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Mariners In Talks With Mark Trumbo

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The Mariners are in talks with free agent slugger Mark Trumbo, ESPN’s Jim Bowden writes. MLB.com’s Greg Johns confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides have spoken, although he characterizes talks as being somewhat less serious than Bowden suggests.

Trumbo and current Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto were once both in the Angels organization, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Trumbo and the Mariners have touched base. Trumbo would add even more power to a lineup that already contains Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Jean Segura and Kyle Seager, and the Mariners can certainly use a bit of outfield help.

Trumbo, then, could be a very tempting target for Seattle after a season in which he batted .256/.316/.533 with a league-leading 47 home runs. He could conceivably fit into the Mariners’ mixes in the outfield and at first base until Cruz’s contract expires following the 2018 season, at which point he could perhaps move to DH. Trumbo does, however, come with caveats, particularly at the $60MM price tag we predict he’ll command over four years — he frequently strikes out and isn’t strong defensively, and past editions of Mariners teams were weighted down by too many sluggers who lacked defensive value. Trumbo also rejected a qualifying offer.

Rosenthal: Mariners Could Sign Tyson Ross

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  • Free agent right-hander Tyson Ross, who has been recovering from thoracic outlet surgery since October, is likely to sign with a team that’s adept at “handling and rehabilitating pitchers,” Rosenthal writes. One such club is the Padres, who non-tendered Ross last week in lieu of paying him an estimated $9.6MM in 2017. San Diego and Ross have mutual interest in a reunion, though, and Rosenthal notes that Ross’ affinity for Friars pitching coach Darren Balsley could help their cause. Other possibilities for Ross include the Cubs – who have tried to acquire Ross in the past – as well as the Indians, Pirates, Mariners and Giants, per Rosenthal.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Mariners Looking For Starter

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Mariners Avoid Arbitration With Jesus Sucre

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The Mariners have avoided arbitration with catcher Jesus Sucre by agreeing to a one-year, $630K deal, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports (Twitter link).  The contract will pay Sucre $300K if he is sent to the minors.

Sucre was arb-eligible for the first time this winter, and he slightly exceeded MLBTR’s projection of a $600K salary.  As a Super Two player, Sucre still has three more arbitration years remaining beyond the 2017 season.

Sucre, 28, appeared in just nine big league games in 2016 after suffering a fractured fibula in winter ball and then spending much of his time in the minors after his return from the disabled list.  He’ll likely be the top catching option at Triple-A once again, as Mike Zunino and Carlos Ruiz will handle Seattle’s regular catching duties.  Over 264 career plate appearances in the majors, Sucre has a .209/.246/.276 slash line.

Mariners Outright Ryan Weber

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  • Recently acquired righty Ryan Weber was outrighted to Triple-A by the Mariners, per a club announcement. Added through a waiver claim from the Braves, the 26-year-old lost his 40-man spot when Seattle acquired two other former Atlanta hurlers. Weber’s quality upper-minors numbers have yet to translate to the majors, where he owns a 5.15 ERA over 64 2/3 innings over the past two seasons.

Mariners Make Handful Of Roster Moves

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In addition to confirming the signing of left-hander Marc Rzepczynski, the Mariners have inked right-hander Casey Fien to a major league contract, per a team announcement. To make room for those bullpen additions, Seattle has designated southpaw Dean Kiekhefer and righty Zach Lee for assignment.

[RELATED: Updated Mariners Roster]

Fien became eligible for free agency shortly after the Dodgers outrighted him off their 40-man roster in mid-September. In a combined 39 1/3 innings with them and the Twins last season, Fien recorded a 5.49 ERA, 8.01 K/9, 2.29 BB/9 and 33.9 percent ground-ball rate. Fien was much more successful at preventing runs over the previous four years, as he logged a 3.54 ERA, 7.93 K/9, 1.57 BB/9 and 33.6 grounder rate in 223 2/3 frames with the Twins from 2012-15. Home runs weren’t a serious problem then for Fien, but the 33-year-old allowed 13 this past season en route to a bloated ERA.

Fien has a minor league option remaining, but if he earns a place on the Mariners’ roster, he’ll make $1.1MM, according to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (Twitter link). He’ll vie to join a relief group that, at least for now, also includes righty setup men in the injured Steve Cishek, Nick Vincent, Evan Scribner, Dan Altavilla and Arquimedes Caminero.

Kiekhefer originally joined the Mariners less than a month ago as a waiver claim from the Cardinals. A 38th-round pick in the 2010 draft, Kiekhefer cracked the major leagues for the first time in 2016 and registered a 5.32 ERA, 5.73 K/9, 2.86 BB/9 and 47.3 percent ground-ball mark in 22 innings with St. Louis.

Lee, a former high-end prospect with the Dodgers, became a Mariner when they acquired him for infielder Chris Taylor last June. The 25-year-old Lee, who went in the first round of the 2010 draft, debuted in the big leagues with 4 2/3 frames as a member of the Dodgers in 2015. He spent last season at the Triple-A level and combined for 148 innings – 74 1/3 of which came with the Mariners’ affiliate in Tacoma. Lee struggled to a 7.39 ERA with the Rainiers, though his strikeout and walk rates per nine (6.05 and 2.91) weren’t nearly as ugly.

Mariners Sign Marc Rzepczynski

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SATURDAY: The deal is complete, Jon Heyman of FanRag sports tweets.

FRIDAY: Rzepczynski will receive a robust $11MM guarantee over two years when the deal is finalized, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweets.

THURSDAY: The Mariners are nearing a deal with free agent lefty Marc Rzepczynski, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It’ll be a two-year contract, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network (Twitter link), assuming the final details are arranged and the physical doesn’t reveal any issues.

