Seattle Mariners Offseason Transactions Could End Playoff Drought
The Seattle Mariners offseason has been a productive one. Will it help them end their playoff drought?
Felix Hernandez has been one of MLB’s best pitchers for a decade now. Unfortunately, the individual performance has done little to help get him to the postseason. This year, things could be different. One reason for this is because the Seattle Mariners offseason was a great one. They added to their bench and starting rotation without losing much.
The longest playoff drought in baseball belongs to the Mariners. This dubious honor now dates back to 2001. Thanks to Jerry Dipoto and the rest of the decision makers in the front office, this could change in 2017.
The Mariners have done everything they needed to this offseason other than kidnap Mike Trout and size him for a uniform. They improved at shortstop with a trade for Jean Segura. Another trade brought them Jarrod Dyson who can serve them well in the outfield and as their leadoff man.
Additional, less notable transactions include the trades for pitchers Yovani Gallardo and Chris Heston. Each is looking to rebound in 2017 after poor 2016 campaigns. Gallardo is a year removed from going 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA as a member of the Texas Rangers. For Heston, his 2015 season resulted in a 12-11 record and 3.95 ERA for the San Francisco Giants. He was never really given a chance to pitch all that much in 2016. When he did, the result was poor.
A successful year for the Mariners may come down to the reserve players they added this winter. Veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz is now there to help guide Mike Zunino. At the very least, the man Seattle will come to know as “Chooch” can take over behind the plate more often should Zunino fail to perform.
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Seattle also managed to acquire outfielder Mitch Haniger in the same trade they made with the Arizona Diamondbacks that brought them Segura. Haniger has significant right-handed power and should see starts regularly versus lefties. Although he hasn’t done much in MLB yet, Haniger pounded Triple-A pitchers with a .341 batting average and 20 home runs over 312 plate appearances in 2016.
The best move of all made to bolster the roster was the trade for Danny Valencia. They ignored his poor locker room reputation for the sake of winning. Instead, the Mariners traded for a guy who has been a very consistent hitter with pop for two seasons now. Valencia can play multiple positions albeit not too well. This is still a great piece for the Mariners to have. Valencia will likely see most of his playing time come in a corner outfield spot or first base.
There are remaining question marks as is the case with any team. Aside from Zunino and his inconsistency, how capable is Dan Vogelbach as an everyday first baseman? They do have Dae-ho Lee returning, but his performance last year was nothing more than average. Leonys Martin and Ben Gamel should also see their share of at-bats. Can they provide the Mariners with the offense needed to win?
What made the 2016 Chicago Cubs so great is that they had options. The Mariners didn’t have this last year. Their lineup was filled with left-handed hitters and a lackluster bench. There was less of a chance to favor the splits and match up the best players as possible because the best ones were always starting.
Things will be different in 2017. Each day, the Mariners will have an opportunity to put their most optimum lineup on the field. Thanks to the smart offseason transactions made by this squad, things are looking up for King Felix and the rest of the Mariners.