Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Tom Murphy

Giants Sign Tom Murphy

By | at

TODAY: The Giants officially announced the signing.

DECEMBER 18: The Giants are in agreement with free agent catcher Tom Murphy on a two-year deal with a 2026 club option, according to multiple reports. The Ballengee Group client is reportedly guaranteed $8.25MM, including a $250K buyout on the option. The deal can max out at $12MM.

Murphy heads to the Bay Area after five seasons in the Pacific Northwest. The right-handed hitter played a semi-regular role during his time with the Mariners. On a rate basis, Murphy has been one of the most productive power bats at the catcher position.

In 807 plate appearances with Seattle, Murphy blasted 38 home runs. He hit .250/.324/.460 overall, well above-average offense in one of the sport’s more pitcher-friendly home parks. That’s excellent production for a #2 catcher. However, that Murphy has only stepped to the plate 807 times over the last five years also points to a concerning injury history.

Going back to the start of 2020, the Buffalo product has missed time with a fractured left foot, a left shoulder dislocation and a sprained left thumb. The foot injury cost him the entire shortened season, while the shoulder limited him to 14 games in 2022. Last season’s thumb issue, suffered in mid-August, ended his year.

Despite the injury history, it’s easy to see the appeal of bringing Murphy aboard on a fairly low-cost contract. He’ll add a legitimate power presence as the backup behind 24-year-old Patrick Bailey. He’ll strike out a fair amount as well, but there aren’t many depth catchers who have the same kind of slugging upside that Murphy possesses.

The 32-year-old (33 in April) isn’t as highly-regarded on the other side of the ball. Statcast graded him below average from both framing and blocking perspectives. He only threw out one of 28 attempted basestealers in 2023. While that’s not entirely on the catcher — a pitcher’s ability to hold runners is also a factor — Statcast ranked Murphy 69th out of 74 catchers (minimum 10 throws) in average pop time to second base.

Signing Murphy could signal the forthcoming end of Joey Bart’s time in San Francisco. The second overall pick in 2018, Bart has hit only .219/.288/.335 in 162 big league contests. This year marked his final minor league option season, meaning San Francisco will have to carry him on the MLB roster or make him available to other clubs via trade or waivers.

Bailey and Murphy are the top two on the depth chart. Blake Sabol also seems ahead of Bart on the organizational hierarchy, although he has a trio of options and could play the corner outfield. Even if the Giants were to send Sabol to Triple-A, there’s not much value in keeping Bart as a sparsely-used third catcher. A sell-low trade of the former top prospect this offseason seems likely.

The Giants had a payroll in the $155MM range before the Murphy signing, according to Roster Resource. A $4MM salary would push that north of $158MM. The contract’s $4.125MM average annual value puts their luxury tax number around $192MM, about $45MM below next year’s lowest threshold.

Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported the sides were nearing a multi-year deal, as well as the $8MM guarantee. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first with an agreement. Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported it was a two-year guarantee with a third-year option. Jeff Passan of ESPN was first with the $250K option buyout, which Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 specified was not in the originally reported $8MM total. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the $12MM maximum value.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Mariners Notes: Urias, Candelario, Murphy

By | at

The Mariners traded their starting third baseman this afternoon, sending Eugenio Suárez to the Diamondbacks for reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala. That leaves a few paths that Seattle could explore at the hot corner.

Internally, it seems recent trade acquisition Luis Urías has the upper hand on the job. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (X link) and Daniel Kramer of MLB.com each report that Seattle is likely to give Urías the third base job.

That’s a risky play for a team that expects to contend in 2024. The right-handed hitting Urías is coming off a disappointing season. He had hit only .145/.299/.236 in 20 MLB games for the Brewers early in the ’23 season, spending a good portion of the year on optional assignment to Triple-A. Milwaukee moved on at the trade deadline, sending him to the Red Sox. Urías’ production was improved but still pedestrian in Boston, where he hit .225/.361/.337 over 32 contests.

It was essentially a replacement level showing overall. Urías looked like a roughly average regular over the preceding two seasons in Milwaukee. He had hit .244/.340/.426 in a little over 1000 plate appearances between 2021-22. He combined for 39 home runs with a strong 10.8% walk rate and standard 20.6% strikeout percentage.

