Seattle Mariners: Three veterans in their last M’s season
Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners. Photo by Dinur, via Flickr)
Unlikely but possible
Kyle Seager is the longest-tenured Seattle Mariners player, as well as the team’s most expensive. Due to his age and decline, his contract, which runs through 2022, will be hard to move. Hard but not impossible. The Dodgers can afford him, and there have been rumors of a Seager brothers reunion in Los Angeles for several years.
Matt Magill made the most of his opportunity after the Mariners bought his contract from Minnesota in July. The 31-year-old pitched better in Seattle compared his career numbers to that point. He sort of fell into the Seattle Mariners closer role toward the end of last season and is the current favorite to win the job this year.
It’s a catch-22 for the Mariners. If he pitches the way he did last year, DiPoto can flip him to a team that needs a setup man. Then again, it’s not like the team has an abundance of top quality relievers either.
3. Daniel Vogelbach
The “Hefty Lefty” got off to a great start last season, which earned him an All-Star Game invitation. Unfortunately, he dropped off like a lemming from a cliff in the second half. With rookie Evan White taking over at first base this season, Daniel Vogelbach is relegated to a part-time DH role. That makes him expendable.
Every year contenders look for power bats at the trade deadline. Vogelbach is inexpensive, under team control for another year before he becomes arbitration-eligible, and only 27. If a team in the hunt needs the left-handed power Vogelbach can supply, he should be easy to move for a decent prospect.