Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto was among a number of executives to speak with reporters at the GM Meetings on Tuesday. He addressed a few of the club’s offseason goals — most notably, a desire to improve the offense’s bat-to-ball skills.
“Adding some contact to our lineup,” Dipoto replied when asked by Jon Morosi of MLB.com about the club’s biggest need. He added that an additional right-handed bat would be preferable, saying the front office was excited about its group of young lefty hitters.
That desire to improve the contact rate tied into Seattle’s somewhat surprising decision not to issue a qualifying offer to Teoscar Hernández. “We wanted to make sure we can address some of the flaws that exist in our team,” Dipoto told reporters (link via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). “Despite the fact he didn’t have a great start to his season, he put up his numbers and he contributed down the stretch as much as any player we had. But we felt like this was an opportunity to kind of take a new look at the way our team is built. If there was a reason why we were sitting home in the postseason, we felt like it was probably the inability to consistently make contact.”
Seattle hitters indeed struggled with swing-and-miss. Only the Twins struck out more often, while the M’s finished 22nd with a .242 batting average. They were 15th in on-base percentage and 16th in slugging. Hernández finished second on the team with 211 strikeouts, although that shouldn’t be especially surprising. He has always been a power-first player who compensates for a middling plate discipline profile with extra-base impact.
It seems the Mariners are planning a conscious shift away from that style. The departure of Hernández leaves a hole in the corner outfield. Speculatively speaking, Hernández’s former Toronto teammate Lourdes Gurriel Jr. could fit the mold that Seattle is targeting. While Gurriel also has an aggressive offensive approach, he’s a right-handed bat who has strong pure contact skills and 20+ homer pop.
Gurriel is a left fielder only, so a hypothetical pursuit would likely push Jarred Kelenic to right field. KBO star Jung Hoo Lee hits from the left side but brings a hit-first approach and could profile in right field. Alex Verdugo and Max Kepler are among the outfielders who may be available in trade. Second base, which stands out as another area the M’s could try to upgrade, has a few hit-over-power possibilities. Whit Merrifield, Amed Rosario and Tim Anderson are all free agents who hit from the right side, although none is coming off a great finish to the 2023 season.
Seattle’s team leader in strikeouts was third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who fanned at a 30.8% clip. Suárez has led the American League in total strikeouts in consecutive seasons. He hit .232/.323/.391 in 2023 overall, roughly league average offense when accounting for Seattle’s pitcher-friendly home park.
While Dipoto didn’t mention Suárez, it doesn’t seem out of the question the Mariners shop him before the final guaranteed season of his contract. To that end, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported this evening that the Blue Jays are eyeing Suárez as a potential third base option if they lose Matt Chapman in free agency. Were Seattle to move Suárez, they’d likely need to backfill via trade or free agency. Jeimer Candelario is the top alternative to Chapman on the open market.
In other news, Dipoto confirmed the team continues to have interest in re-signing Tom Murphy (via Divish). The longtime #2 catcher hit free agency, leaving Seattle with just minor league trade pickup Blake Hunt on the 40-man roster behind Cal Raleigh. The M’s are very likely to bring in a veteran catcher this winter. Murphy, who hit .290/.335/.538 in 47 games before a season-ending thumb fracture, has a shot at a two-year pact.
The M’s are kidding somebody if they say they only need one bat. They have a huge hole at DH, now a huge hole in right field, and a hole at second base. And a few free swingers still on the roster that need to make some adjustments.
Ohtani, of course, would be a HUGE upgrade at DH. Gurriel would be nice in left, moving Kelenic to right field (but he’s no sure thing, either, still just 24 with longer term upside).
If the M’s could pull off a trade with San Diego for OF Juan Soto and 2B Ha-Seong Kim, that would be a master stroke…..but a costly one.
A package of (for instance, pure speculation) SP Bryce Miller, RP Justin Topa, OF Jarred Kelenic, 2b Josh Rojas, utility man Dylan Moore, and top prospect SS Tai Peete would fill a lot of holes for San Diego and give them nearly $50 million in salary relief.
