS stars would be happy to give those contract to the Mariners, for pennies on the dollar. None of them are earning their full salary this year. Paying $30MM+ per year for what any of them produced is not the way to build a championship team. They could all rebound, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
That’s what I thought when I first saw the headline. The M’s seem to have dodged a bullet by staying out of that market last winter.
With Shifting being more complicated next year – or illegal – the M’s need someone with range at 2nd to maintain the defensive level that the M’s currently have… Plus, with losing Frazier, Santana (ehh), possibly Haniger…. this offense will also need at least one more run producing bat…. ‘cuz NO ONE should be content with the 25th best offense
As the article states, the M’s really can’t add anywhere else… and they have money to spend… spend it this off season so we won’t ever have to see an infield of Toro, DMo, France and Torrens again. PLEASE.
Please don’t be satisfied with getting the wild card each and every year.
Could see them sign either judge or Turner. They have the money and will need to make a splash/overpay for either one.
Having the money and being able to spend it are two different things. The Mariners already over paid once for a Yankee slugger on the wrong side of 30. You would think DiPoto would have to think long and hard before making Zduriencik’s mistake again. I imagine both Judge and Turner’s preferences would be to stay where they are. I could see Seattle getting Swanson though
Swanson is the one they should stay away from on that list. Beware of the guy who never lived up to his hype until a big contract year
I agree with staying away from Swanson, but I think he lived up to his hype. He was never really seen as a huge superstar type player by anyone but braves fans. He’s been a solid average to above average player. ~2.7 fwar/600 PAs.
Would Love to see them sign both Trea Turner and Aaron Judge…won’t happen but I would love to see it!
People are quick to be salty because he is a team leader and a fan fav. But if you can go out and get Xman or Correa (I know trash man bad) you do it and JP should be stoked to have some fun winning. I think it will be easy to re-sign Haniger to keep him around and pray he stays healthy. But please Jerry, don’t stop there. Pic up a true corner outfielder with some thump.
The “true corner Outfielder with some pop” market is pretty much Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo, Joc Pederson, Wil Myers, and Adam Duvall. You have guys like Andrew Benintendi and David Peralta that are not necessarily considered power threats. They could look to the DH market for JD Martinez
Rsox, what about Bellinger? He has thump and would benefit from a change of scenery. The talent is definitely there.
re-signing Haniger seems like the way to go.
Bellinger had two good seasons, followed by one amazing season, followed by three years of disappointment. Every once in a while he does something good, but if you look at his monthly stats, he has been consistently bad/mediocre. The Dodgers can afford to keep him in the lineup because they have seven good hitters carrying the team.
If he came cheap, and on a short contract, . . . maybe he will regain what he had. But he’s not someone to count on, or pay much for.
Trea Turner, though . . .
Bellinger is definitely a non-tender candidate out of LA and might do well in a new environment and a new set of eyes trying to fix whatever is wrong with his swing. There is however a chance the Dodgers keep him around for one last season as even they are not immune to the lack of Center Field depth that currently plagues the league
Please no. He’s toast. Unless it’s for next to nothing, please no
Fan favorites can hurt a team. If you are a fan you want the best possible, fans adjust!
If there is an upgrade to be made at SS, make it… Saying Crawford is the Mariners SS forever doesn’t seem wise if there is someone out there with similar glove skills who can hit the ball better. I am a fan of JP, and I hope they keep him. I think it might work better to find a better hitter for 2B or corner OF. As for Haniger, let’s see how he does for the rest of the year and see if he can stay healthy… I’d hesitate to give a QO to him given his bad history when it comes to staying on the field. Relying on his health as a major part of your hopes for future team success doesn’t seem like a sound strategy. Kyle Lewis? Same deal. Go get another All-Star-caliber this off-season, Jerry.
History dictates that they should just let Mitch Haniger go! Gets injured way too often. Let him go and then get Aaron Judge.
