Seattle Mariners Offseason Tracker: Hottest Free Agency News, Trade Rumors
Seattle's first season with Robinson Cano at second base and Lloyd McClendon leading the way in the dugout produced terrific results, with the Mariners posting their first winning season (87-75) since 2009.
While the playoffs remain elusive, that Seattle was able to succeed more than it failed without much in the way of production from its other big-name additions (Corey Hart, Austin Jackson, Kendrys Morales and Logan Morrison) should give the Safeco Field faithful hope for the future.
But clearly, more work lies ahead for general manager Jack Zduriencik if he hopes to get his club over the hump and back into the playoffs.
Keep it here for the most up-to-the-minute rumblings about the Mariners along with analysis and everything else that comes with it. While the post date will always show as October 31, simply click through to see the latest on the Mariners as they put together their roster for the 2015 season.
Seattle's Free Agents and Done Deals
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All the juicy rumors and analysis follow, but consider this your one-stop shop for all the comings and goings in Seattle this winter, including the status of the team's free agents.
Done Deals
Oct. 28: 1B/DH Justin Smoak claimed off waivers by Toronto
Dec. 1: Signed OF/DH Nelson Cruz to a four-year, $58 million deal, pending a physical (Analysis)
Dec. 3: Traded OF Michael Saunders to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for RHP J.A. Happ
Dec. 17: Traded RHP Matt Brazis to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for OF Justin Ruggiano
Dec. 30: Traded RHP Brandon Maurer to the San Diego Padres in exchange for 1B/OF Seth Smith
Seattle's Free Agents
RP Joe Beimel
OF Endy Chavez
OF Chris Denorfia
1B/DH Corey Hart (Dec. 19: Signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates)
DH/1B Kendrys Morales (Dec. 12: Signed a two-year deal with the Kansas City Royals)
C Humberto Quintero
SP Chris Young
Rule 5 Draft
Dec. 11: Selected LHP David Rollins from the Houston Astros
Mariners and Nationals Have Talked About Ian Desmond
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Update: Monday, Dec. 15 at 2:55 p.m. ET
Interesting scoop from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal: Washington offered Seattle Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann in exchange for Brad Miller and Taijuan Walker—and the Mariners said no.
The reason? Seattle wasn't willing to surrender five years of control on Miller and six years of control on Walker for, potentially, only one year of the players they'd be receiving. Salary was also an issue, as the club wasn't willing to take on an additional $27.5 million in payroll when they still need to find their everyday right fielder.
--End of Update--
Update: Thursday, Dec. 11 at 3:36 p.m. ET
The Mariners and Nationals continue to discuss a deal involving Desmond, ESPN's Jim Bowden reports.
The issue, as seems to be the case in most trade discussions involving Seattle, is the team's reluctance to part with either James Paxton or Taijuan Walker.
--End of Update--
Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 9:24 p.m. ET
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal says that the Mariners and Nationals have had multiple discussions revolving around Washington shortstop Ian Desmond, though talks have yet to gain traction.
The 29-year-old offers solid defense at the position and a powerful right-handed bat, coming off his third consecutive season with at least 20 home runs and 70 RBI. A free agent after the 2015 season, Desmond has turned down at least one extension offer from the Nats.
Rosenthal goes on to say that Washington likes incumbent Mariners shortstop Brad Miller, but it goes without saying that it's going to take more than Miller to pry Desmond away from Washington.
M's Have Interest in Seth Smith
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Monday, Dec. 15 at 2:50 p.m. ET
While San Diego isn't looking to trade Seth Smith, one of the few players in their lineup that produces consistently in cavernous Petco Park, that hasn't stopped teams, including the Mariners, from calling about him, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Smith, 32, hit .266 with 12 home runs, 48 RBI and a .807 OPS over 136 games in 2014 and is under team control through the 2016 season at a combined $13 million. There's also a $7 million team option on his deal for 2017 with a $250,000 buyout.
He'd be an odd fit in Seattle for two reasons: He's a left-handed bat, and the Mariners could benefit from adding another righty to the lineup, and he's been a below-average defender in right field over the course of his eight-year career.
That said, with the Mariners unwilling to unload any of their young pitching, it's going to be tough for them to find the impact bat that they seek. Making a move for someone like Smith, a productive bat who isn't perhaps the perfect fit, may be their best option.
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Seattle Not Really Interested in Viciedo?
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Update: Thursday, Dec. 11 at 4:15 p.m. ET
The whole premise that the Mariners are in "serious talks" about Viciedo is baloney, says Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, who writes that it's all coming out of Chicago, not Seattle.
--End of Update--
Thursday, Dec. 11 at 1:20 p.m. ET
The White Sox and the Mariners are in "serious talks" about Viciedo, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
--End of Update--
Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 8:40 a.m. ET
Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports that the Mariners "are showing increased interest" in Chicago outfielder Dayan Viciedo as the club continues to search for a right-handed power bat to plug into right field next year.
Viciedo, 25, hit .231 with 46 extra-base hits (21 HR), 58 RBI and a .686 OPS over 145 games for the White Sox in 2014. Arbitration eligible for the second time and under team control through 2017, he's a more affordable option than many of the outfield bats still available after making $2.8 million last year.