Time to go for it, M’s.
There’s no way the Mariners afford Ohtani. If you think Teoscar was a big loss, look at his stats. He isn’t that great offensively.
@Cora M’s could easily afford Ohtani. They own 60% of their RSN and low estimates from the baseball broadcasts is $150 million per year alone(when including their FUBO streaming deal they signed a year ago), they also own the broadcast rights to the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Kraken. That is estimated to bring in an estimated $70 to $80 million(income they are not required to report as per their MLB revenue) which would put them in the top 5 of TV revenue generating teams.
Seattle also led MLB in operating revenue with a surplus of 84 million in 2022, last year they drew 2.69 million at the gate so that number will increase They have kept their payroll low for years and have reaped enormous benefits.
This is a put up or shut up year for this front office they need to add pieces and payroll via FA or via trade or find leadership that can put them over the top.
Say what you want, I doubt Ohtani signs with the M’s. He’s going for a big market, most money
Like I said, $$ isn’t an issue as Seattle has the ability to pay as much as any team. And this is MLB, what does he need a big market for? Not one MLB player is in the top 10 for domestic endorsements. His big advertising $$ are all in Japan and Seattle is a better fit for that than any other team outside of the Dodgers or Giants.
Money might not be an issue but I also don’t think they’ll outbid the Yankees or Dodgers, since money isn’t an issue for them either.
This isn’t George’s Yankees, and the only east coast team I see being any type of player is the Mets and they would(and could) need to blow the west coast teams out of the water $ wise. Realistically, the farthest east I see him going is to the Rangers.
Never doubt the Yankees, they have money lying around when they need it. I’ve seen them do that years after years being a Sox fan.
I honestly hope you prove me wrong. I would love him to go to the Mariners. I just don’t see it happening. I can’t remember when the M’s signed a star to a contract that big.
The issue isn’t the loss of Teoscar…the issue is how to replace him in a weak free agent market.
Secondly, the Mariners are pretty well positioned with salary commitments to make offers on any free agent they want to pursue, including Ohtani. They have paid big bucks in the past when the timing seemed right, and this might be one of those times.
Hey Rick, good to see you around.
They probably aren’t going to touch 2B. They are likely content with a platoon of Rojas and Moore/Haggerty. Bliss should debut relatively quick and could also get considerable PAs at 2B.
But in addition to the glaring holes in RF and at DH, the other corners should be upgraded. They need a closer as well, or at least another high-leverage arm.
Flores has to have their interest. They could play him at first or third. The trade chips I would cite are Caballero, Suárez, France, Ford, Miller, Peete, and Ray. Ray might make sense in an expensive contract sway (think Yelich or Contreras). I don’t think Kelenic should be off-limits, but I don’t expect him to be shopped.
I don’t think we’ll see them target rental bats (Flores has a team option for 2025), but they need to shake things up. The worst regular or semi-regular players in the whiff department were Suárez, Ford, Kelenic, and of course, Teo. Moore had his share from a utility role, but his job is probably safe.
We’ll see how many of those names are moved, but they could benefit from some creative exchanges. Maybe we’ll even see pitchers signed so others can be moved.
They might live with their current options at 2B, I agree. But if they do, that’s not a championship move. They do have some up and coming young options in the minors, so any upgrade would likely be short term.
At the corners, I think France is a good bounce back candidate, but he does appear to need to be in better shape (lighter). He’s also one of the few Mariners with a decent OBP history, so I’d hang on to him. But that could change if the right outside option became available, with good defense and good bat-to-ball skills. But guys in the mid-30’s are risky, so……..
As for 3B, just too many strikeouts and declining power. Reminds me of the days Jim Pressly couldn’t hit a slider if they told him it was coming. The options there for outside help look limited and risky this year, though.
Overall, I agree. They have to shake it up. And trading a young pitcher is probably inevitable…and there are some decent pitcher free agents to fill in, more than bats, so that’s a likely scenario in my opinion.
