Offseason Mailbag: Offseason success, Jonatan Clase, Arozarena or Paredes, and more!

Offseason mailbags are back as we await a significant move from the Mariners. Subscribe today!

Offseason mailbags are back as we await a significant move from the Mariners. It is a slow time of the offseason still, but the good news is Seattle should have multiple moves left in them. If you haven’t yet checked out my conversation with Ryan Divish from earlier this week, check it out and upgrade your subscription today!

Given the restrictions Jerry and Co have with the payroll, what would you consider to be a successful remainder of the offseason?- William Lofton

Thanks for the question! The front office has been put in an extremely difficult, but not impossible spot. They have a very small needle to thread because of ownership’s reluctance to spend, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make this team a ton better.

At a baseline level, they need two everyday bats and one outfield platoon type. If they accomplish this and one of these three players can hit in the middle of the order, this is probably the baseline level of “success.” 

If they want to make this offseason an unequivocal success, it has to be two everyday bats that can immediately slot in the 3/4 hole of a lineup plus a right-handed platoon bat. 

For example, if the Mariners were to add Randy Arozarena, Jorge Soler, and Adam Duvall I would consider the winter an overwhelming success. If they were only able to add one of these players and a couple more “role player” types I would consider it the floor level of where they need to be by Opening Day. 

Is this Mariners offseason so far *truly* a disaster? Or is it getting overblown because the Mariners moved on from fan favorites to cut payroll and try to upgrade in other ways? -MarinersPainLove on X

This offseason has been ugly from a general perspective. Beginning with the press conference and then essentially having to strip your roster of several useful players to gain payroll flexibility is a bad look for the organization.

Seattle has been one of the most scrutinized teams in the league for this approach, and rightfully so.

With that being said the offseason is far from a disaster. They have plenty of talent on this roster, and if they do end up keeping the pitching staff intact it may be the best in baseball. The Mariners also have an up-the-middle trio many teams can only dream about. 

What they do from here on out will determine how we ultimately view this offseason. The order of these events matters and because of that the frustration from the fan base is understood. 

However, will people still be upset if they find a way to acquire two middle-of-the-order bats with 30+ home run potential? Time will tell, but the offseason isn’t a failure…. yet. 

Do you see Dipoto and Servais staying with the Mariners after this season if payroll continues to be a problem? Dipoto has already left an organization once because ownership and he were not on the same page. - Ryan Johnson

Thanks for the question, Ryan. It’s impossible to know the frustration levels of this front office, but one would have to assume they are high. The rug has been pulled out from under them in three of the last four offseasons.

Forcing your baseball people to make business decisions will always be malpractice. As you mentioned Dipoto has been through this before, and it wouldn’t shock me to see him move on. 

As for Scott Servais, I don’t necessarily believe the same thoughts apply. While he and Jerry are seemingly joined at the hip, Scott has been a terrific manager and may not want to move on unless another job he could theoretically obtain becomes available. It’s hard for me to see a situation where both are gone next season, but anything is possible. 

When do you think we’ll see Clase in the big leagues? (Assuming he doesn’t get traded)-Jace Beine

Thanks, Jace! For Jonatan Clase, I think there’s a chance he could see the big leagues this year. If he wants to be an everyday player, he needs to cut down on the strikeouts and improve his defense, but some of the physical tools are tantalizing.

Clase struck out 28 percent of the time at Double-A Arkansas last year but did walk at a 13 percent clip. If he can continue his very nice walk rates and manage his strikeouts enough he could be a really fun player and could make his debut sometime in the second half if the progress is apparent. 

With that being said I wouldn’t be surprised if Clase is dealt this offseason. His proximity and current stock make him among the most likely Mariners to be dealt this winter, but he is still just 21 years old so there is always the chance Seattle wants to hold on to him. 

What does it take to land Arozarena+Paredes/how likely is it?- MoFo_Moose

I truly don’t think they get both, if either of these players. At the beginning of the offseason, I got the sense they liked Arozarena better, but as the money situation has developed I believe they would prefer Paredes. 

It has been said that Seattle would prefer Paredes to play both corner infield positions as well as DH. Both Paredes and Arozarena are poor defenders, but the former is earlier in his control years and will be much cheaper.

At the end of the day, I don’t see them being able to get both unless Logan Gilbert is involved, a situation I cannot see unfolding this offseason. I think it is much more likely they either acquire one of the two or a completely different player while trying to add a player like Jorge Soler via free agency. 

Who is an OF that hasn’t been linked to the Ms publicly that could be on their way to Seattle (ex: not Randy, steer, cardinals guys)- Solobeeezy on X

From a free agency perspective, there truly isn’t much, especially with the budget restrictions. Jorge Soler and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. both make a ton of sense for Seattle on the open market, but their prices could end up being too high to be realistic. 

On the low end one guy that I think the Mariners have interest in is Adam Duvall. He is on the older side, but his skill set as an athletic right-handed hitter who can handle centerfield as a backup role would fit perfectly on this roster. He also handles right-handed pitching very well. 

In terms of trade fits, the options are endless. Max Kepler is a good fit but will be making a decent amount of money. Harold Ramirez from Tampa is another player who fits, but he should stay far away from having any sort of defensive outfield role. 

Bryan Reynolds, Anthony Santander, Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, Mike Yasztrzemski, Seth Brown, and Lamonte Wade Jr. are other names to watch.

How are you liking this Mariners 40 man roster so far? And if not liking it, what needs to be addressed and upgraded? - MrEd315 on X

Thanks for the question, Mr. Ed. The 40-man roster is far from complete, but it isn’t as far away from contention as people think. They need to add two everyday bats, preferably three. The pitching staff is excellent and already very close to completion. I would like to see them add a depth arm and potentially a mid-rotation starter if they were to trade Bryce Miller or Bryan Woo for a bat.

The bullpen is complete unless they add an arm as a smaller piece of a bigger trade, or are forced to trade someone like Matt Brash for a bat they need. The place where Seattle has the greatest need to add is the outfield.

Letting Teoscar Hernández walk and trading Jarred Kelenic has left them with some large holes on both sides of Julio Rodríguez. Seattle could add three players to their outfield mix this winter, and two at the very least.

The market is finally taking shape after the Tyler Glasnow trade, and we should expect even more following Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s decision. With four open spots on the 40 man roster, we should see some movement from Seattle soon…