Wrapping up the Mariners season

The Mariners’ chances to finish second place in the division and make the playoffs took a big hit last week when they had to travel to San Francisco and San Diego to play five games on the road. These games would have been played in Seattle if not for the hazardous air quality caused by wildfires. Losing four out of five of those games has them facing elimination against the Houston Astros in head to head play. With six games remaining in the season and a 24-30 record, the Mariners would need to sweep the series against Houston and win their final four games against division leader Oakland. They would also need the last-place Texas Rangers to win two of their four remaining games with Houston to close out the season. Not impossible, but very unlikely.

With the season coming to an end, its time to assess the Mariners’ rebuilding effort and what other changes could be coming in the offseason. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Mariners current payroll obligations for next year are around $61 million. The last time the Mariners had a payroll this low was twenty years ago in 2000, when they spent almost $60 million on payroll. Just two years ago, the team’s payroll was over $161 million, so in theory, there should be at least $100 million to spend on free agents next year. They could spend that and still be $48 million under the salary cap of $210 million.

There are two players in particular that I don’t expect will be back next season. Dee Gordon is owed $14 million next season, but Seattle has a club option for $1 million to buy out his contract, and you should expect that they will do just that. Gordon is one of the highest-paid players on the team and has barely performed at a replacement level since he came to Seattle. His combined WAR over three seasons is 0.2. The Mariners have several options at second base to replace Gordon. Shed Long, Tim Lopes, and Sam Haggerty all play second base. The other player who could move via trade is Kyle Seager. Seager has two years left on his contract and the second year becomes a player option instead of a team option if he is traded. The Los Angeles Dodgers could be a good fit for Seager as the Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner will be a free agent this offseason and will be thirty-six years old. Turner’s defense at third base has been on the decline. Also, the Dodgers have Kyle’s brother Corey Seager at shortstop, which may have some appeal.

The free-agent market has some players the Mariners should be interested in adding to their young core. Catcher J.T. Realmuto, starting pitcher Trevor Bauer, and outfielder Joc Pederson are all players to consider adding this offseason.