Offseason Plans

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HawkandMariner88
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Offseason Plans

Post by HawkandMariner88 » Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:01 am

Now that our offseason has kicked into full gear. What should be number one on our priority list?

1. JRam trade

2. FA signing (Semien, Scherzer, Schwarber, etc.)

Who or what would you like to see added to augment this promising young roster?

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bpj
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Re: Offseason Plans

Post by bpj » Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:48 am

Given the positional versatility our players have, I wouldn't worry about what position the players we get play. They need to add the best bats, not worry about whether they're a 2B or a DH.

Let Toro, Torrens, France battle it out with whoever they pick up for the positions. Toro/Moore/Fraley as the utility players is perfectly fine with me. I expect to see Evan White in at least a Jake Bauers role.

Best bats of the year that may be available according to wRC+:

Bryce Harper 169
Juan Soto 164
Matt Olson 147
Kyle Schwarber FA 145
Bryan Reynolds 142
Jose Ramirez 138
Freddie Freeman FA 135
Carlos Correa FA 134
Starling Marte FA 133
Ty France, for reference, 131
Marcus Semien FA 130
JD Martinez FA if opts out of contract 128
CJ Cron FA 126
Josh Donaldson 125
Nelson Cruz FA 124
Mitch Haniger, for reference, 122
Kris Bryant FA 122
Jorge Polanco 122
Jeimer Candelario (seems like an under the radar player Dipoto could target) 119
Josh Bell 116
Javier Baez 116
Mark Canha FA 115
Chris Taylor FA 112
Trey Mancini 104
Kyle Seager 100


Below that you start getting into the below average bats.

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bpj
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Re: Offseason Plans

Post by bpj » Mon Oct 04, 2021 5:12 am

Kyle Schwarber + Jose Ramirez would be my Plan A offensively.

Schwarber needs a place he can DH regularly. We should be that place.

.371 OBP
.927 OPS

"bUT hE cAnT pLAy DeFEnSe...."

Shut up. Who cares.

SeattleSportsRUs
Posts: 646
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:06 am

Re: Offseason Plans

Post by SeattleSportsRUs » Mon Oct 04, 2021 5:54 am

3B, DH, TOR, 5 Starter, Left Handed Relief.

Lineup:

1B - Ty France: Should be the 1st baseman of the future. Played great D all year and more power should come with more experience.

2B - Abe Toro: They didn't trade for him to not be the guy here. I think he's got a future as a guy who consistently hits for average/OBP and puts pressure on the base paths. Rough finish to the year, but he's also never been a full-time starter until now and has played in just 153 career games. When he figures it out I see him being a Brantley type, but in the infield. Marcus Semien is a free agent, but he scares me a bit. He's only got a .334 OBP and K's at a 3:1BB ratio. He's also hitting in one of the most dominant line ups in baseball with TONS of protection around him. He's 31 and seems like the perfect candidate for a fall-off-a-cliff contract. Someone is going to pay him a lot of money and unless he's injected into a really good lineup, I bet we don't see the same guy.

SS - JP Crawford: I don't see them moving on from JP Crawford. His long swing drives me crazy and I hope he really focuses on tightening it up. He's at the stage in his career where he should start to excel with all the experience under his belt. 114 K's to 58 BB's really should be something closer to a 1:1 ratio if he's going to be successful. Until he can raise his OBP from the low .330's to around .370, his bat will be a continued liability. He's a great defender, not going to call him elite, but def great. I'd be weary about going after a Trevor Story. Carlos Correa and Corey Seager are great players but mad expensive and injury prone to boot. They've got a serviceable SS here, just need him to boost his offense to around a .750 OPS.