The M’s clearly believe that he’ll bounce back from his 2023 season. Seattle dealt reliever Isaiah Campbell to Boston for Urías, who had seemed a non-tender candidate before that trade. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz forecasts him for a salary in the $4.7MM range for his penultimate arbitration season. While hardly an overwhelming sum, it’s not an entirely insignificant amount for a player who had fallen down the infield depth charts in Milwaukee and, to a lesser extent, Boston.

With four months remaining in the offseason, there’s obviously plenty of time for the Seattle front office to bring in another option. MLB.com’s Jon Morosi floated the possibility of a run at free agent Jeimer Candelario, although it’s not clear if that’s something the Mariners are actually considering. The switch-hitting Candelario is coming off a far better offensive showing than Urías is. Between the Nationals and Cubs, he ran a .251/.336/.471 batting line with 22 homers in 576 plate appearances.

There’d be a viable roster fit for Candelario even if the Mariners wanted Urías to play every day. The latter has plenty of second base experience in his big league tenure. Seattle has a few options at the keystone — Josh Rojas and José Caballero primary among them — but none who stands a clear regular.

A run at Candelario would be out of character for a front office that has shied away from adding offensive talent in free agency. The M’s have rather incredibly not signed a single free agent position player to a multi-year contract in seven offseasons under president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. MLBTR predicts Candelario for a four-year, $70MM guarantee.

While the trade adds some uncertainty to the infield, Zavala now seems the choice to back up Cal Raleigh behind the plate. Kramer writes that the M’s are no longer planning to pursue a reunion with veteran backstop Tom Murphy. He’d played in Seattle since 2019, struggling with injuries but generally making a strong power impact in limited playing time. Murphy hit .250/.324/.460 over his Mariners tenure. He has a shot at a two-year deal in his first trip to free agency.

Mariners Looking To Add High-Contact Hitters

By | at

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.

AL West Notes: Astros, Anderson, Rendon, Murphy

By | at

The Astros have been without outfielder Michael Brantley for most of the past week due to soreness, which according to manager Dusty Baker (as relayed by The Athletic’s Chandler Rome) is “mostly” in his surgically repaired shoulder. That’s troublesome news for Houston, as the veteran outfielder has played in just 12 games since he was shut down for shoulder surgery last summer. That Brantley’s been forced off the field by his ailing shoulder once again raises questions as the Astros gear up to defend their title as the reigning World Series champions this fall, though it’s at least somewhat encouraging that the club hasn’t yet elected to place him on the injured list.

Brantley’s absence would normally be expected to allow Yordan Alvarez to move into left field, freeing up the DH spot for a bat like rookie catcher Yainer Diaz. Things aren’t quite that simple, however, as Alvarez is dealing with injury issues of his own. The slugger told reporters, including MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, recently that he hasn’t been able to play the field recently after “feeling something” in his elbow earlier in the month while swinging the bat. The incident has left the Astros acting cautiously with their superstar slugger, who has slashed .293/.410/.578 in 106 games with the club this year. While Rome notes that Alvarez was taking fly balls and throwing in the outfield before today’s game, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle relayed yesterday that Baker is still trying to avoid using Alvarez in the outfield during games.

With Brantley unavailable and Alvarez seemingly restricted to DH, the club figures to rely on the services of Jake Meyers and Mauricio Dubon in the outfield for the time being. With Kyle Tucker entrenched in right field on an everyday bases and both Meyers and Dubon grading out as solid center fielders defensively, the unfortunate injury situation with Brantley and Alvarez has nonetheless allowed the Astros to improve their outfield defense by moving Chas McCormick into left field rather than utilizing him in center.

More from the AL West…

  • Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson saw his season come to an end today, as the club placed him on the 15-day IL with left knee soreness (as noted by MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) following today’s game against the Twins. Anderson was poised to start tomorrow’s game for Anaheim, though no replacement starter has been announced to this point. Anderson’s first year with the Angels was a difficult one, as the lefty posted a 5.43 ERA and 4.93 FIP in 141 innings of work. Anderson signed a three-year, $39MM deal with the club early last offseason after posting a fantastic season in 2022 with the Dodgers.
  • Sticking with the Angels, Bollinger also relays that third baseman Anthony Rendon isn’t expected to return from the injured list this season, according to club manager Phil Nevin. 2023 will go down as yet another injury-marred campaign for the veteran third baseman, who has been on the shelf since early July with a shin injury and has played just 148 games since the start of the 2021 campaign. Rendon, who slashed .236/.361/.318 with a wRC+ of 95 in 183 trips to the plate this year, has three years and roughly $116MM left on his contract with the club headed into 2024.
  • The Mariners have been without catcher Tom Murphy for over a month due to a thumb fracture and was shut down from baseball activity earlier in September due to the issue. While that diagnosis put the remainder of his 2023 in doubt, it’s possible that there’s reason for optimism regarding Murphy’s ability to return this year, at least in the event that Seattle makes it to the postseason. MLB.com notes that Murphy was poised to undergo an MRI yesterday to determine whether he could resume baseball activities, though no update has been provided regarding the catcher’s status at this point. Murphy’s hit exceptionally well in a back-up role this year behind Cal Raleigh, with a .290/.335/.538 slash line in 159 trips to the plate this year. The club has recently been relying on Luis Torrens as their second catcher in Murphy’s absence.

