Seattle Mariners: 2023 free agents – Best of the Rest
Maybe the Seattle Mariners want to give Jarred Kelenic another chance. Platooning him with someone better at facing left-handed pitchers makes sense.
A.J. Pollock – OF – 35 – R
2022: Chicago White Sox – 138 games, .245 batting average/.292 on base percentage/.389 slugging percentage/.681 OPS, 26 doubles.
Pros
- Brings much-needed World Series experience, A.J. Pollock won a championship with the Dodgers in 2020.
- Played 8 seasons in Arizona and is 6th on D-Backs in all-time WAR.
- Career .801 OPS improves to .868 against lefties.
Cons
- His defense has slipped the past few seasons; Pollock isn’t the Gold Glove player he was in 2015.
- 2021 was his worst MLB season. At 35, is this the beginning of the end, or did Pollock have problems adjusting to his first American League season?
- Not an everyday player. He only had 600 plate appearances once in 11 MLB seasons.
Tommy Pham – LF/DH – 35 – R
2022 Cincinnati/Boston: 144 games, .236/.312/.374/.672, 89 runs scored.
Pros
- A good lead-off option against lefties with a career .351 OBP.
- Despite a poor season at the plate in 2022, with two out-of-contention teams, he still scored 89 runs.
- Plenty of postseason experience. Tommy Pham has been in the playoffs in 5 of 9 MLB seasons.
Cons
- Definitely on the downside of his career.
- More of a mercenary at this point in his career, Tommy Pham has played for 5 different teams over the last 5 seasons.
- Pham would be an upgrade over Jesse Winker in left, but not a plus fielder.
Robbie Grossman – LF/RF – 33 – S
2022 Detroit/Atlanta: 129 games, .209/.310/.311/.621, hit into only 3 double plays.
Pros
- He is a switch hitter, which Seattle Mariners Manager Scott Servais likes on his bench.
- Had one of his better defensive seasons in 2022.
- 2022 was a disappointment at the plate, but he had a .359 OBP and .759 OPS in the previous 6 seasons.
- Robbie Grossman excels against lefties with a career .279 batting average and .377 OBP.
Cons
- Hasn’t hit over .241 since 2019.
- Strikes out too much for a non-power hitter.
- Another negative defensive player.
Wil Myers – OF/1B/3B – 32 – R
2022 San Diego: 77 games, .261/.315/.298/.713, 41 RBI
Pros
- Checks the boxes for positions the M’s need help.
- Wil Myers has good speed and doesn’t hit into many double plays.
- OPS+ over 100 in 8 of 10 MLB seasons.
Cons
- Another high strikeout guy at the plate.
- Doesn’t dominate lefties as much as one would think. Has only a .754 career OPS vs. lefty starters.
- A good option to platoon with Kelenic. After making $22.5M, will he take the pay cut required of a part-time player?
If the M’s go in this direction, it’s a matter of how much they want to pay. Pollock and Myers are the best options, but the players may have to swallow some pride and play for much less than they have in the past. Grossman and Pham aren’t bad players for the Seattle Mariners to fall back on.
Next: Page 3 – Utility Men, a Lefty Reliever, and a Division Changer
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