Mariners Trade or Free Agency?

Now the Royals have won the World Series over the Mets it is now officially the off-season so what are the Mariners going to do to improve their roster to make a run toward the playoffs next season.

Now under new General Manager Jerry Dipoto I believe the Mariners will likely trade than go the route of free agency. The only free agency the Mariners will go for sure is resigning Iwakuma, and possibility of Franklin Gutierrez and Joe Beimel who all played for the Mariners during the season.

Dipoto said in his first press conference that the way he expected to improve the Mariners is through trades instead of free agency. I see the only way the Mariners sign a free agent is if they can’t find a player available in a trade. I agree with him because in free agency the cost of a player is likely going to be higher than in a trade. Of course, we all know there are exceptions to the rule. For example, if another team has a player they originally signed as a free agent or they signed to a long term contract.

The positions the Mariners will be looking at in either case of free agency or trade are the following: catcher, first base, and the outfield along with a pitcher or two depending on starting or relief pitching. Actually in relief pitching I could see the Mariners going for several pitchers only because how bad the bullpen was last season, and the lack of depth in the bullpen. Depending on how Dipoto is thinking the Mariners could go for a closer to replace Tom Wihelmsen, and put the bartender as the main setup guy along with Carson Smith. I could see them being the seventh and inning pitchers. The problem with getting a closer is how many good ones are out there, and most of them often have few good seasons. We saw that with Fernando Rodney this last season, and the other issue is how much it cost to have a high veteran closer who may fall down on the job as well. Relief pitching is something that is not right science; other words you have to take a chance on them. It will be interesting who the primary left handed pitching reliever as well since Charlie Furbush likely won’t be on the team at the beginning of the season coming off a season ending injury this last season. We will see who Dipoto can do with the rest of the bullpen as well. At this point it is hard to say who would back up the left handed situation reliever, the two setup guys, and the closer. We most likely will not know until spring training comes to a close.

Starting pitching the Mariners will have to look to add depth there as well whether they resign Iwakuma or not. I can see the Mariners bringing in another veteran pitcher like they have done the last couple years.

I did write previously about possible catchers; however, we will have to see what the Mariners may do at first base and the outfield. I will look what possibility the Mariners could do next time unless something is announced by the team. As fans we will see this as an interesting off-season. We will know more about Dipoto in a few days or weeks how he is thinking. In the meantime Go Mariners!