Mariners shortstop free#
But what kind of mixed message is Seattle sending to free agents by insisting they remain open to changing positions when it won’t waver on moving the current shortstop to anywhere else on the field?
Mariners shortstop upgrade#
Obviously, the TBD next to second base, third base, and one outfield spot symbolizes an opportunity for Dipoto to significantly upgrade the lineup. Beyond the Mercer alum’s health issues, we still don’t quite know what he may become with the Mariners. Oh, and lest not forget that Kyle Seager and his 35 home runs left via free agency. But these four youngsters have yet to put together a productive MLB season.Īdding to the uncertainty, 2020 AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis is dealing with a chronic knee issue that’s clouding his readiness for next season. Rookies Jarred Kelenic and Cal Raleigh have plenty of potential. All of them weren’t productive hitters.Ĭrawford, Ty France, and Mitch Haniger were the only consistent performers from the names listed above. As mediocre as the Mariners’ offense was in 2021, at least five of eight field positions appear set to be filled by incumbents. Instead of taking a posture that may potentially discourage free agents from considering Seattle, why not project a more accommodating approach at shortstop and across the diamond?Ĭonsider this. And while the 26-year-old does hold an edge over the other three guys, every Big Five member possesses a considerably more productive bat. So are Correa and Báez, who both have more established records as elite-level defenders than Crawford. What’s that you say? Crawford is a Gold Glove defender at shortstop? Why make the recruiting effort even more challenging with the hardline stance that Crawford isn’t moving off shortstop? But Seattle is always a tough-to-sell destination to free agents due to its relatively isolated location. It’s plausible that some of the Big Five shortstops would entertain a position change to sign with the Mariners. These numbers don’t justify passing on the players Petriello discussed solely because they won’t move to another position. But the left-handed hitter ranked closer to mid-pack than the top-of-the-heap in most offensive categories when compared to his peers. How does such a strategy make sense?Ĭrawford was a key contributor to the Mariners’ underperforming lineup in 2021. Probably won’t be a popular opinion on this website, but…I don’t understand the overt willingness of the #Mariners to bestow the long-term starting shortstop job to a player with a career 94 OPS+.Ī team as offensively-challenged as Seattle has essentially opted to preemptively quash the notion of landing a top free agent shortstop with a more productive bat than Crawford’s, unless they are willing to change positions. So, I took to Twitter to express my dismay. With my brain and eyes now wide-open thanks to Petriello’s evaluation of the “Big Five” shortstops, the Mariners’ approach baffles me. You will see that we are courting other shortstops, but it is with the understanding that the inquiry is made with the intent that that player is willing to move to another position.'” “I told him, ‘Hey, you are our shortstop. “One of the first conversations I had this offseason was with J.P,” Dipoto said. In Dipoto’s words, Crawford was Seattle’s shortstop moving forward. Yet, that’s exactly what Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto did when remarking to media members, including Seattle Times beat writer Ryan Divish. My issue is the team’s insistence that he’s the only choice at shortstop when there is a free agent class flush with premium shortstop talent. Not only that, he provides intangible leadership qualities that Seattle needs as it attempts to transition from rebuild-mode to contention. The 16th overall pick of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft is an excellent player. The Mariners shouldn’t be averse to moving any player on the current roster to another position, if doing so improves the team for 2022 and possibly beyond.ĭon’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating that the Mariners move past Crawford – far from it. That’s when I finally grasped the obvious. In it, Petriello ranked these players in categories ranging from offense to speed to age. Specifically, Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, Corey Seager, Javier Báez, and Marcus Semien. Crawford was their starting shortstop moving forward, the Seattle Mariners were essentially limiting opportunities to improve the roster this offseason. And what spurred my pea-brain to see clearly, while jetting along at approximately 30,000 feet?Īn excellent article by Mike Petriello of MLB.com discussing top free agent shortstops. I realized that by publicly declaring J.P. Subscribe to the Baseball Things Podcast for bi-weekly analysisĭuring a recent cross-country flight, I had a long overdue “aha” moment.
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