Hearing Jeryus Familia is signing with redsox
I’ve loved and followed the Seamen for years and the comments on here show a great fanbase. But if you have money to spend and want to become elite while your rookies are still getting paid low wages now is the time. Every aspect of the infield other than Crawford can be upgraded, whether it’s for offense or defensive purposes. Suarez is getting up there in age, France is legit but can play multiple positions so why not use that to your advantage and sign an x-man or turner? Push Crawford to 2nd and let France be a flex between them all? The team has a ton of talent but they’re not in the realm of the top tier without some vet upgrades in their prime to really go for it, imo. And they have the payroll space to afford it, even if it’s a mistake due, to all the young talent they have it wouldn’t kill them as a team. Starters are above avg especially if Ray puts it together for an entire season, bullpen is elite, outfield is oozing talent.
Of all the guys mentioned I like dansby the best. 1st round overall pedigree. Has pretty much improved every year he’s been in the league. Just entering his prime. I’m on board with the Story treatment of 6 years 125. Crawford slides over cuz he is a professional and cares about the team first. I think it can be done. Oh and trade kelenic for something. He’s been a bust.
Hope my Braves go get turner or Correa. I love Swanson, but I truly don’t think he’ll resign. Especially with the bad blood between his agent and the Braves. I also don’t think he has the track history to justify what he’ll ultimately command this offseason. My opinion, but really this year and a very short 2020 is all the history he’s got
I’ve been saying this since last offseason. Dipoto is hamstringing his ability to upgrade the organization because he won’t budge from JP at short.
I 100% agree!
Couldn’t agree more
Barring a big offensive surge down the stretch, I wouldn’t say Correa is a lock to opt out this offseason. He would once again be entering a strong SS free agent market while not being the top option. Correa might be wise to take the guaranteed $35MM for next season then enter a weaker class the following winter
I dont understand your logic Mr McDonald. You showed that two renowned defensive measuring tools are saying Crawford is slightly above average, as well as his bat, but then one defensive measure says not great, with a middling WAR mark. I dont think it is fair to call what JP has done this year subpar. I do agree they could move him to 2b and sign a FA SS, or sign a good 2b like Drury or a healthy Kike.
Notice how emery position that MLBTR covers is based on offensive statistics – even C, SS and CF – what most professionals consider defensive first positions…..and that most shortcomings a team has can be covered by signing a player for $200m-plus.
Funny, I just got through reading the comments under the Jason Heyward article. Most fans are upset about the FA contract he got. They didn’t blame the GM as much as they did the owner.
Jose Iglesias for the Marlins! I could also see Correa opting out and going to an organization like Miami.. We’ll see, they have the pitching! Sanchez will be back next year too!
Bogaerts ain’t going anywhere if Henry & Bloom know what’s good for them…
Bogaerts ain’t staying at SS in Boston, and his option is already what you’d pay a 2B with his numbers. Bye, Bye!
LOL
They know what’s good for them and that’s why Bogaerts is going. He’s not worth $35m-plus a year with opt-outs each year.
I don’t know why JP gets so little credit. He’s an elite defender and gets on base. Not every position needs power. He’s also the de facto leader of this team. Most teams would be happy to upgrade to JP.
Why keep JP if you can get Trea Turner, for example? That doesn’t make sense. He plain sucks offensively. There are far better choices out there. Fan favorites hurt a team. If you are a fan you want the best possible and there are far better than JP. Don’t get me wrong I like JP but he is only average at best.
I guess I just think that we have weaker positions offensive and defensively. If we are paying big money to bring someone over, upgrade elsewhere. That being said, I really haven’t looked at who the free agents are this year.
J.P. Crawford is not as good as Jerry Dipoto thinks. Actually, he is slightly below average compared to A-typical SS. He doesn’t have many HRs or RBIs, at least not what you would expect out of that position. Two areas that would vastly improve the Mariners would be going after a shortstop and also replacing Adam Frazier at 2B.
If Carlos Correa opts consider him. Yeah, fans will be upset, at least some, but not when he starts producing power numbers the Mariners are lacking. Or, maybe Trea Turner, his speed would be an awesome asset to go along with J-Rod’s + he does provide some pop and he is a pretty good RBI machine. Jerry Dipoto needs to stop over-valuing players, his job is to improve the team, to make a winning team, a competitive team…
Correa opts out after hitting .260 as a Twin. Does anyone best what the Tigers offered him?9
You expect HR’s and RBI’s out of SS?
Is there a team that signed one of Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Javier Baez, Trevor Story and Marcus Semien that doesn’t already have buyers remorse? It’s season 1 of their deals and they are all well off their career norms.