3B - Nobody: This is an obvious hole heading into next year. They aren't going to pick up a $20 million option for a .210 hitter with a low .700's OPS and they're right for not doing so. They also shouldn't move Toro to 3rd when there's HUGE offensive upgrades in free agency or in the trade market that can be acquired here. Kris Bryant is a free agent, but do the M's want to pay someone around $30 million to hit for a .830ish OPS? Can Bryant return to a time where he was in the low .900's? That's a big gamble. He's at a .788 OPS since joining SF. The M's could look to sign someone like Javier Baez or Carlos Correa and move them to 3rd - both have the arms and skill set do it. Baez has been very good since joining the Mets: .299/.371/.515/.886. He's got one of the best arms in baseball and would make a great 3B. However, his volatile personality and woeful BB:K ratio may not be what the M's are looking for. Correa is an Astro - not sure captain trash can would be welcomed. His 2nd half offensive numbers have also dipped to a .787 OPS, and while he's a good hitter on the road, his home numbers at a hitter friendly park are inflated. 2021 is only the 2nd season of his career where he's played more than 110 games - there's a liability there. To me, the obvious move would be to trade for Jose Ramirez. With Noelvi Marte being 1 to 2 years away, I'm not sure the M's should sign someone to a long-term deal to play 3rd. Ramirez has 2 years left on his deal where he's making $12 and $14 million which would give the M's a ton of payroll flexibility to sign a TOR and DH. He finished the year at .266/.355/.538/.893 with 36 dingers, basically a 1:1 BB/K ratio and has 27 stolen bags. That is EXACTLY the type of bat you need to solidify this offense. Would the trade be costly? Maybe. But we're also eating $26 million for the Indians in the trade, so it might not be as rough as you think.

C - Cal Raleigh: I'm not sure what other choices we have here barring a trade. I think Cal Raleigh was magnificent behind the plate and the M's have to believe his bat will catch up. He's hit everywhere he's played thus far and his bat has always been a plus tool - it's just been a rough go of it in the Majors. They're going to give him a go here. Tom Murphy is really not a great defensive catcher and he's a horrible hitter. You might say, "but he's cheap, keep him around as a backup." Why? The guy is 30 years old and he's not going to get better. The M's finished dead last this year at just a 16% caught stealing rate with Murphy catching the majority of the time.They also finished the year at this position with a net 0 defensive runs saved,19th in baseball. Could the M's trade for a tandem catcher? Absolutely. I'm not sure who. But there has got to be an upgrade to Tom Murphy and it would definitely help to make one.

DH - Nobody: Unless Luis Torrens can magically become a serviceable catcher, I'm not sure I see him playing baseball for the M's going forward. They really should be using him as a quality throw-in in any trade for major talent. After an out-of-body experience for Torrens in June and July, he returned back to earth for a .706 OPS in the 2nd half, nowhere close to acceptable for a DH. This is going to sound nuts, but I think the M's need to be eyeing Shohei Ohtani for a major contract in 2023. The M's have the Japan ties and the money to spend. With that in mind, the M's should be looking for a short-term option. The M's could very well move Haniger to DH in 2022 and go with a Kelenic, Lewis, Rodriguez outfield - in fact, I think that would be the best move. Nelson Cruz appears to have finally hit an age wall, hitting to just a .725 OPS for Tampa Bay - there's really nobody else in the FA to sign here unless they devote big money to someone like Freddie Freeman. Brandon Belt is set to become a free agent, but I doubt SF lets him go and at 33 year of age and I doubt the M's give him a contract the Giants can't match. Freeman is another story, people are saying he's going to stay with ATL, but money talks and he'll be a hot commodity. If the M's make a splash here and I'm dead wrong about Ohtani, I hope it's for Freeman.

LF - Jarred Kelenic: Lewis is a better CF than Kelenic so I'm slotting him here. He hit .238/.325/.525 in September with 7 dingers and a 133 OPS +. The deer has left the headlights and I think he's going to be very, very good going forward.

CF - Kyle Lewis: Please stay healthy and turn into a superstar. You're going to get another chance, please don't blow it.