Mariners’ Tom Murphy Shut Down From Baseball Activity Due To Thumb Fracture

By | at

Mariners catcher Tom Murphy has been shut down from baseball activity for another ten days and is not a lock to return to the team this year, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports. The 32-year-old has been out since Aug. 14, when a foul tip caught him on the thumb and resulted in what was originally diagnosed as a displaced tendon. However, general manager Justin Hollander revealed to the Mariners beat last night that subsequent imaging performed after much of the swelling had subsided revealed a small fracture as well.

Murphy’s hand has been placed in a splint and will be reevaluated on Sept. 22. That’ll be something of a make-or-break point, as Hollander added that there is “no likelihood” of Murphy returning if follow-up testing “doesn’t go well.” Seattle has been using Brian O’Keefe to back up starter Cal Raleigh. Veterans Pedro Severino and Luis Torrens are also on hand in Triple-A Tacoma, though neither is on the 40-man roster.

While some might wave off the importance of a backup catcher to a team’s postseason chances, Murphy is no ordinary backup catcher. He’s taken 159 turns at the dish this season and turned in an outstanding .290/.335/.538 slash with eight home runs and a dozen doubles. Since joining the Mariners in 2019, he’s tallied 807 plate appearances and delivered a .250/.324/.460 batting line. That’s 15% better than league-average production, by measure of wRC+. Considering the standard catcher in that time has been about 10% worse than average at the plate in that time, Murphy’s production relative to his positional peers — particularly backups — is exceptional.

That said, staying on the field has been a challenge for Murphy. After a terrific first season in Seattle (2019), a broken foot cost him the entire 2020 season. He returned in 2021 but logged a lackluster .202/.304/.350 slash in his first year back from that injury. He looked excellent to begin the 2022 season — but left shoulder surgery sidelined him for the season after he’d played in just 14 games. As Murphy mended from that shoulder issue, Raleigh stepped up and solidified himself as one of the top power-hitting catchers in the sport. The 26-year-old switch-hitter has popped 55 homers over the past two seasons, including 28 this year while hitting .237/.315/.473.

Raleigh’s presence assures that the M’s will have an offensive threat behind the dish (and a standout defender as well), but a season-ending injury for Murphy would sting nonetheless. He’s hit well enough during his Mariners tenure that he’s a legitimate option at designated hitter, particularly versus southpaws. In 473 career plate appearances against lefties, Murphy touts a .264/.352/.489 batting line.

If Murphy is indeed done for the year, backup catching duties will continue to fall to the inexperienced O’Keefe, who’s 3-for-22 in his young big league career. The 30-year-old did bat .240/.325/.511 with 22 home runs in Triple-A this season, so there’s likely more in the tank from an offensive standpoint — though he clearly can’t be expected to replace Murphy’s production.

If the Mariners choose to go with one of their veteran options in Triple-A, both Severino and Torrens would be postseason-eligible. Severino has played 41 games in Tacoma this year (plus another 18 games with the Padres’ top affiliate) but carries a tepid .237/.310/.411 slash between those two stops. Torrens went 5-for-20 in a brief big league stint with the Cubs earlier this season and is batting .244/.295/.442 in 95 Triple-A plate appearances on the year. He’s a familiar commodity for the Mariners, having spent parts of three seasons in Seattle, where he logged a .239/.297/.388 line in 609 plate appearances.

The Mariners are currently in a tightly contested American League playoff race, sitting outside of the postseason picture by the narrowest of margins at the moment. They’re trailing Texas by just a half game for the final Wild Card spot, with the Blue Jays only a half game up on the Rangers. The Mariners were leading the AL West not long ago, but they’re presently two and a half games behind the Astros in that regard. It’s still eminently plausible that the M’s win the AL West, capture a Wild Card spot or miss the playoffs entirely, so every win/loss and every injury is magnified.