I more or less feel the same. I’m not thrilled about platooning 2B, but I understand why they’ll likely do that, at least to start the season.
I found myself defending France quite often last season. I don’t think he’s the reason Seattle fell short. A rebound wouldn’t be surprising, but with an arbitration estimate of 7m, it’s easy to see Seattle moving on. I’ll admit the GDPs were frustrating as well.
If it was my call, I’d try to change out each of the corners, plus DH; reassess 2B at the deadline. Easier said than done, though.
Very sensible, great comment.
Kim and Tatis both would require at least 2 top level prospects each. AT LEAST. Kim is underrated as hell and somehow as is Tatis. If the Padres trade anyone it’s Soto I think.
Ohtani would love to play in Seattle where his boyhood hero starred. Rosario is a 270 hitter who is pretty clutch. F Anderson. He’s a pain in the arse.
Don’t count Rojas out as our second baseman next year, the guy can hit. in ’21 he hit .277 vs lefties and in ’22 he hit .243, he’s not a dud like most guys. On base and pitch selection looks good as well. He may be a sneaky solid guy for us
Merrifield ?
Merrifield is streaky and will be 35 next yr. Doubt he’s the difference maker you want at 2b or wherever else you put him
Merrifield is a reliable contact hitter that plays solid defense. He would solve the problem at 2B. Sign him to a 2 year deal. He should come cheap.
Hey Mariners: it took 1,603 strikeouts to determine that strikeouts are a problem? Then it’s time not only to shop Geno, but also Kelenic. And Dylan Moore. And Mike Ford. And it’s not a bad time to pull Julio aside and ask him not to try to hit 5-run homers every time up. But mostly, it’s time to get your scouting department to use data to discover which hitters have the best stats in games played in Seattle, LA, Anaheim, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego in night games during the months of April through June. Marine air turns home runs into strikeouts and warning track fly balls. Then, and I know this will sound wacky, get them on your team. Otherwise, another year with a starting lineup with four super-nice guys hitting under .200 and another required ridiculous August run just to get in the race.
Oh, and show some cojones and sign Ohtani, even if the cost is 10 years/$550 million. Don’t dick around.
If the Mariners are going after Ohtani, they definitely aren’t doing any signaling in that direction. Let’s just ignore the elephant in the room guys.
Ohtani is in a class of his own. It should go without saying that there is interest and there will be an effort.
But it’s fair to wonder how interested he is in Seattle.
NOOOOOOO OHTANI.
Dipoto has a history of quiet before the storm….his moves are often surprises. I think the M’s are going all-in on Ohtani. They came close the first time according to most sources, so who knows…..maybe the second time is the charm. It would sure change things in a hurry.
Many fans doubt Seattle’s willingness to commit to Ohtani financially, but I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. He’s unique in that most of his salary could be covered by clever marketing, and that’s definitely a strength of Seattle’s.
I think the hard part will be convincing him that Seattle’s committed to winning and is willing to go all-out to field a World Series contender.
Regarding Dipoto trades, yeah, they often surprise everyone. Jerry and Justin will have to be creative this offseason, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more than one significant swap.
Seattle has a pretty good ball club with a lot of pitching. Unless Ohtani really wants a financial powerhouse behind him—I would hope that’s not an issue. He should see that money doesn’t equal success after being in LA.
I don’t think Seattle has shown that they’re committed to winning.
Big reason why I think they’ll likely need to make significant trades early. Ohtani may prefer to wait & see what teams do (mostly do, anyway) before he chooses one.
So the SeaTacs are looking for a contact high? Reefer madness !
So they’re trading for Yordan Álvarez and Yandy Díaz?
I’m thinking they sign Gurriel, Trade Bryce Miller for Dylan Carleson, and re-sign Murphy to DH. And thats the entire offseason.
Cards fan here, honestly I have 1 tweak that works for both. Y’all should sign gurriel, but trade us woo for Donovan and knizner. Young Sp’s in the trade market are a premium, and Donovan and knizner solve your catcher and 2nd base problem.