RF - Mitch Haniger/Julio Rodriguez: The M's are in a tough spot regarding Haniger. Not many guys out there hanging 40 bombs. That said, he's basically been a slightly better Kyle Seager in an OF spot. His 170K to 54BB ratio is really bad, as is his .314 OBP. In his best years, Haniger had OBP's of .355 and .362. Like Seager, it appears he's traded plate discipline for 10 more homers. He had months of a .863/.849/.877/.908 OPS - if he can channel those months and not self-destruct to a .686 and .663 OPS in other months, he'd be one of the best players in baseball. Keep a close eye on how Lewis does this next year, because if it's not good, the M's may have no choice but to keep Haniger around and this may include an extension. JRod should be up no later than May next year.

Starting Pitching:

1- Nobody: The M's do not have an ace and they need one in the worst of ways. Robbie Ray, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, Max Scherzer - take your pick.

2 - Chris Flexen: Stellar, stellar year for Flexen. Consummate professional. Very reliable and steady starter pitching performing to a 3.60 ERA over 31 starts. Luckily we have him cheap for 2022.

3 - Marco Gonzales: Absolutely fantastic 2nd half where he's pitched to a 2.70 ERA. Marco Gonzales is Jamie Moyer. You accept the good with the bad, but the mostly good and you make him a middle of the rotation starter.

4 - Logan Gilbert: Good start. Rough middle section. Good finish. Glad to see him develop a slider and change up in the closing stretch. He made big strides at the end of the year and should be primed to push toward domination in 2022 and beyond.

5 - Nobody:
Kikuchi is done as a Mariner. Tyler Anderson was a favorite here until he fucked the season away and there's no way the M's can sign him now. Could the M's take a flyer on Justin Verlander on a 1-year deal? I don't see why not. Brash appears to be the closest of any prospect. I don't think we'll see Kirby, Williamson or Hancock until the very end of 2022 and into 2023. Also, fuck Sheffield and Dunn - trade them ASAP.

Bullpen: (the M's should have the best bullpen in the majors next year)

Left Specialist - Nobody: Missyshit sucks, Dootlittle is gone. They've got nobody. Go out and trade or sign a dominate lefty arm - it's sorely needed. They actually need 2 lefties.

6th/7th - Casey Sadler: just broke the record for the longest scoreless streak for a Mariners pitcher. Elite slider and a nasty sinker. He had a .67 ERA in 41 innings - holy shit. Diego Castillo: He's looked a lot better since coming back from the IR. M's fans don't love him, but he's a very good reliever and I think he'll prove so.

8th - Paul Sewald: Forget a couple of tough homers late in the year. He was dominant and a big part of why the M's were in the position they were. Drew Steckenrider: If it weren't for Sadler, he'd be the best reliever the M's have. Is he a closer? Nah. But he's a very quality arm and the M's should be happy to have him. Ken Giles: it's Ken Giles, what more do you need to know?

Closer - Andres Munoz: Consistent 101 MPH for the young man in his only ever appearance for the M's. He's going to be nothing short of special.

Vogelbomb
Posts: 1860
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Re: Offseason Plans

Post by Vogelbomb » Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:16 am

Go hard after Corey Seager. Idc if you have to re-sign Kyle to a 3yr deal. Corey is worth it all. Bring him in here. [and I'm tired of ppl calling him injury prone, he had TJ surgery and was hit by a pitch which broke his wrist. Those aren't soft tissue injuries or oblique troubles!!!]

SeattleSportsRUs
Posts: 646
Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2021 2:06 am

Re: Offseason Plans

Post by SeattleSportsRUs » Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:19 am

Vogelbomb wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:16 am
Go hard after Corey Seager. Idc if you have to re-sign Kyle to a 3yr deal. Corey is worth it all. Bring him in here. [and I'm tired of ppl calling him injury prone, he had TJ surgery and was hit by a pitch which broke his wrist. Those aren't soft tissue injuries or oblique troubles!!!]
Did you miss the top of the 9th inning? Seager is done here.