From a personal standpoint, the injury has implications for Murphy as well. He’s slated to become a free agent for the first time this offseason and will be one of the top-hitting catchers in a thin class at the position. If he’s able to return to the lineup by season’s end and potentially demonstrate his health in the playoffs, that could strengthen his free-agent case a bit, but the current six-week absence he’s facing won’t do Murphy any favors in that regard.

AL West Notes: Oakland, Ohtani, Mariners

By | at

The Athletics are all but certain to move out of Oakland in favor of Las Vegas upon their lease’s expiration at the end of the 2024 campaign. That being said, the club’s new stadium in Las Vegas isn’t expected to be ready until 2028 at the earliest, creating questions regarding where the A’s will play in the interim. Some possible solutions that have been discussed would see the A’s look to split time in Oracle Park with the Giants or Las Vegas Ballpark with the Aviators, the organization’s Triple-A affiliate.

Perhaps the most frequently discussed option at the club’s disposal would be simply remaining in the Coliseum on an extended lease while the club’s new ballpark in Las Vegas is built, but Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle indicates that Oakland’s mayor, Sheng Thao, would not extend the club’s lease in Oakland easily. Ostler relays that Thao’s chief of staff Leigh Hanson indicated the city’s demands could include the A’s leaving the “Athletics” name in Oakland when they depart for Vegas or a guarantee of a new team when MLB eventually expands beyond 30 teams.

It seems unlikely that the A’s would be willing to give up the “Athletics” name nor that MLB would offer Oakland an expansion team in exchange for three additional years on the club’s lease in Oakland. Given those hefty demands, it seems that the A’s will have to look elsewhere as they search for an interim home while their future ballpark in Las Vegas is built. The A’s have officially filed with MLB for relocation, with their interim home ballpark remaining as perhaps the single biggest question mark regarding the relocation plan. Any interim home ballpark would have to receive the approval of not only the league, but also the MLBPA.

More from around the AL West…

  • Angels GM Perry Minasian indicated today to reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) that the club suggested two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani undergo imaging on his throwing arm earlier this month when he left a start on August 3 thanks to cramping in his finger. Ohtani and his team declined to proceed with the MRI, instead opting to make his scheduled start on August 9. Of course, Ohtani wound up being diagnosed with a UCL tear earlier this week, an injury that has ended his season as a pitcher. Ohtani has continued to his since the injury was revealed, and has done so at his usual MVP-caliber level: in four games since, Ohtani has recorded three doubles, a triple, and a home run on five hits and six walks in sixteen trips to the plate while stealing two bases. Minasian declined to provide an update on Ohtani’s injury, indicating that Ohtani and his team would determine his course of action and timeline as they gathered additional opinions on his injury.
  • The Mariners have been one of the hottest teams in baseball this month, with an 18-5 since the start of August that’s pushed them to the top of the AL West standings. They’ve done all that without outfield Jarred Kelenic, who has been on the injured list with a fractured foot since kicking a water cooler last month. The 23-year-old youngster is recovering well from the incident with GM Justin Hollander indicating that Kelenic will begin a rehab assignment next week, as noted by Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. While Hollander indicated that Kelenic’s rehab could be a lengthy one, he expressed confidence that the young outfielder will return at full strength before the end of the season. That’s great news for Seattle, which has primarily relied on Dominic Canzone (94 wRC+) in the weeks since Kelenic’s injury.
  • Sticking with the Mariners, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times notes that catcher Tom Murphy is expected to be cleared for an increase in baseball activities and intensity this week. Murphy has been on the injured list with a thumb sprain for the past two weeks. Prior to his injury, Murphy was the club’s primary backup to Cal Raleigh behind the plate and was having a superlative season in that role, slashing .290/.335/.538 with a wRC+ of 140 in 159 trips to the plate. With Murphy on the shelf, Seattle has relied on Brian O’Keefe as Raleigh’s backup.

Mariners Select Brian O’Keefe

By | at

The Mariners announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Brian O’Keefe. He will take the active roster spot of fellow backstop Tom Murphy, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a left thumb sprain, retroactive to August 14. The club already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster.