That’s a no for me on Woo. But Miller or Hancock yes.
Tim Anderson in Seattle would go as well as Tim Beckham or Gordon Beckham did.
Seems like a post-hoc justification for not extending Teo the QO. Adam Frazier and Kolten Wong were contact guys before coming to Seattle and we all saw how that went. It’s actually the worst profile for the park because the park suppresses base hits. Thumpers like Teo are a much better profile as the park is close to neutral in terms of homers.
Well, the combo of extremely soft-hitting players like Wong and high-K guys isn’t great for any team.
They tried the power first, power-only approach under the previous regime and failed. They can’t be one dimensional.
@3card; thanks for the intel on park layout. Interesting. When I saw the title of this story, my immediate thought was why did the FO not just keep Frazier around. One thing I know about him from watching him hit here in Baltimore was that he doesn’t K all that much nor walk all that much … for good or bad … looks like a high contact guy to me.
Frazier’s batting line with the Orioles was really similar to his line with the Mariners. BA, OBP, 2Bs….
The difference was the HRs. But neither team was expecting power from him., and of course the short right field walls of the AL East didn’t hurt.
T-Mobile is a pitcher’s park, but it’s not the black hole that some make it out to be. Julio and JP were both top-25 in doubles and the team was 11th in MLB in both doubles and home runs.
They were 20th in singles, though, and that’s largely because of the strike outs.
Jerry’s not wrong about needing more contact. It just can’t be soft contact.
Seems like a post-hoc justification for not extending Teo the QO.
========================
That seems like a major mistake. MLB-R is generally in the ballpark with their predictions, and they have Teo down for $80M/4. Assuming that is even close, there is no chance that Teo is accepting the QO.
And even if he did accept, he is still a pretty good player.
And even if you absolutely hated the fit, he is still tradable.
But it feels like Seattle passed on a free draft pick.
I didn’t peg Teo’s market up that high. If I’m wrong then it was a mistake. I figured a lot less. 3/45 seemed like a more than reasonable price tag given his K issues and age. Those guys aren’t typically great in their 30’s as the bat speed slows a bit.
I wouldn’t be the team giving out $80MM for him.
Doesnt really fit the profile, but I think it could just end up being a trade for someone like Jorge Polanco. He’s probably on the block with the twins looking to reduce payroll. The free agent market isnt much better anyway.
Twins need rotation help too
Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but didn’t the contact hitter exist for a century plus before GM’s, scouts, and advanced stats guys force them to evolve or go extinct? Even more silly than saying this now, a year after the shift was banned. Wouldn’t it been great to have guys who could hit to the opposite field and make more contact then?
I guess launch angle and exit velo only counts for so much Jerry.
Amen, brother. Back in the good old days, the best players in baseball (Aaron, Mays, Musial, Banks etc.) hit for power without the big K numbers.
Baseball games have become boring when, on any given night, you have to watch teams striking out 10 or more times a game. Like the DP, Ks are rally killers.
Hope hitters adopt a more-contact-is-good approach. Probably not gonna happen so long as GMs continue to pay big bucks for guys who hit 20 HR a year.
Heck, Willie, Hank, Stan the Man and Ernie probably thought they had a bad year if they only hit 20 home runs.
Guys like Aaron, Mays, Musial, Banks etc might not even make it in the game today. Pitchers weren’t throwing fastballs at 100mph every pitch. They also didn’t have sliders breaking 20in as well. For better or worse, the ability to analyze guys thrown pitches and to tweek them to get the best ability out of a player has lead to hitters constantly having to swing at pitches running up at the theoretical limits of human ability to hit them and also still have to protect for the offspeed pitch. What was considered a fastball just 20yrs ago is now a changeup. Thats why players are striking out so much. The trade for high strikeouts and still retain value is power. That is why we have seen the game change the way it has.
Atlanta got a nice 2B coming up with nowhere to play in Vaughn Grissom.
What would Seattle have that may interest the Braves
I know they have some good young pitching
Who would the Mariners make available in a prospect for prospect deal ????
