Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto spoke to reporters (together with Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Occasions) previous to the membership’s recreation towards the Athletics immediately in regards to the upcoming offseason and the membership’s plans after arising simply quick within the postseason race for the second season in a row. Of notice is the truth that Dipoto instructed reporters that they membership has no intention of dealing from its rotation this winter with a purpose to improve different areas of the roster, with Divish quoting Dipoto as having referred to the notion as “Plan Z” for the membership as they head into the offseason.
For all of Seattle’s faults this 12 months, the rotation can’t be thought-about amongst them. Seattle starters led the league with a collective 3.39 ERA this 12 months, ranked third with a 3.63 FIP, racked up essentially the most strikeouts with 879, and with 931 2/3 innings of labor offered extra quantity than every other MLB rotation this 12 months. The crew’s prime quintet of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Luis Castillo, and Bryan Woo will end the 12 months having made 149 of the membership’s 162 begins, with only one begin made by a pitcher apart from the aforementioned group and sixth starter Emerson Hancock.
It’s a exceptional degree of each dominance and sturdiness from the membership’s prime starters that totally justified their choice to half methods with Marco Gonzales and Robbie Ray over the offseason, sacrificing rotation depth with a purpose to enhance flexibility to handle different areas of the roster. Even so, it’s straightforward to grasp why the membership wouldn’t be eager about returning to such a method this winter. It will be reckless for Seattle to imagine its prime starters will once more be capable to take the mound for greater than 90% of the membership’s begins. If something, the membership is missing in depth choices for the rotation beside Hancock, with Jhonathan Diaz standing as the one different starter on the membership’s 40-man roster.
Luckily, it appears the membership additionally expects much less turnover on the positional facet this winter, when in comparison with final 12 months’s overhaul of the lineup. The 2023-24 offseason noticed the Mariners half methods with Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez, Jarred Kelenic, and Mike Ford with Ty France following them out the door through the 2024 season. After spending a lot of final winter trying to substitute Kelenic and Hernandez’s manufacturing within the outfield, Jude relays that Dipoto believes the membership’s outfield combine to be pretty set headed into 2025 with Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, and Victor Robles because the membership’s beginning choices.
It’s laborious to argue with that evaluation. Regardless of a second straight season the place he began off sluggishly, Rodriguez continues to be the membership’s $200MM+ participant who supplies a four-win flooring when wholesome together with his stellar heart area protection and offense that ranges from stable to spectacular. In the meantime, Arozarena was the membership’s prime acquisition over the summer time with a 120 wRC+ since becoming a member of the Mariners. Robles being assured of a beginning job with Seattle subsequent 12 months would’ve been a shock just a few months in the past, however he’s appeared like a unique participant than the one who struggled to reside as much as the hype as a former prime prospect with the Nationals since becoming a member of the Mariners: In 75 video games together with his new membership, he’s slashed .327/.395/.464 with 29 stolen bases in 30 makes an attempt because the common leadoff hitter in Seattle.
With that being mentioned, Dipoto did depart the door open to acquisitions in different areas of the roster. As Jude notes, Dipoto prompt that the Mariners’ robust end to the season (they’ve gone 19-13 since firing supervisor Scott Servais in late August) leads him to imagine the membership isn’t removed from returning to the postseason, however they’ll discover upgrades to their infield combine this winter nonetheless. That needs to be pretty doable for a membership that struggled to place up even league common numbers at second base, third base, and shortstop this 12 months whereas counting on a place change for Luke Raley and a deadline rental in Justin Turner to shore up first base.
Between the regular manufacturing of Cal Raleigh and the looming presence of prime prospect Harry Ford at Double-A, it’s laborious to think about the membership trying to improve behind the plate this winter. It’s additionally straightforward to think about the membership staying inner at first base with a platoon of Raley and prospect Tyler Locklear, although that may doubtless be a step backwards from the manufacturing Turner offered down the stretch towards lefties. Dylan Moore stays a stable utility possibility for the membership off the bench, and it will be one thing of a shock to see the membership transfer on from shortstop J.P. Crawford with two assured years left on his contract.
That leaves second and third base as the best locations for the membership to improve, with Jorge Polanco’s $12MM membership possibility unlikely to be picked up and Rojas pretty straightforward to maneuver right into a part-time function. Given the membership’s common avoidance of great contracts for place gamers in free company beneath Dipoto, it’s laborious to think about them going huge for a prime infield possibility like Alex Bregman, or Willy Adames. Even so, there may very well be upgrades to be present in decrease tiers of free company or on the commerce market. Brandon Lowe of the Rays and Nico Hoerner of the Cubs are among the many infield choices who may see their names come up in commerce talks this winter, whereas Gleyber Torres or Ha-Seong Kim may very well be accessible to the Mariners in free company, although they’d doubtless must go outdoors of their typical consolation zone to land both participant.
