What right handed options are available to the Mariners?
In his weekly radio show Jerry Dipoto once again expressed interest in adding a right handed hitter. This time he went into more detail about their preferences, so let's take a look at some options.
In his weekly radio show President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto reiterated his interest in adding a right-handed hitter this offseason, but this time went into more detail. Dipoto expressed interest in adding “right-handed power” to this lineup this offseason.
“More than anything else is finding someone who can move the lineup or help score in bunches. They don’t grow on trees. We are going to be patient in trying to find that player,” Dipoto said.
The front office has definitely been patient this offseason, passing up on players who could make an instant impact on this group. Players like Brandon Nimmo, Masataka Yoshida, and Michael Conforto are all players who we expected the Mariners to be in on. They have clearly pivoted to either rolling with Jarred Kelenic or acquiring an impact outfielder by likely trading the young outfielder.
Most of the remaining impact players are left-handed bats, so in all likelihood, the Mariners aren’t interested. So what players still make sense for Seattle?
Dipoto said they have been in contact with a few players who could do this for them. It is likely the Mariners are open to adding this bat through free agency or trade, and the player could either be a corner infielder or a corner outfielder.
Starting with free agent options, I discussed Brandon Drury as a corner infield option that provides a lot of thump earlier this week. He can play both corner infield spots and even could play corner outfield in a stretch. His versatility and right-handed power make him an option here. Drury had a WRC+ of 123 in 2022.
AJ Pollock is another player I have discussed at length recently because of his overlap in Arizona with Jerry Dipoto and his overall fit on this team. He dominates left-handed pitching and still has some juice left. Pollock would be a fine fallback option if the impact players don’t fall into place. He owns a 129 WRC+ against left-handed pitching.
Wil Myers fits very well in this equation as well. He can play both first base and outfield and is likely average at both. Myers hits lefties very well and provides some power and protection for Jarred Kelenic. Myers owns a career 110 WRC+ and a 119 against lefties over his career.
Yandy Diaz and Anthony Santander are impact options in the trade market that I have discussed in recent articles. Diaz is a great hitter but isn’t a huge power threat. Santander isn’t a great on-base player but provides a switch-hitting ability with his strength being against lefties. Both of these players would be expensive to acquire.
One obvious impact addition Seattle could make is adding Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates are said not to be fielding offers for him yet but are expected to in the coming weeks. He will be extremely expensive but is exactly the type of player Seattle is looking for.
According to Ryan Divish Seattle has also checked in on former Mariner Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill brings a ton of juice but is coming off a down season. He would immediately add a ton of impact and threat to the top of the order.
There is a good mix of impact options and fallback options here. I don’t expect Seattle to make any moves on this front until they hear about Bryan Reynolds from the Pirates. The good news is the Mariners are still looking for impact additions to this lineup, not settling for mediocrity just yet.