Seattle has some good young 2b prospects, so they are likely looking for a veteran with a few years left in the 28-32 year old range.
Mariners might want to check in with the Cardinals. Burleson is a contact hitter and will be available; Donovan more so though is valuable and will cost. Get then to throw in Luken Baker (1B who has murdered AAA for 180 WRC+ but is blocked by Goldy) and there could be a really nice trade for both clubs
Funny you said that. I mentioned Burleson as a potential target for Seattle last year. and again in the spring.
But he had around 350 PAs this year and was arguably the worst hitter on the team, so it’s hard to imagine him being target for a regular role. Maybe as depth.
Baker’s AAA numbers are a little deceiving, because he had a high whiff rate on fastballs. He got away with it in the minors, but he won’t likely have the same luck in MLB.
Donovan, like Burleson, is a LHH. and though I don’t think that should matter, his value has a lot to do with his positional flexibility. I don’t know if Seattle really wants more of those types. They might be looking to move Caballero as they have similar players in Moore and Haggerty (now out of options) from the right side, plus Rojas, and Bliss on the way.
If Seattle can’t bring Murphy back, maybe a swap around Ray-Contreras might make sense. They’re both owed about the same amount of money, and though Ray won’t be ready till July (without setbacks), he’d give St. Louis a TOR starter to move forward with if he doesn’t opt-out following the 2024 season, but opting out wouldn’t be a bad thing, either.
Ray for Contreras? Why would Seattle do that?!
Because they have Castillo, Kirby, Gilbert, Woo, Miller, Gonzales, and Hancock, and might need a backup catcher who can hit.
Doesn’t matter, nobody is going to take Ray’s awful contract even if we assume he waives the no trade clause.
Ray’s contract isn’t bad. It just feels that way because he missed this season.
His no-trade clause only ran through 2023. He’d get some kind of bonus if traded, but that’s just a detail.
Castillo, Kirby and Gilbert are the only locks. Miller, likely to start the season and we assume Gonzalez is healthy. Miller and Woo were both rushed and neither was supposed to see the majors this year (maybe Miller). Woo especially shouldn’t have pitched as much as he did (elbow surgery) and will be monitored for innings in the minors to start. Hancock and Woo provide injury protection to start the season and Ray may or may not even be back at all next year, certainly not till the last two months. Seattle’s pitching depth isn’t quite as deep at the ML level as it might appear. They might even consider signing another starter.
They absolutely will sign starting pitchers for depth. And you’re right that the depth isn’t what it appears at the moment.
But Seattle will eventually have more options with Hancock and Ray, when healthy, and they don’t have a problem developing, finding & fixing, or attracting pitchers.
Nobody should be surprised if they trade pitching for hitting. Finding replacement pitchers is a lot easier for them than finding regular position players.
Donovan is a better hitter than most outside STL know. Amazing plate discipline goves him a great OBP which is why hes such a good leadoff hitter. One of those guys without a loud tool who just adds a ton of value in multiple ways. I dont think STL will trade him as the market probably undervalues him.
Burleson is interesting. Terrible 2023 WAR outcome but a Statcast darling. Could be anything between a AAAA player and an above average MLB guy with years of control. Will be interesting to see if there’s a market for him – if not i guess the Cards hold rather than selling low.
Tigers have Canha… I’m sure they could have him and get Harris to pay half the contract.
Bohm and Castellanos to SEA for __________?
Check what’s in this guy’s coffee, please. Actually, I already know.
Personally, every team should look for high contact hitters. But I know the analytic nuts don’t take that into account.
I really like what I saw out of Rojas. I’m not overly concerned about 2nd base. The outfield and DH are big question marks. There’s no telling what DiPoto will do, regardless of what he says.
Vaughn Grissom of the Braves makes a ton of sense for them. Second baseman. Contact oriented approach.
Braves could look at a Grissom for Kelenic swap?
Would be nice if Grissom and Smith-Shawver could net Kirby or someone else as a controllable starter but it won’t.