O’Keefe, 30, gets called to join the Mariners for the second time in his career. He was selected in late September last year, getting into two games before being non-tendered in the offseason and re-signing on a minor league pact. He’s spent all of this year with Triple-A Tacoma in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Despite hitting 22 home runs and drawing walks in 11.1% of his plate appearances, his .240/.325/.511 batting line amounts to a wRC+ of just 91.

He will slide into the backup role behind starter Cal Raleigh, taking the place of Murphy, who has an uncertain timeline but will be officially out for more than a week. Murphy has generally been an above-average hitter in his career but health has been an impediment. He’s never reached 100 games played in a season and was limited by a dislocated shoulder to just 14 contests last year. He’s played 47 games this year, hitting a huge .290/.335/.538 for a wRC+ of 142, but will now have to put that strong season on pause.

Dating back to his debut in 2015, Murphy is a career .244/.313/.456 hitter, which translates to a wRC+ of 106. Despite almost a decade in the bigs at this point, he’s played just 315 games but has generally succeeded when on the field. He’s set to reach free agency at season’s end.

Jerry Dipoto Discusses Mariners’ Deadline Approach

By | at

The Mariners pulled back to .500 this afternoon, blanking the Twins to get to 48-48. They’re still in fourth place in the AL West, 9 1/2 games behind the division-leading Rangers. They’re five games out of the final Wild Card spot pending Houston’s night contest in Oakland.

With the club hovering around average all season, the front office finds itself in a borderline position approaching the August 1 trade deadline. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto suggested the team was taking a flexible approach in a chat with Mike Salk this morning during his weekly appearance on 710 AM ESPN in Seattle.

Dipoto conceded the M’s have “not really separated ourselves in a meaningful way to be aggressive on the buying end.” While he left open the potential for short-term additions, he noted they’ll use the next 11 days to evaluate if it’s “better to make a push for the ’23 season or to better situate ourselves for ’24.”

In any event, it doesn’t seem the Mariners are preparing to play at the top of the rental market. “Last year, we were very aggressive in the trade market for what I would call the big fish and we were able to land Luis Castillo,” Dipoto said. “This year, we’re probably not going to be in that market. We’re going to be more in the margins market, trying to find a way that we can get a little bit better in ’23 and better situate ourselves for ’24.”

It’s possible that could involve moving a shorter-term veteran off the MLB roster in a deal for controllable talent. Asked by Salk whether selling is off the table, Dipoto replied, “No, and it never has been. … We are always one foot in the camp of buyer and one foot in the camp of seller, believing that the best way to approach any trade deadline is with the mindset of ’how do we make the Mariners better?’”

That’s not an uncommon approach for executives whose teams are on the periphery of contention. The Red Sox and Brewers attempted (unsuccessfully) to thread that needle last summer, dealing veterans with dwindling control windows while bringing back more controllable upper level talent. As Dipoto pointed out, the Mariners have found themselves in a similar position — most notably in 2021, when Seattle traded impending free agent reliever Kendall Graveman to the Astros for infielder Abraham Toro while Houston was narrowly ahead of the Mariners in the standings.

While Dipoto’s comments leave open the possibility of parting with veteran players, they’re not about to kick off a rebuild. The baseball operations leader expressed confidence in a core centered around the likes of Julio Rodríguez, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, J.P. Crawford, Bryan Woo and Castillo.

Dipoto attributed the club’s middling performance in large part to a lack of depth, particularly in the lineup. “We’re about an average major league offense by most advanced metrics. We need to find a way to be better than average,” he said. “In order to do that, we can tap into a lot of different avenues. Some of it is going to come from our system; some of it is going to come from outside. It has to, and maybe that starts now.”

It’s hard to argue with that characterization. Seattle entered play Thursday ranked 18th in runs. They’re 25th with a .310 on-base percentage and 24th with a .388 slugging mark, though that’s partially a product of a tough home hitting environment. By measure of wRC+, which accounts for ballpark, the M’s have been one percentage point worse than a league average offense.

Conceding that “we don’t have a next wave of bats at Triple-A ready to come and push us over that edge,” Dipoto suggested that building out the lineup depth will be a priority. He took responsibility for the club’s current struggles in that regard. While Dipoto predictably didn’t single out any players, none of Seattle’s top three offseason acquisitions has performed up to expectations.

Teoscar Hernández is hitting .243/.296/.428 across 399 plate appearances. That’s serviceable but certainly not what the M’s had in mind when they sent reliever Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko to Toronto in November. Hernández had been an impact bat for the Blue Jays from 2020-22, combining for a .283/.333/.519 line.

