Early Grades for All of Seattle Mariners' Offseason Acquisitions

A pair of offseason acquisitions have helped the Seattle Mariners stay afloat in the early season while much of the starting rotation and bullpen is struggling.

Nelson Cruz is off to an impossibly hot start, leading the majors in both home runs and RBI. The impact that Cruz has on Seattle's lineup has already been felt, as he gives the Mariners one of the more dangerous 3-4-5's in the league.

Meanwhile, J.A. Happ has turned in some much-needed quality work at the back of the rotation. Other than the dominant Felix Hernandez, Happ has been Seattle's best pitcher in the early going.

The Mariners' acquisitions of Cruz and Happ look to have been very wise so far. Seattle could use a little more from three other key additions.

Nelson Cruz, OF/DH

The numbers Cruz put up over a recent 13-game streak are mind-boggling. After starting 1-for-15, Cruz put up a stretch where he went 22-for-53 with nine home runs and 20 runs driven in.

While that kind of stretch is obviously unsustainable over the long term, it looks like Cruz could be in for a special season. The idea that Cruz could approach the 40 home runs and 108 RBI he put up as a member of the Baltimore Orioles last year is no longer that far-fetched.

Five of those home runs have come in pitchers' parks (Seattle and Oakland) with cold weather, easing some fears that Cruz's numbers might not translate from the hitter-friendly ballparks he's played in his entire career. It helps that Cruz has the power to hit balls 442 feet at 116.2 miles per hour off the bat, as he did on Friday night, per the ESPN Home Run Tracker.

The impact that Cruz has had on the Mariners lineup can be easily felt. Cruz has already put up 0.6 WAR; the Mariners got a stunningly low minus-2.1 WAR from the designated hitter position (Cruz has been in right field instead of DHing more often recently) last season.

Grade: A+. Cruz has been better than the Mariners could have possibly hoped for.

J.A. Happ, SP

So far, Happ has shown exactly why the Mariners felt he has worth the price of talented but often-injured outfielder Michael Saunders. As Seattle hoped, Happ has translated well to a pitcher's park and has turned in three consecutive strong starts at a time when three members of the rotation are struggling and the bullpen is being overworked.

Happ has pitched 20.2 innings over those three starts, allowing just six earned runs on 20 hits. Each start has included an extended period where Happ has looked in total control of the game, and he's been able to pitch at least into the seventh inning every time as a result.

He's running a batting average on balls in play (BABIP) only slightly below his career average and striking out batters at a minuscule rate of 11.1 percent. So how has Happ been so successful thus far?

Not walking anybody (0.87 walks per nine innings) and allowing fewer homers (0.87 home runs per nine innings vs 1.13 career average) helps a lot. One interesting trend is that Happ is using his fastball about 12 percent less than his career average while incorporating his curve and cutter more, which could be sacrificing strikeouts for more weak contact.

These numbers are unlikely to sustain, and it will be interesting to see what happens when Happ goes to a more homer-friendly park. But there's no reason to think that Happ can't be an efficient and effective back-end starter.

Grade: A. Sustainable or not, Happ has turned in three strong starts at times the Mariners have desperately needed them.

Rickie Weeks, UTIL

It was easy to see why the Mariners took a cheap flier on Weeks. He could provide right-handed pop off the bench, has mashed lefties in his career and is coming off a rather unnoticed 127 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) season.

Weeks showed that skill set in the first week of the season, blasting a pinch-hit three-run homer in Oakland on April 12. He's been downright ugly at the plate since then, posting an overall line of .156/.206/.250.

The Mariners knew some strikeouts were coming, but a rate of 35.3 percent isn't going to cut it. Weeks isn't winning any playing time with his defense, and the addition of Carlos Quentin on a minor league deal could mean trouble for him.

Grade: D. Weeks flashed briefly what he can do off the bench but has struggled otherwise.

Seth Smith, RF

Smith made a splash right away, going a perfect 3-for-3 on Opening Day with two doubles, a triple and two RBI. Unfortunately, a groin injury slowed him a bit right afterwards, and Smith went into a bit of a slump, going 0-for-15 between April 12 and April 19.

Sunday's game may have been an indication that Smith is getting back into rhythm. Smith went 2-for-3 with his first home run of the season and a double, bringing his line for the season up to a strong .263/.333/.500.

One interesting thing to watch is what position Smith is used in, as he's roughly split time between DH and right field. It could be that the injury is still slightly bothering Smith or that Cruz is more comfortable as a hitter when he's getting time in the field, as many hitter are.

Grade: B. Hopefully, the injury was just a blip and Smith can produce at his normal level moving forward.

Justin Ruggiano, OF

As the right-handed half of the right field platoon, Ruggiano's playing time has been sporadic so far. He's recorded just 16 plate appearances, collecting two singles and a double.

If anything, Ruggiano has showed he has some plate discipline and has drawn three walks already. Given Ruggiano's 127 career wRC+ against left-handers, the Mariners know he can provide more.

The good news for Ruggiano is that he brings some defensive value and could fill in at center field in an emergency, which is going to keep him on the roster even if things go poorly at the plate.

Grade: C. Ruggiano is in a tough role and isn't getting much playing time, but he has the ability to be better.

All stats via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.