You’re not getting Kirby at that price. Not even close.
I literally stated that it wouldn’t net Kirby…
Grissom – Kelenic makes sense on paper, but it leaves Seattle with two holes in the outfield now. This might be a deal that can happen later on after the first half of the off season resolves.
As a Brave fan I would prefer a young arm.
Would Grissom get us Hancock ???
Absolutely it will. I will tell you now, you wanna aim higher than Hancock.
I would trade Hancock for Grissom.
Vaughn Grissom can hit but he is a very poor defensive IF and would be of little help to the M’s. Starling Marte from NYM might be of more help. Even more, acquire Jonathan India and Jake Fraley from CIN
India should be our top trade target IMO. He’s a perfect fit.
Grizz is a really poor SS. I think he’s a passable 2B.
Mariners should’ve traded for Luis Arraez when they had the chance, doubt the Marlins would want to trade him after his amazing season.
Reds always got what u need Seattle !
India and steer for Hancock and Miller
No way Seattle does that
Maybe Woo straight up for India
We don’t want India. One decent year the first year and two average years at best. I don’t have a problem with Steer, but It aint gonna be India. And Seattle isn’t going to trade two pitchers in the same deal. In fact i doubt Seattle trades more than one pitcher at all.
I kinda like that move.
Merrifield for a year is a short-term fix. Juan Soto would be a great grab. Verdugo wouldn’t be a bad consolation. Urshela could fill 3B.
Boston could dish them Yoshida and cash for Luis Castillo. Seems pretty equitable in statistics and the money disparity is the only real gap to cross Imo.
so our ace who we just locked up for 5 years for an average outfielder. Makes sense.
Are you serious ????
The Mariners move on from their ACE after just signing him to an extension ????
#GetYourMindRight
somebody here is confused.
Rezi, The M’s are looking for three things in a player.
1) Hitters that can “drop the barrel on the ball”
2) Hitters that “don’t try to do too much”
3) Players that “go about their business the right way”
How’s that for cliche usage!?!
This is common with Martino and Heyman. I don’t think their bosses read their columns, if they did, they would not be employed
Yesterday MLBTR writer Darragh McDonald guessed the Ms would add Gurriel Jr., and I felt right then that he was right.
I still go with that choice.
Great minds, as you know, run in the same channels, hehe)=.
Of course there is also many a slip between cup and lip.
Hey there Fred. That would be a good move.
Gurriel Jr would be a good fit in Seattle. Honestly though, I’m hoping Jerry can do something creative that no one is considering, to obtain some high-level talent.
Contact hitters, they tried to fill that gap with has been’s which was given to chance, they struck out on one trade, and three player contracts. If you have confidence in building a club going cheap is not the way of going about it. I couldn’t believe all the good players the Rangers kept adding on I thought they were going to break the bank both fielders, and pitchers. The M’s make plenty in revenues they need 3-4 players to make a major differences they have both assets in trade and money to get things done.
Ha Seong Kim, Brandon Lowe, Willy Adames, Jorge Polanco are my top middle infield targets.
Arozarena, Luis Robert Jr., Cedric Mullins, George Springer would all be varying degrees of splashy and very welcome in the OF with Julio and JK.
Hoskins, Gurriel Jr., Kepler, Garver, Verdugo could be nice if they are the 2nd or 3rd best bats you bring in.
Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, Pasquatino, Santander, Buxton, Rengifo could perhaps be sleeper targets?
Maybe Miller, DMo & Tai Peete for Arozarena and Lowe? That’s a lot of affordable team control for players that are getting expensive (by TB standards).
Who knows! I just want them to get better. Ok bye!
M’s should resign Murphy, reliable back-up backstop
Reminds me of the St. Louis front office needing more pitchers who can get outs.
Mariners need a good contact hitter? Great! Go and trade for David Fletcher of the Angels!
What about Bryce Miller and Marco Gonzales to STL for Tommy Edman, Giovanny Gallegos and Alec Burleson?
If I were the Blue Jays, I’d want Gurriel back.