His brother is not coming here.

HawkandMariner88
Posts: 624
Joined: Sat May 04, 2019 10:33 pm

Re: Offseason Plans

Post by HawkandMariner88 » Mon Oct 04, 2021 7:14 am

SeattleSportsRUs wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 5:54 am
3B, DH, TOR, 5 Starter, Left Handed Relief.

Lineup:

1B - Ty France: Should be the 1st baseman of the future. Played great D all year and more power should come with more experience.

2B - Abe Toro: They didn't trade for him to not be the guy here. I think he's got a future as a guy who consistently hits for average/OBP and puts pressure on the base paths. Rough finish to the year, but he's also never been a full-time starter until now and has played in just 153 career games. When he figures it out I see him being a Brantley type, but in the infield. Marcus Semien is a free agent, but he scares me a bit. He's only got a .334 OBP and K's at a 3:1BB ratio. He's also hitting in one of the most dominant line ups in baseball with TONS of protection around him. He's 31 and seems like the perfect candidate for a fall-off-a-cliff contract. Someone is going to pay him a lot of money and unless he's injected into a really good lineup, I bet we don't see the same guy.

SS - JP Crawford: I don't see them moving on from JP Crawford. His long swing drives me crazy and I hope he really focuses on tightening it up. He's at the stage in his career where he should start to excel with all the experience under his belt. 114 K's to 58 BB's really should be something closer to a 1:1 ratio if he's going to be successful. Until he can raise his OBP from the low .330's to around .370, his bat will be a continued liability. He's a great defender, not going to call him elite, but def great. I'd be weary about going after a Trevor Story. Carlos Correa and Corey Seager are great players but mad expensive and injury prone to boot. They've got a serviceable SS here, just need him to boost his offense to around a .750 OPS.

3B - Nobody: This is an obvious hole heading into next year. They aren't going to pick up a $20 million option for a .210 hitter with a low .700's OPS and they're right for not doing so. They also shouldn't move Toro to 3rd when there's HUGE offensive upgrades in free agency or in the trade market that can be acquired here. Kris Bryant is a free agent, but do the M's want to pay someone around $30 million to hit for a .830ish OPS? Can Bryant return to a time where he was in the low .900's? That's a big gamble. He's at a .788 OPS since joining SF. The M's could look to sign someone like Javier Baez or Carlos Correa and move them to 3rd - both have the arms and skill set do it. Baez has been very good since joining the Mets: .299/.371/.515/.886. He's got one of the best arms in baseball and would make a great 3B. However, his volatile personality and woeful BB:K ratio may not be what the M's are looking for. Correa is an Astro - not sure captain trash can would be welcomed. His 2nd half offensive numbers have also dipped to a .787 OPS, and while he's a good hitter on the road, his home numbers at a hitter friendly park are inflated. 2021 is only the 2nd season of his career where he's played more than 110 games - there's a liability there. To me, the obvious move would be to trade for Jose Ramirez. With Noelvi Marte being 1 to 2 years away, I'm not sure the M's should sign someone to a long-term deal to play 3rd. Ramirez has 2 years left on his deal where he's making $12 and $14 million which would give the M's a ton of payroll flexibility to sign a TOR and DH. He finished the year at .266/.355/.538/.893 with 36 dingers, basically a 1:1 BB/K ratio and has 27 stolen bags. That is EXACTLY the type of bat you need to solidify this offense. Would the trade be costly? Maybe. But we're also eating $26 million for the Indians in the trade, so it might not be as rough as you think.

