Seattle Mariners and Mitch Haniger Part 2: If not Mitch then who?
Getting help from the upcoming free agent class
If the Seattle Mariners want to look outside their own club, there will be quality free agents this winter. Among the best options will be:
- Aaron Judge (31 years old)
- Brandon Nimmo (30 years old)
- Brandon Drury (30 years old)
- Michael Conforto (30 years old)
- Joey Gallo (29 years old)
- Wil Myers (32 years old)
Judge is a pipe dream and won’t happen. Even so, Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto should make whatever deal with the baseball gods to get him to play in the Pacific Northwest full-time.
The Brandons also come with injury concerns, and both are having career seasons. Dipoto got bit three times this past offseason, getting players coming off career seasons (Robbie Ray, Jesse Winker, and Adam Frazier).
Myers is interesting, but he profiles slightly better as a first baseman than a corner outfielder. Next up are Gallo and Conforto. Starting in 2023, MLB will have new rules about using the shift.
Teams will need to be at least two fielders on each side of second base. This change could result in rising productivity from left-handed hitters.
Gallo is the crybaby, er poster child for scraping the shift. He’s a left-handed power bat who, when he’s not pulling the ball into the shift, strikes out a gigantic ton.
Conforto missed all of 2022 due to a shoulder injury. Interestingly, once he was reportedly healthy, the former Oregon State star didn’t sign with a team (although there was an offer from Houston). A Scott Boras client, he won’t come cheap. But in reality, he might have to accept a prove-it kind of deal.