Seattle Mariners: Who Will Be the #5 Starter?
Will the 5th starter be someone yet to be found?
There are always surprises in spring training (less than with instant access and social media), and the 5th starter in this strong rotation could be someone we don’t know yet. He could be a free agent acquisition or a trade.
The Mariners invited 14 pitchers to spring training that weren’t on the 40-man roster. The most intriguing (besides the rookies) is Asher Wojciechowski. He’s started 35 big league games, and while Wojciechowski hasn’t had a lot of success, he has thrown a lot of innings.
The 32-year-old struggled at times, most notably with giving up the long ball. But here he is, and he could be the unknown already in camp that can help out.
Right now, there aren’t many free-agent options available. Most notable among the remaining free agents is Zach Davies. He’s entering his age 30 season and has a plethora of experience. However, his 2021 with the Cubs was atrocious as he led the NL in walks despite only throwing 148 innings.
Back in 2020 with San Diego, he was 7-4 with a 2.73 ERA, which could mean it’s more about the park than the pitcher. He could be the Seattle Mariners’ fifth starter. The longer the season goes on, the more his asking price should drop.
The last piece is a trade. As the new opening day (April 7th) approaches, who is available and what an offer might look like seems to change by the day. Oakland has been very public about shopping Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Meanwhile, Baltimore has been tight-lipped about John Means but indicated that he might be available as well. Any of these three pitchers would slot in nicely to start the season.
A career-high 13 Ks for Sean Manaea. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/HHVkMhX1Zt
— MLB (@MLB) July 23, 2021