C - Cal Raleigh: I'm not sure what other choices we have here barring a trade. I think Cal Raleigh was magnificent behind the plate and the M's have to believe his bat will catch up. He's hit everywhere he's played thus far and his bat has always been a plus tool - it's just been a rough go of it in the Majors. They're going to give him a go here. Tom Murphy is really not a great defensive catcher and he's a horrible hitter. You might say, "but he's cheap, keep him around as a backup." Why? The guy is 30 years old and he's not going to get better. The M's finished dead last this year at just a 16% caught stealing rate with Murphy catching the majority of the time.They also finished the year at this position with a net 0 defensive runs saved,19th in baseball. Could the M's trade for a tandem catcher? Absolutely. I'm not sure who. But there has got to be an upgrade to Tom Murphy and it would definitely help to make one.

DH - Nobody: Unless Luis Torrens can magically become a serviceable catcher, I'm not sure I see him playing baseball for the M's going forward. They really should be using him as a quality throw-in in any trade for major talent. After an out-of-body experience for Torrens in June and July, he returned back to earth for a .706 OPS in the 2nd half, nowhere close to acceptable for a DH. This is going to sound nuts, but I think the M's need to be eyeing Shohei Ohtani for a major contract in 2023. The M's have the Japan ties and the money to spend. With that in mind, the M's should be looking for a short-term option. The M's could very well move Haniger to DH in 2022 and go with a Kelenic, Lewis, Rodriguez outfield - in fact, I think that would be the best move. Nelson Cruz appears to have finally hit an age wall, hitting to just a .725 OPS for Tampa Bay - there's really nobody else in the FA to sign here unless they devote big money to someone like Freddie Freeman. Brandon Belt is set to become a free agent, but I doubt SF lets him go and at 33 year of age and I doubt the M's give him a contract the Giants can't match. Freeman is another story, people are saying he's going to stay with ATL, but money talks and he'll be a hot commodity. If the M's make a splash here and I'm dead wrong about Ohtani, I hope it's for Freeman.

LF - Jarred Kelenic: Lewis is a better CF than Kelenic so I'm slotting him here. He hit .238/.325/.525 in September with 7 dingers and a 133 OPS +. The deer has left the headlights and I think he's going to be very, very good going forward.

CF - Kyle Lewis: Please stay healthy and turn into a superstar. You're going to get another chance, please don't blow it.

RF - Mitch Haniger/Julio Rodriguez: The M's are in a tough spot regarding Haniger. Not many guys out there hanging 40 bombs. That said, he's basically been a slightly better Kyle Seager in an OF spot. His 170K to 54BB ratio is really bad, as is his .314 OBP. In his best years, Haniger had OBP's of .355 and .362. Like Seager, it appears he's traded plate discipline for 10 more homers. He had months of a .863/.849/.877/.908 OPS - if he can channel those months and not self-destruct to a .686 and .663 OPS in other months, he'd be one of the best players in baseball. Keep a close eye on how Lewis does this next year, because if it's not good, the M's may have no choice but to keep Haniger around and this may include an extension. JRod should be up no later than May next year.

Starting Pitching:

1- Nobody: The M's do not have an ace and they need one in the worst of ways. Robbie Ray, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, Max Scherzer - take your pick.

2 - Chris Flexen: Stellar, stellar year for Flexen. Consummate professional. Very reliable and steady starter pitching performing to a 3.60 ERA over 31 starts. Luckily we have him cheap for 2022.

3 - Marco Gonzales: Absolutely fantastic 2nd half where he's pitched to a 2.70 ERA. Marco Gonzales is Jamie Moyer. You accept the good with the bad, but the mostly good and you make him a middle of the rotation starter.

4 - Logan Gilbert: Good start. Rough middle section. Good finish. Glad to see him develop a slider and change up in the closing stretch. He made big strides at the end of the year and should be primed to push toward domination in 2022 and beyond.

5 - Nobody:
Kikuchi is done as a Mariner. Tyler Anderson was a favorite here until he fucked the season away and there's no way the M's can sign him now. Could the M's take a flyer on Justin Verlander on a 1-year deal? I don't see why not. Brash appears to be the closest of any prospect. I don't think we'll see Kirby, Williamson or Hancock until the very end of 2022 and into 2023. Also, fuck Sheffield and Dunn - trade them ASAP.