Dec. 1: Sign OF/DH Nelson Cruz
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Age: 34
Bats: R
2014 Stats: 159 G, .271/.333/.525, 74 XBH (40 HR), 108 RBI
Contract Status: Four years, $58 million (pending physical)
Sometimes persistence does pay off.
After failing to land Nelson Cruz last winter, the Mariners finally got their man.
Sure, paying Cruz through his age-38 season is risky, as his production at the back-end of the deal isn't likely to be anywhere near what it currently is. But for an offense that was tied for the 11th fewest runs scored in the American League (634) and had the AL's lowest OPS (.676) a year ago, Cruz is exactly what they needed.
Expecting him to lead baseball in home runs again might be asking too much, given the disparity between how the ball travels at Camden Yards compared to Safeco Field, but Cruz is more than capable of turning some of those long drives into doubles and still produce runs at a high level.
While his defense in the corners wasn't nearly as bad in Baltimore as many predicted it would be, Cruz is still best served as a full-time designated hitter, where his shaky defense is a complete non-factor.
Mariners Have Interest in Jonny Gomes
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Thursday, Dec. 4 at 9:47 a.m. ET
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Mariners are one of three teams, along with the Cubs and Rangers, that have interest in veteran outfielder Jonny Gomes.
Gomes, 34, had a rather forgettable 2014, hitting .234 with 14 extra-base hits (six home runs), 37 RBI and a .657 OPS over 112 games for the A's and Red Sox.
He's not a full-time player at this point in his career, but his right-handed bat remains a strong option for a team to insert in the lineup when facing a left-handed pitcher. Gomes' numbers against southpaws in 2014 (.276/.373/.371) aren't that far off from his career marks (.277/.376/.485).
Iwakuma Isn't Going Anywhere
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Update: Monday, Dec. 1 at 1:27 p.m. ET
ESPN's Jayson Stark asked a rival executive how available Hisashi Iwakuma was from the Mariners. The response he got: "He's not. They're adding, not subtracting."
Trading Iwakuma for a bat made only the smallest bit of sense when the rumor first came out. With Nelson Cruz now in the fold, there's absolutely no reason for Seattle to even entertain the thought.
--End of Update--
Update: Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 12:50 p.m. ET
Seattle's search for a right-handed hitting outfielder with power has found the Mariners talking with Boston about Yoenis Cespedes, per Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi.
Morosi notes that Boston, which is in dire need of starting pitching, has long admired Hisashi Iwakuma. Whether the Mariners would consider such a swap, however, is unclear.
--End of Update--
Sunday, Nov. 16 at 9:25 a.m. ET
While they're not actively shopping him, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe reports that the Mariners have received multiple inquires from a few teams about the 33-year-old righty.
Iwakuma, who didn't make his 2014 debut until May 3 as he dealt with injury, put together another solid season in Seattle, going 15-9 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 28 starts. His control, as usual, was impeccable, walking only 21 of the 709 batters that he faced.
Cafardo says that Boston has at least had internal discussions about making a move for Iwakuma, though he notes that the Mariners would want an impact bat—like Yoenis Cespedes—in return for him.
Justin Upton Once Again a Possibility for Seattle
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Update: Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 12:52 p.m. ET
Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi confirms that the Mariners are interested in Justin Upton, though he doesn't indicate whether Seattle and Atlanta have had substantive talks about a potential deal.
--End of Update--
Friday, Nov. 21 at 1:32 p.m. ET
Atlanta is looking to move Justin Upton and the Mariners are interested, says the New York Post's Joel Sherman.
Upton, 27, had a productive season for the Braves, hitting .270 with 29 home runs, a .833 OPS and 102 RBI, cracking triple-digits in the category for the first time. He has one year at $14.5 million left on his current deal.
Seattle thought it had completed a deal with Arizona for Upton in January 2013, one that would have sent Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor and Taijuan Walker to the Diamondbacks. But Upton refused to waive his no-trade clause and eventually made his way to Atlanta.
No longer on his no-trade list, the Mariners have the kind of young pitching—like Walker, who David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets isn't off-limits but isn't someone the Mariners would deal for only one year of Upton—to get a deal done this time around.
Chris Young Not in the Team's 2015 Rotation Plans?
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While he helped to solidify Seattle's rotation in 2014 and exceeded everyone's expectations with his performance, going 12-9 with a 3.65 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 30 appearances (29 starts), 35-year-old Chris Young may not be invited back to the team in 2015, writes Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune:
"Since the Mariners are looking to add at least one starting pitcher before next season, and since pending free agent Chris Young wants to return…well, it’s not quite that simple.
The Mariners, as their roster currently stands, can’t guarantee Young or any acquisition target, a spot in their rotation — not with the way right-hander Taijuan Walker, their top prospect, finished the season.
Walker’s late emergence means the Mariners already have their tentative five-man unit in place for next season with Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, James Paxton and Roenis Elias.
"
“We’ll see what happens,” Young told Dutton, “(and) if it’s beneficial for both parties. I understand this is a business, and that there’s a lot of very good talent with the Mariners.”
Young, who was an absolute bargain on a one-year, $1.25 million deal, is sure to see his 2015 salary increase substantially, whether it's from the Mariners or another club in need of a veteran starter to round out its rotation.
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