Rzepczynski, 31, has long been a popular LOOGY, though it’s perhaps a bit surprising that he was able to land a multi-year guarantee. The aptly nicknamed “Scrabble” has spent time in the majors with six organizations over the past eight seasons.

All told, he has held opposing lefties to a .222/.291/.298 batting line over his career, striking out 198 of the 738 hitters to step in on that side of the box. Right-handers, meanwhile, have had much greater success, posting a .277/.377/.431 slash against Rzepczynski. It is worth noting that he broke into the league as a starter, though, and he managed to hold down right-handed-hitters’ power numbers last year, though they did draw 23 walks against just 15 strikeouts in over 102 plate appearances against him.

As those figures would suggest, Rzepczynski handed out entirely too many free passes during his time with the A’s in 2016. But he righted the ship in his late-season run with the Nationals, allowing just two earned runs over 11 2/3 innings of work. Rzepczynski typically carries both double-digit swinging-strike rates and a hefty groundball rate (over 67% in each of the last two seasons).

Mariners Interested In Doug Fister

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As the Mariners look to bolster their rotation, free agent righty Doug Fister is a “name of interest” to the organization, according to Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Already a plausible pursuer of starting pitching, the M’s now appear clearly in need of another arm after dealing Taijuan Walker.

Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto has acknowledged that the club would look to add to the rotation, explaining that he’s hopeful of finding “major-league established starting pitching.” The team has a variety of depth pieces, and added a few more yesterday, but could certainly stand to add to the back of the rotation alongside options such as Ariel Miranda and Nate Karns. “The idea now is to plug in someone who gets a little closer to the middle of the rotation than the back,” said Dipoto.

Whether Fister would really meet that need is somewhat in question after his one-year stint with the Astros. He started well, but faltered over the second half and ended with a career-worst 4.64 ERA over 180 1/3 innings, with 5.7 K/9 and a personal-high 3.1 BB/9. Typically a strong groundball pitcher, Fister has also hovered in the 45% range in groundball induction over the past two years, which is right at league average.

Certainly, the Mariners do not appear to be locked in on Fister. Per the report, the club has its eye on other possibilities — including via trade — and may not see the veteran as their “top preference.” Dipoto has also made clear that he’s in no rush to fill the need, perhaps reflecting an interest in finding value rather than targeting a specific player.

Fister, now 32, began his career in Seattle. He was dealt to the Tigers in an ill-fated swap from the Mariners’ perspective, and was later shipped on to the Nationals. While he is now two years removed from his high-quality 2014 campaign in D.C., Fister was at least able to return to full health in 2016 after struggling with elbow issues in his final year with the Nats.

Braves Acquire Alex Jackson

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The Braves have struck a deal to acquire outfield prospect Alex Jackson from the Mariners, per club announcements. Righties Rob Whalen and Max Povse are headed to Seattle in the deal, in which Atlanta will also pick up a player to be named later. The Mariners designated righty Ryan Weber to create 40-man roster space.

Jackson, the sixth overall pick in the 2014 draft, is still just twenty years old and has only played two professional seasons. But GM Jerry Dipoto — who wasn’t at the helm in Seattle when Jackson was selected — evidently didn’t see enough evidence of his future potential.

Despite a tough 2015 debut year, Jackson received some top-100 leaguewide billing entering the 2016 campaign. He did show some improvement at the Class A level, but ended with a relatively meager .243/.332/.408 batting line and 11 home runs over 381 plate appearances. Jackson also went down on strikeouts 103 times while drawing 34 walks.

[RELATED: Updated Braves & Mariners Depth Charts]

Whalen, 22, received his first five major league starts last year, allowing a 18 earned runs and a dozen walks but also limiting opposing batters to twenty base hits while compiling a healthy 25 strikeouts. He was much better in his first attempt at the upper minors, too. Across 120 total frames split between Double-A and Triple-A, Whalen compiled a 2.40 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. The righty originally came to Atlanta from the Mets along with John Gant in the 2015 deadline deal for Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe.

Though Whalen figures to play a role in Seattle’s pitching depth, Povse may be the real get here for the M’s. The 23-year-old is a consistent strike thrower despite his 6’8 frame. Working last year at the High-A and Double-A levels, he ran up 158 innings of 3.36 ERA pitching with 7.9 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 — though his strikeout numbers drooped following his promotion.

In adding two players to their roster, the Mariners had to clear a spot. That will mean exposing the 26-year-old Weber to waivers. Actually, Weber landed in Seattle from Atlanta earlier this month through a waiver claim after providing 64 2/3 innings to the Braves over the last two seasons. Though he’s also a low-walk hurler, having averaged just 1.5 free passes per nine in the majors, he has managed only a 5.15 ERA in the bigs while logging 5.8 K/9. Weber has posted sub-3.00 earned run averages in the upper minors in each of the past two seasons, while working mostly in a relief capacity.

Napoli "Doesnt Fit" With Mariners' Plans

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  • Mike Napoli received some interest from the Mariners earlier this month, though one club official tells Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune that Napoli “doesn’t fit” into Seattle’s roster plans.  The M’s intend to give Dan Vogelbach and Ben Gamel a clear shot at the regular first base and right field jobs, with Danny Valencia the top choice to spell both against left-handed pitching.  Guillermo Heredia, Richie Shaffer and Taylor Motter are also in the mix as right-handed bats to platoon with Gamel or Seth Smith.  (Dutton’s piece was written before the Mariners acquired yet another right-handed hitting outfielder in Mitch Haniger from the D’Backs.)  With all of these platoon pieces on hand and Nelson Cruz getting the bulk of DH at-bats, there just isn’t room for Napoli.  Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto said earlier today that he is happy with his club’s position players and will now turn his focus to adding starting pitching.
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