Bullpen: (the M's should have the best bullpen in the majors next year)

Left Specialist - Nobody: Missyshit sucks, Dootlittle is gone. They've got nobody. Go out and trade or sign a dominate lefty arm - it's sorely needed. They actually need 2 lefties.

6th/7th - Casey Sadler: just broke the record for the longest scoreless streak for a Mariners pitcher. Elite slider and a nasty sinker. He had a .67 ERA in 41 innings - holy shit. Diego Castillo: He's looked a lot better since coming back from the IR. M's fans don't love him, but he's a very good reliever and I think he'll prove so.

8th - Paul Sewald: Forget a couple of tough homers late in the year. He was dominant and a big part of why the M's were in the position they were. Drew Steckenrider: If it weren't for Sadler, he'd be the best reliever the M's have. Is he a closer? Nah. But he's a very quality arm and the M's should be happy to have him. Ken Giles: it's Ken Giles, what more do you need to know?

Closer - Andres Munoz: Consistent 101 MPH for the young man in his only ever appearance for the M's. He's going to be nothing short of special.
I'd love Freddie Freeman here. Gonna take big money & lots of years but like you said money talks. Might be a bidding war between us & Atlanta who knows. Who got on base more Semien or Toro. Who's bat plays better here? Definitely should be in the market for JRam no question. Starters I have no idea.

AT Funchal-Madeira
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Re: Offseason Plans

Post by AT Funchal-Madeira » Mon Oct 04, 2021 8:00 am

Yeah, great season.. most fun I've had watching M's play in twenty years. Glad Seager is moving forward, he'd enjoy playing in the AL East with those short right field fences and glad the M's were open about their plans. So different from Jack Z. We need to replace and add onto left hand power and I'd love to keep it fairly young. So let's get started and spend some of our trade chips and go get Jose Ramirez to play third, let's sign Bryce Harper, offer to turn Kikuchi into a bullpen lefty or refuse any option, sign Carlos Rodon, bring in Munoz, Kerr, and Gilly to the pen to add to Ramirez, Sadler, Steckenrider, and Sewald., release Murphy and trade to Toronto for their number three catcher, Reese McGuire?....

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D-train
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Re: Offseason Plans

Post by D-train » Mon Oct 04, 2021 12:25 pm

bpj wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 5:12 am
Kyle Schwarber + Jose Ramirez would be my Plan A offensively.

Schwarber needs a place he can DH regularly. We should be that place.

.371 OBP
.927 OPS

"bUT hE cAnT pLAy DeFEnSe...."

Shut up. Who cares.
Schwarber isn't great defensively but he is about as good as Mitch and FAR better than JK and Fraley. Of course out of one side of his mouth JD will crow about how great of a defender JK is while out of the other side he will say that Schwarber isn't an option because he can't play in the field.

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx? ... 2021-12-31
dt

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D-train
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Re: Offseason Plans

Post by D-train » Mon Oct 04, 2021 12:31 pm

SeattleSportsRUs wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:19 am
Vogelbomb wrote:
Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:16 am
Go hard after Corey Seager. Idc if you have to re-sign Kyle to a 3yr deal. Corey is worth it all. Bring him in here. [and I'm tired of ppl calling him injury prone, he had TJ surgery and was hit by a pitch which broke his wrist. Those aren't soft tissue injuries or oblique troubles!!!]
Did you miss the top of the 9th inning? Seager is done here.

His brother is not coming here.
Yeah, talk about delusional. Not to mention this. Yeah I am sure Kyle will be advising his brother to come live the dream here with a GM that doesn't even bother to give you the time of day.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Seager said. “We haven’t had a conversation in years, probably four years. We don’t communicate at all. Not even passing by in the hall. If he spoke to my agent or anything like that, I haven’t heard anything.”
dt

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