Kolten Wong and AJ Pollock, on the other hand, haven’t found any success in 2023. The former is hitting .158/.240/.211 in 58 games after an offseason trade that sent Jesse Winker to Milwaukee. He has lost the starting second base job to José Caballero as a result. Pollock is hitting .169/.222/.315 since signing a $7MM free agent contract to add some right-handed pop to the outfield.

Seattle won’t be able to drum up much interest in either of the latter two players. If they seriously consider moving short-term veterans, though, Hernández should still be on the radar for clubs looking for offensive help. The M’s wouldn’t recoup the kind of value they surrendered to get him, of course, but his pre-2023 track record could make him an appealing change-of-scenery target.

Hernández is playing this season on a $14MM arbitration salary. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end. A couple months ago, he looked like a lock to receive and reject a qualifying offer. That’s no longer an obvious decision, at least raising the possibility of Seattle getting no compensation if they hold him past the deadline and he departs in free agency.

Seattle’s only other impending free agent is backup catcher Tom Murphy. He’s affordable ($1.625MM arb salary) and mashing at a .275/.330/.539 clip in a limited role. As a rental backup catcher, he wouldn’t bring back a major return, but the M’s shouldn’t have a problem finding a trade partner if they were to put him on the market.

Reliever Paul Sewald could be Seattle’s most appealing realistic trade chip. The righty owns a 3.03 ERA with a massive 37.7% strikeout rate over 38 2/3 innings. He has been excellent in all three of his seasons in the Pacific Northwest.

Sewald is eligible for arbitration for one more year, so the Mariners would hold firm to a huge asking price if they made him available at all. Dealing him would probably be their best chance to get an upper level bat with an extended window of team control, assuming they’re not interested in dealing any of their prized young starting pitching.

Dipoto: Mariners Likely Done Adding To Roster Before Camp

By | at

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto appeared on the latest Locked On Mariners podcast with Ty Dane Gonzalez and Colby Patnode and offered a fairly thorough review of the club’s offseason strategy and overall roster makeup leading into the 2023 campaign. First off, they’re likely done spending for the time being …

“We might wind up coming up with a late trade like we did a year ago with Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker by way of Cincinnati,” said Dipoto. “We could pick up a couple of extra NRIs, the non-roster invites … we’re constantly trying to add to the depth of what we go to Spring Training with. But if I had to bet on anything major happening before we step foot on the field, I’d bet against it at this point. And we’re comfortable with that. We feel like we have improved this team.”

Winker is gone after one highly disappointing season in Seattle, having been dealt to the Brewers in December as part of a package for rangy second baseman Kolten Wong. Among the other newcomers: Teoscar Hernandez, acquired via trade from the Blue Jays in November. AJ Pollock, brought in on a one-year, $7MM free agent contract earlier this month. And also Tommy La Stella, signed to a one-year major league pact 10 days ago.

Dipoto views this as more of a deep and dynamic group than what the Mariners put out there in 2022, when they snapped the longest postseason drought in North American professional sports before getting swept by the eventual World Series-champion Astros in the ALDS. Most of the additions have been on the position-player side, which makes sense given that Seattle finished 14th last year in combined team OPS at .704 and 8th in combined team ERA with a mark of 3.59.

Hernández will be the new starter in right field, with near-unanimous 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Award winner Julio Rodríguez locked into center for possibly the next decade-plus. Dipoto expressed hope that Jarred Kelenic can take a step forward and grab the reins in left. Taylor Trammell figures to factor into the outfield mix as well, and so can the versatile Dylan Moore if he makes a full recovery from offseason surgery to address a core injury. Moore will be a little behind his teammates when Spring Training officially gets underway next month, which maybe gives young speedster Cade Marlowe a chance to shine.

The infield looks set with Ty France at first base, Wong sliding into second, Suarez handling third, and J.P. Crawford returning at short. La Stella will back up a couple of those spots along with Moore and Sam Haggerty. Cal Raleigh should get the majority of the action at catcher, with a healthier Tom Murphy sitting behind him in reserve. “All baseball activity is in play now,” Dipoto said of Murphy, who appeared in only 14 games in 2022 because of a left shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery in June. “His workouts have gone extremely well … We missed Murph.”