Trea Turner is the only one I have any faith in on a long term deal based off his all out style of play in order to win games and not just put up stats.
Granted, and every player you mentioned is better than JP Crawford even underperforming this season.
By fWAR Crawford has been more productive than Correa and Baez.
Not his overall point. Is Crawford making anywhere close to these huge salary guys? Value vs production Crawford is good with his defense at a critical position. If they crave offense, it is better to look to 3B/1B or a corner OF position with the $$ in their budget. If the FA market is weak in certain areas, a losing team willing to trade away a decent salary and grab a prospect is another route. Paying retail FA prices for momentary fan applause isn’t good for extended success……unless you are LAD/NYY/NYM/RSox/Cubs that can afford to whiff (when they choose) and still easily outspend their mistakes.
We could upgrade at 2nd easily with JP sliding over or signing a FA. I really don’t know if I would spend much in the OF right now. They have talent just need to stay healthy.
His value is low but I think Kelenic needs a new voice to drown out his. I read they are not sure if he is coachable at this point. It was one of the worries I had about him. He is so intense he might think he knows it all. A new start might be the best.
My only thing I would change about the comments is we could uograde at C. Cal is hitting better but inconsistent Torrens does not belong in a MLB uni and Murphy is blah. Plus I hate his taking a dump before each pitch just odd.
Upgrading at C is probably the toughest thing in baseball. Just not many quality catchers.
Who is Derek Hill? And how did he get lumped into the outfield depth???
The only SS I would touch is Xander. He is proven in the post-season and I have never seen him go thru a prolonged slump. I wince when I think of how Trea Turner totally bungled his post-season with the Dodgers last year. I thought he looked really bad. Puny little scrawny dude … he just does not make an impression on me. Correa has an ego almost the size of Manny Machado’s , but puts up about a third of Manny’s production, IF he’s healthy. Go for Xander!!!!
Sign Bogaerts to play third, leave Crawford at short, move France to second, sign Josh Bell to play first and have Suarez be the primary DH. Gives you a stable starting infield, improves the offense and leaves enough positional flexibility to give guys rest.
I don’t see France ever going back to 2nd. He’s our de facto 1B for now and into the future I believe. I’d say Crawford at 2B, Xander at 3B, and sign another one…Swanson? to play SS. The Mariners have the money, they can sign two of them like the Rangers did last off-season. (But hopefully don’t sign them to such albatross contracts.)
You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about or have any info on the M’s or how they run their front office. What a pos nonsense story
tanner829 2;
LOL
It’s about clicks.
Throw out the bait. Those that know the least about how baseball is played and administered always take it.
If last shortstop market is any indication they should definitely ignore the market. None of those players has played well, Seager is the only one that has been ok and he hasn’t been great, certainly not worth the price they paid.
Javier Baez part of a super class of FA?
At this point he had better not opt out after 2023. Maybe he will rebound but he’s not looking like much of a player in 2022. A 0.265 OBP for a now average defensive player? Ouch.
Up the middle investment, particularly at SS, is overrated. Look how well the Angels have utilized Andrew Velazquez and Luis Rengifo. Let’s not forget about stalwarts Matt Duffy and Jack Mayfield.
Said nobody ever.
I don’t see them rolling out a giant green carpet for Bogaerts or Turner; more like Alymedis Dias and DiPoto doing his usual wheel-and-dealer
1-IRT comparing JP to last year’s FA SS crop, JP has a 2.5 bWAR, while the other 5 $25M+ guys you mentioned have averaged 2.4.
2-I’ve never seen a case where a team moved a glove-first, hit-second player, to a less challenging position, and seen it work. Signing Bogaerts to play second plays because of his bat, but then JP would remain the SS.
3-That said, if Seattle were to go in that direction, I’m hoping my RS step up to the plate. I’d take that $44M/4 contract and never think twice.
I must be the last word, only i don’t have anything to say in the way of remarkable. This team we have is a combination of a lot of newcomers, and bye that I mean players who more recently have develop themselves. This can mean that they are not above showing inconsistencies that or not providing elite status on the field..
Without spending money were not about seeing big improvements the kind that propel you to greater successes so will have to wait for that. Meanwhile enjoy what successes we do get.
Stranger the fiction here, how about if we erase all the comments then?