5 Potential Under-the-Radar Seattle Mariners Free-Agent Targets

It's no secret who the Seattle Mariners will be targeting this winter in free agency.

With a talented pitching staff in place, Jack Zduriencik will be looking to upgrade Seattle's offense enough to break a 14-year playoff drought. The Mariners need a designated hitter and will likely prioritize players like Victor Martinez and Nelson Cruz, with Billy Butler also in the picture.

However, if those targets fall through, the Mariners will have some difficult decisions to make. Seattle will also test the trade market but will have to be careful about trading away young talent.

If top names like Martinez and Cruz end up elsewhere, the Mariners will have to move on to their next tier of targets. Seattle may look at these five under-the-radar free agents if it can't land a big name.

Adam LaRoche, 1B

LaRoche has a $15 million dollar mutual option with the Washington Nationals for the 2015 season. If that is not exercised, he will become a target for several teams looking for help at first base.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The 34-year-old is coming off a solid season at the plate, compiling a .259/.362/.455 line. While no team will expect LaRoche to match that level of production as he approaches his late 30s, anything resembling his career 113 wRC+ could be a big help to the Mariners moving forward.

LaRoche is two years removed from a Gold Glove and has posted strong defensive metrics in the past, so the team may be compelled to keep him at first base while moving Logan Morrison to DH. Seattle would prefer a right-handed addition to its lineup, but there could easily be a scenario where LaRoche is the best overall option.

The Nationals are unlikely to pick up LaRoche's option, but Chase Hughes of NatsInsider.com reports that LaRoche would like to sign a deal with Washington that takes him through the end of his career.

Brandon McCarthy, SP

The Mariners' clear focus will be on the offense, but they could be in the market for a mid-level starter. As it stands now, the Mariners would be counting on a trio of very young pitchers with injury concerns, so adding a depth piece like McCarthy would make sense.

McCarthy's 10-15 record and 4.05 ERA aren't all that impressive, but his peripherals suggest that he pitched better than those numbers. He posted a 3.55 FIP (2.87 xFIP), along with a career-high strikeout rate and walk rate of only 4 percent.

The New York Yankees will likely be interested in keeping McCarthy after his excellent post-deadline performance, so he may be a long shot for teams like Seattle. A more likely scenario for the Mariners would be to re-sign Chris Young, which is just as good of an option.

Michael Cuddyer, 1B/OF

Much like the Corey Hart move last offseason, the Mariners may look for a risky yet potentially high-reward signing like Cuddyer.

Cuddyer hit .332/.376/.579 in a season in which he was limited to 49 games due to serious shoulder and hamstring injuries. That line is also inflated by Coors Field, but Cuddyer's road splits were respectable during his three seasons in Colorado. Plus, he has been a consistently solid hitter throughout much of his career.

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Due to those risk factors, Cuddyer couldn't be Seattle's only move, and signing him could easily backfire. Still, he may be worth a flier on a short, incentive-laden deal.

Delmon Young, DH

Young put up one of the best seasons of his career at the plate in 2014 with the Baltimore Orioles, posting a .302/.337/.442 line in 255 plate appearances. There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical of Young, but he does fit the right-handed DH role the Mariners are looking for.

Before his strong 2014 season, Young hadn't posted a positive WAR total or wRC+ over 100 since 2010. Young also isn't a big-time power threat, as he hit just seven home runs in a hitter-friendly park and has a career high of 21.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

On the other side of the argument, Young is just 29 years old while most of Seattle's other targets are well into their 30s. Young is likely well down the list of ideal candidates, but the Mariners may be willing to take a gamble on him continuing his success if their options begin to run out.

Adam Lind, 1B

Despite not getting much national recognition in a talented Toronto Blue Jays lineup, Lind put up an excellent 141 wRC+ in 2014. Lind's career line of .273/.372/.466 would be a pretty significant upgrade to Seattle's lineup at first base or DH, making him a solid option if Martinez and Cruz fall through.

Like many of Seattle's other targets, Lind is an injury risk, as he was limited to 96 games this season and 93 in 2012. Still, there are reasons to believe Lind could continue hitting well if he stays on the field, as two of his best seasons have come in back-to-back years and he has posted good plate discipline numbers throughout his career.

There's also the factor that Lind's $7.5 million option is more likely to be exercised than LaRoche's or Butler's, so he may not even become a free agent in the first place.

All stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.