So it begins, The official Hot Stove League Thread 2024-25 Offseason

[D-train]

I don't think Pederson is much of a first baseman, the Giants tried it in spring training but he didn't play there during the season. He's a terrible outfielder. He dhed 100% for the dbacks

Well we don't need a first baseman so that's not a big deal

I would take Walker in a heartbeat

[Donn Beach]

Walker isn't going to hit with a lot of power and a bit old but he's been the model of consistency. He's a hitting nerd

“He was using — he is using — data and hard numbers to help come up with the best approach, the best swing, the best plan for for me. But it’s not just mechanical. It’s data-driven in a sense of, ‘How can we learn if what we’re doing is working or not?’ Last year, for example, my average being down had me wanting to reconsider, to think about changing some things. What am I missing? How can I get this average up? But then, when you looked at the advanced analytics, the expected slug, the expected average… the expected everything was through the roof.

“It’s helpful to be able to trust your process under those certain circumstances. So I’m not using data to change my swing; I’m using data to let me know if something needs to be addressed or not.”

He might be the kind of hitter you want to go after

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/christian-w ... n-hitting/

[Donn Beach]

Jude's FA Mariner possibilities, it's probably going to be Turner

Christian Walker, 1B
One of the game’s most underrated players, Walker was a key figure in the Diamondbacks’ run to the World Series in 2023. Over the past three seasons, he has 95 homers with an .813 OPS and a 123 OPS+. He hits free agency at age 33 — he’ll turn 34 at the start of the 2025 season — meaning he will probably command just a two- or three-year deal, at upward of $25 million per season. That’s the sort of short-term commitment the Mariners covet, and Walker would fill two needs for the M’s as a middle-of-the-order presence and a Gold Glove first baseman.

Justin Turner, DH/1B
Turner proved to be exactly what the Mariners needed after being acquired at the July trade deadline. Turner, who turns 40 on Nov. 23, played on a one-year, $13 million deal this past season, and the Mariners’ decision to bring him back will almost certainly come down to his asking price.

Ha-Seong Kim, SS/2B/3B
Kim’s start to the 2025 season is expected to be delayed as he recovers from shoulder surgery, an injury that could force him to settle for a short-term deal. When healthy, he’s one of the most sure-handed fielders in baseball, capable of playing shortstop, second or third, and he has the sort of contact and on-base skills the Mariners sorely need in their lineup.

Tanner Scott, RP
You could call this a luxury buy — and you could call it an unlikely move — but signing a reliever like Scott is the kind of move the Mariners SHOULD make to help put them over the top this winter. For all the talk about the lack of offense, the thin bullpen was as much to blame for some of Seattle’s summer struggles. Scott won’t be cheap — he’ll command at least $10 million per season — and it would require a change of strategy for the Mariners, who have been successful at relying on low-budget reclamation projects to fill out their ‘pen. But Scott would take pressure off Andres Muñoz and give the Mariners a legitimate left-handed pitching option to throw at the best left-handed sluggers (Yordan Alvarez and Corey Seager, in particular) the Mariners face in the AL West.

[D-train]

Walker isn't going to hit with a lot of power and a bit old but he's been the model of consistency. He's a hitting nerd

“He was using — he is using — data and hard numbers to help come up with the best approach, the best swing, the best plan for for me. But it’s not just mechanical. It’s data-driven in a sense of, ‘How can we learn if what we’re doing is working or not?’ Last year, for example, my average being down had me wanting to reconsider, to think about changing some things. What am I missing? How can I get this average up? But then, when you looked at the advanced analytics, the expected slug, the expected average… the expected everything was through the roof.

“It’s helpful to be able to trust your process under those certain circumstances. So I’m not using data to change my swing; I’m using data to let me know if something needs to be addressed or not.”

He might be the kind of hitter you want to go after

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/christian-w ... n-hitting/

Sure but that is what everyone said about Garver too.

[D-train]

I want a guy whose OPS can fall 100 points due to T Mobile and still be good. Rooker is the only guy on the list other than Soto.

