Biggest Winners and Losers from Seattle Mariners' Offseason

The Seattle Mariners have built off of an exciting 2014 campaign with a successful offseason so far.

With the additions of Nelson Cruz, Justin Ruggiano and Seth Smith, the Mariners have shored up their major weaknesses and look like a better team than the one that missed the playoffs by just a game last season.

Seattle's roster is complete, apart from a couple of minor tweaks, and appears ready to compete for the AL West title. General manager Jack Zduriencik deserves credit for building the Mariners into a contender while parting with minimal young talent.

Zduriencik and Kyle Seager stand out as Seattle's biggest winners of the offseason, while a couple of pitchers may have lost their spots in the rotation.

Winner: Kyle Seager

It was the right time for the Mariners to offer Seager a seven-year, $100 million contract extension. Seager joins Felix Hernandez and Robinson Cano as the top players of Seattle's long-term core.

Seager has improved every year he's played in the majors and put together an All-Star caliber season, with a .268/.334/.454 line. Coupled with strong defense and durability, Seager posted 5.5 WAR, 15th-best in the majors.

The price of one WAR on the open market has been hovering around $6 million and will go up, so Seager would have to fall off dramatically to not live up to his contract. Considering the deal Pablo Sandoval just received in free agency, it appears Seattle got a steal.

Seager may have made more money overall by going through arbitration and waiting for free agency, but he now has security and a nice paycheck through his prime. This is a win for Seager and for the organization.

Loser: Chris Young

Young was a savior for the Mariners in 2014, posting a 3.65 ERA (5.02 FIP) in 29 starts en route to winning the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award. Unfortunately, the wear and tear on Young's shoulder caught up with him in September, as he faded down the stretch.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

The concern over Young's health may have cost him a roster spot in Seattle next year. With J.A. Happ brought in for rotation depth, the Mariners have six possible starters and likely no place for Young.

Seattle could still bring back Young for even more depth or a team like the San Francisco Giants could give Young a shot. Still, there was a point last season where it looked like Young would be a lock to re-sign in Seattle with a decent contract, which isn't the case anymore.

Winner: Nelson Cruz

Last offseason, Cruz was at a crossroads in his career. Facing questions about PEDs and decline, Cruz signed a one-year, show-me contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

Cruz proved he was still a valuable piece by racking up 3.9 WAR and leading the majors with 40 home runs. He turned that season into a four-year, $57 million contract with the Mariners this winter.

There's still a lot of risk with Cruz and the last year or two of that deal may get ugly, but the timing makes sense for the Mariners. Cruz now has a nice paycheck and a chance to be a hero in Seattle.

Loser: Roenis Elias

The deal for Happ may also leave Elias without a spot in the starting rotation. Elias put together a successful rookie season after jumping straight from Double-A, but will now have to beat out one of Happ or Taijuan Walker to have a chance at making the rotation.

That has to be a little disappointing for Elias, who posted a solid 3.85 ERA (4.03 FIP) last season. Still, the Mariners needed to add the rotation depth and it's hard to argue that Elias should make it over Walker or Happ.

Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune believes that Happ will take one of the two open rotation spots. 

There will be opportunities for Eilas this year. Elias could stick around in the majors in the bullpen or start the year in Triple-A and get called up if an injury occurs.

Winner: Michael Saunders

Seattle may regret trading Saunders, but he will have a much better chance to prove himself as a valuable player as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

At the end-of-season press conference, Zduriencik had some choice words for Saunders, suggesting that the outfielder could do more to keep himself healthy, via Lookout Landing. 

"

...I think what Michael has to do and has to answer to himself is "how do I prepare myself to play as many games through the course of 162 that I can possibly play without being set back with injuries?" Some are freak injuries, some are things that just happen, but some of these things need to be handled from a maintenance standpoint where he puts himself in a position to compete throughout the course of a season.

"

Saunders played well last season when healthy, accumulating 1.9 WAR, but was only able to stay on the field for 78 games. It wasn't the first time Saunders suffered an injury at a critical juncture in his career, so the Mariners decided to sell low and deal him from Happ.

Even when healthy, manager Lloyd McClendon seemed reluctance to use Saunders as an everyday player even though his numbers warranted it. Saunders should get an opportunity to start in Toronto, at least to begin the year.

Hopefully, Saunders is able to stay healthy and the Mariners get enough production out of their right field platoon to replace him. If either Seth Smith or Justin Ruggiano struggles, the Mariners may wish they hand't traded one of the most talented outfielders on the roster.

Winner: Jack Zduriencik

Apart from the debatable Saunders trade, Zduriencik has made a series of solid deals dating back to the 2014 trade deadline. Overall, he's done a nice job of building a roster that can contend not only now, but in the future.

It must have been particularly tempting this offseason to trade a top prospect for a flashy name. Possible fits like Justin Upton and Matt Kemp were out there, but Zduriencik avoided foolishly trading young players like Walker and D.J. Peterson.

Instead, Zduriencik dealt for the less heralded Smith and Ruggiano. On paper, the platoon of the two could post similar numbers to Upton or Kemp and came at the cost of only Brandon Maurer and Matt Brazis.

Zduriencik has made plenty of bad moves in his tenure as GM, but he deserves praise for building a team that should have a wide window of contention.

All stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.