Top 10 Seattle Mariners free agent targets to consider
Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners.
4. Taijuan Walker – Toronto Blue Jays – SP
11 starts, 5-3 record, 53.1 innings pitched, 2.70 ERA, 1.163 WHIP, 1.3 WAR.
Taijuan Walker has plenty of reasons to thank the Seattle Mariners. After all, they are the team that drafted him and helped him develop into a Major League pitcher. They also took a chance on Walker last winter by giving the 28-year-old a guaranteed contract after Arizona parted ways with him. Finally, the M’s traded Walker to a playoff-bound team just before the 2020 deadline, where he greatly improved his market value by posting a 1.37 ERA in six starts.
He’s nowhere near staff ace material. Rather Walker is a mid-rotation pitcher who can give his team five to six solid innings every start. If the M’s can’t get their ace, which is likely, Walker provides the next best option to strengthen the starting rotation.
5. Shane Greene – Atlanta – RP (closer?)
28 games, 27.2 innings pitched, 1-0 record, 1 save, 9 holds, 23 strikeouts, 2.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP.
As the Detroit Tigers closer for 2018 and 2019, Shane Greene had 54 saves. After arriving in Atlanta at the 2019 trade deadline, Greene recorded one save. He had a rocky first two weeks with the Braves but has been an excellent setup man since then. In 2020, he pitched in 28 games, and aside from one horrible outing against the Mets, he had a 1.32 ERA.
Greene doesn’t exactly mow ’em down, which is why Atlanta used Marc Melancon as their closer. He does have a heavy sinker and slider, which gets Green plenty of ground ball outs. Maybe he isn’t the prototype closer, but an out is an out. Another thing in his favor, Greene shouldn’t be very expensive.
6 Chris Archer – Pittsburgh Pirates – SP
Did not play in 2020.
Getting the negatives out of the way, Chris Archer didn’t throw a pitch in 2020. The year before, he was absolutely horrible, going 3-9 with a 5.19 ERA in 23 starts. That was due to shoulder and neck issues, which required surgery last March.
When healthy, Archer throws a hard slider and classic 12-6 curveball. In this buyers market, he doesn’t have much leverage and should be a low-risk option. DiPoto took chances on Walker and Kendall Graveman last year. Archer is in the same boat this year.