[Donn Beach]

Walker isn't going to hit with a lot of power and a bit old but he's been the model of consistency. He's a hitting nerd

“He was using — he is using — data and hard numbers to help come up with the best approach, the best swing, the best plan for for me. But it’s not just mechanical. It’s data-driven in a sense of, ‘How can we learn if what we’re doing is working or not?’ Last year, for example, my average being down had me wanting to reconsider, to think about changing some things. What am I missing? How can I get this average up? But then, when you looked at the advanced analytics, the expected slug, the expected average… the expected everything was through the roof.

“It’s helpful to be able to trust your process under those certain circumstances. So I’m not using data to change my swing; I’m using data to let me know if something needs to be addressed or not.”

He might be the kind of hitter you want to go after

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/christian-w ... n-hitting/

Sure but that is what everyone said about Garver too.

Garvers OPS+ is all over the place season to season

[Donn Beach]

I want a guy whose OPS can fall 100 points due to T Mobile and still be good. Rooker is the only guy on the list other than Soto.

What list, Rooker isn't a FA

[D-train]

Walker isn't going to hit with a lot of power and a bit old but he's been the model of consistency. He's a hitting nerd



He might be the kind of hitter you want to go after

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/christian-w ... n-hitting/

Sure but that is what everyone said about Garver too.

Garvers OPS+ is all over the place season to season

Yep people are saying he will hit in 2025 because he only hits in odd years. lol

[Seattle or Bust]

Jude's FA Mariner possibilities, it's probably going to be Turner

Christian Walker, 1B
One of the game’s most underrated players, Walker was a key figure in the Diamondbacks’ run to the World Series in 2023. Over the past three seasons, he has 95 homers with an .813 OPS and a 123 OPS+. He hits free agency at age 33 — he’ll turn 34 at the start of the 2025 season — meaning he will probably command just a two- or three-year deal, at upward of $25 million per season. That’s the sort of short-term commitment the Mariners covet, and Walker would fill two needs for the M’s as a middle-of-the-order presence and a Gold Glove first baseman.

Justin Turner, DH/1B
Turner proved to be exactly what the Mariners needed after being acquired at the July trade deadline. Turner, who turns 40 on Nov. 23, played on a one-year, $13 million deal this past season, and the Mariners’ decision to bring him back will almost certainly come down to his asking price.

Ha-Seong Kim, SS/2B/3B
Kim’s start to the 2025 season is expected to be delayed as he recovers from shoulder surgery, an injury that could force him to settle for a short-term deal. When healthy, he’s one of the most sure-handed fielders in baseball, capable of playing shortstop, second or third, and he has the sort of contact and on-base skills the Mariners sorely need in their lineup.

Tanner Scott, RP
You could call this a luxury buy — and you could call it an unlikely move — but signing a reliever like Scott is the kind of move the Mariners SHOULD make to help put them over the top this winter. For all the talk about the lack of offense, the thin bullpen was as much to blame for some of Seattle’s summer struggles. Scott won’t be cheap — he’ll command at least $10 million per season — and it would require a change of strategy for the Mariners, who have been successful at relying on low-budget reclamation projects to fill out their ‘pen. But Scott would take pressure off Andres Muñoz and give the Mariners a legitimate left-handed pitching option to throw at the best left-handed sluggers (Yordan Alvarez and Corey Seager, in particular) the Mariners face in the AL West.

I'm not giving a 34-year-old 1B a 3-year deal considering the rumored money. Walker is a good player, but he put up a .689 OPS in the 2nd half.

They need to move on from signing 40 year olds. If you're reliant on that b/c the current core can't generate leadership or Julio continues to need a crutch... you're cooked.

Ha-Seong Kim is fine, but not a difference maker in the way the M's need it. M's need offense, not defense-first players.

Tanner Scott would be great, but we all know they're not giving a reliever $10 million+ a year. If they wanted him so bad, they would have traded for him.

[Seattle or Bust]

I don't think they're going to do much of anything in free agency aside from fringe moves.

They have to get rid of Haniger's money and move prospects in trades to add impact.