October Questions, October Answers

 

Beer, pretzels and brown mustard can mean only one thing: Halloween is almost here. 

By Stevil

It's just me working this time around, so I selected the most common questions locally and, well, here they are...

Q: Did anything change for the Mariners over the last month?

A: (This is in reference to the offense coming alive, late) No, because they didn't get production from second, third, and their DH is hitting free agency. Haniger was the fourth outfielder and the bullpen struggled. 

Q: How much do you think payroll will increase?

A: I don't think it will increase much, if at all. Gilbert, Raleigh, and Kirby will make more, but they'll almost certainly let Polanco walk and I don't expect Rojas to return, either. He would earn 5m or so. That's a lot for a replacement-level utility player with no power. 

They are likely in the 140 range without Polanco or Rojas (or Turner). They ended the season in the 145-148m range. For entertainment's sake, we'll assume there's another 15-20m to play with, but that would surprise us.

Q: Can they move Haniger and Garver, or is that money lost?

A: Sure they can. I would be surprised if they didn't. Both players have just one year and the total is less than 30m. They moved over 115m last offseason, though Haniger and DeSclafani were in the returns. The question is 'how' will they move them. If they're willing to take on future salary, they could probably get a good player or two. If they're just looking for a salary dump, they'd likely have to give up useful players or prospects (or both). 

Q: Should Raley be given first base, or is he better as a utility player?

A: He's probably better as a utility player because of his ability to play the outfield and first base. But finding a first baseman is easier said than done. We're not particularly high on the free agents and we're not buying the rumors or suggestions that Casas is available. 

Q: Jon Morosi said the team needs an identity. Do you agree?

A: He was talking about the offense, and I do agree. But that can be summed up very easily. They need to be...good. 

This notion that they need to be power-hitters, or base-stealers, etc., is kind of an old, outdated mindset. They just need good players that play well together and get the job done. Who cares how they do it? If a team is dependent on one strength, one element, they make themselves easier to plan against and become more vulnerable. A balanced offense is more valuable/less vulnerable, in my opinion--and we saw that work late with Robles, Julio, Arozarena, Raley, Turner and Raleigh--all very different types of hitters. 

Q: Should Seattle bring Turner back?

A: I don't know if he wants to come back. At his age, I could understand if he would prefer to play for an organization that's more serious about contending. And to be fair to Seattle, it's players like him that are the easiest to acquire at the deadline if needed. 

That said, I don't know if a reunion makes a lot of sense. His agent will likely be looking for 10-13m, maybe even more. He's limited defensively, shouldn't be used in a full-time capacity...I have a hard time believing Seattle wants him back. I wouldn't have a problem with it, but I'm not expecting him to return. 

Q: Do they really need relievers? They'll have Brash and Santos back next season. 

A: This was one of the most commonly discussed issues. Look, they don't know what they'll get from Brash or Santos. Brash is coming off surgery, in which he had a 'brace'. That's a relatively new procedure for pitchers. Santos missed most of 2024 and wasn't good when he was available. I don't think Seattle can afford to bank on either player, but they probably will. The free agents will be expensive and nearly every team will be looking for high-leverage arms, so trades won't likely come cheap, either. 

The least they could do is upgrade the middle relief roles. They need at least a couple of them. This is also the most difficult area to identify targets, but we'll throw out our ideas in the offseason plan, anyway.