The bullpen largely has the same dominant names and faces — Paul Sewald, Andres Munoz, Diego Castillo, Matt Brash, Penn Murfee — that helped produce a combined 3.33 reliever ERA (6th in MLB) and 583 strikeouts in 544 innings last season. Justin Topa, recently picked up from Milwaukee, drew praise from Dipoto as an under-the-radar breakout candidate in that department.

The biggest camp battle, as things stand right now, is going to be for the final spot in the starting rotation. Chris Flexen and Marco Gonzales are the frontrunners, but Dipoto sees Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller, Taylor Dollard and Bryan Woo knocking on the door as the season plays out. Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Robbie Ray and George Kirby can be penciled into the top four spots, pending any sudden injuries.

Mariners Select Marcus Wilson

By | at

The Mariners announced they’ve selected outfielder Marcus Wilson onto the big league roster. He’ll replace Taylor Trammell, who lands on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Seattle also optioned corner infielder Kevin Padlo to Triple-A Tacoma and recalled utilityman Sam Haggerty to add some defensive flexibility to the bench. In order to create a 40-man roster spot for Wilson, catcher Tom Murphy has been transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.

Wilson, 25, would make his major league debut if he gets into a game. He’s spent time on a 40-man roster before, having been added to the Red Sox’s roster to keep him from being taken in the 2019 Rule 5 draft. Wilson spent a year and a half on optional assignment to the minor leagues before being designated for assignment by Boston at last summer’s trade deadline. Seattle grabbed him off waivers and kept him in Triple-A for the remainder of last season.

The California native struggled during his initial two months in the M’s organization, leading Seattle to take him off the 40-man at the end of last year. Wilson passed through waivers unclaimed and remained in the system, and he’s spent this season in Tacoma. Through 209 plate appearances, he owns a .209/.336/.469 line with 12 home runs and eight stolen bases. As he has for most of his minor league tenure, Wilson has shown some power, speed and excellent strike zone awareness to work walks at a nearly 15% clip. He’s paired those promising tools with alarming swing-and-miss concerns throughout his time in pro ball, though, and he’s again punched out in more than a third of his plate appearances with Tacoma this season.

Wilson has experience at all three outfield spots but has spent much of this season in right field. That’s where Trammell has suited up for much of the year, putting together a solid .235/.323/.457 showing over 32 games. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old went down with a hamstring strain during last night’s contest. It’s the second time that’s happened to Trammell, as he spent around six weeks on the minor league IL earlier this season with the same injury. Whether his current strain is as severe as the one he suffered in April isn’t clear, but he’ll at least need some time on the shelf.

The Mariners figure to rely on some combination of Justin Upton, Dylan Moore and Wilson to cover right field for the next few weeks. Opening Day right fielder Mitch Haniger has been out since late April after suffering a high ankle sprain. He’s recently begun baseball activities but has yet to embark on a minor league rehab assignment; Haniger has maintained he hopes to be back in the big leagues around the All-Star Break.

Seattle could’ve elected to recall Jarred Kelenic, who was optioned six weeks ago at the time the M’s brought Trammell up. Kelenic has responded with a strong .295/.340/.576 showing in Tacoma, but he’s struck out at an alarming 27.7% rate while only walking at a 5.7% clip. The organization clearly feels the 22-year-old would be better served with continued run against high minors pitching — he’d had only 30 career Triple-A games entering this season — rather than returning to the majors to hold down right field until Haniger is healthy.

Murphy, meanwhile, has been out of action since May 7 after dislocating his left shoulder attempting a tag at home plate. He later suffered a setback, and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times relayed last week that he’ll require season-ending surgery. That makes today’s IL transfer nothing more than a formality.

It’s an obviously frustrating end to the year for Murphy, who only managed to appear in 14 games. The 31-year-old had performed very well in that limited stretch and looked as if he’d reemerged as a viable #1 option for the Mariners. Murphy had a stellar .273/.324/.535 showing while suiting up in just under half the team’s games in 2019, but he missed the entire following season after fracturing his left foot. Murphy returned last season but managed a less inspiring .202/.304/.350 showing through 325 trips to the plate.

Murphy’s efforts at a bounceback season are cut short by the shoulder issue. He’s playing this season on a $1.575MM salary after avoiding arbitration. The Mariners can keep him around via that process for a final time in 2023. Whether they’ll do so figures to depend on the long-term prognosis for his recovery. Murphy’s abbreviated season won’t earn him much of a raise relative to this year’s modest salary, but it’s possible Seattle looks for a new starting catcher next winter given his recent injury woes.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top