Seattle Mariners: What to do at Catcher
Minor leaguers
The options at Tacoma aren’t overly enticing. Brian O’Keefe is hitting a nice .321 with 13 runs scored, 4 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 1 stolen base over 78 at-bats. Former major leaguer Andrew Knapp is hitting .184 with 5 runs, 3 home runs, and 5 RBIs over 38 at-bats. Also, he’s a career .210 hitter at the major league level. Finally, Joseph Odom is hitting .255 with 15 runs scored, 8 home runs, 14 RBIs, and 1 stolen base in 110 at-bats. However, he’s a career .122 hitter at the MLB level. Nothing here that screams “better option”.
Trader Jerry
So, this brings us to another route. GM Jerry Dipoto could get on the phone and call the Chicago Cubs and ask them about acquiring Willson Contreras. He’s 30-years old, currently on a 1-year $6,650,000 contract, and has one more year of arbitration eligibility before becoming an unrestricted free agent per Sportac. He’s a career .260/.353/.462 with averages of 78 runs, 141 hits, 25 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 5 steals. Also, a .989 fielding percentage, and some experience playing in the outfield along with playing in the postseason.
Willson Contreras has the 4th highest HardHit% in MLB, tucked neatly between Jose Abreu and Giancarlo Stanton.
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) May 25, 2022
Where do I sign?
Sounds tremendous right? Well, the first question the Seattle Mariners need to ask is will he block and/or hinder Raleigh’s continued development. If the answer is he won’t then they can proceed to the next question. Is Seattle willing to give him a contract extension? Again, if the answer is yes then move on to the final question. What is the cost to acquire Contreras? Keep in mind Raleigh is viewed as the future starting catcher for the franchise.
Next: Page 3 – The Reality of the situation