{"id":415534,"date":"2026-01-18T20:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T20:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/415534\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T20:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T20:30:10","slug":"salk-how-should-seattle-mariners-finish-their-offseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/415534\/","title":{"rendered":"Salk: How should Seattle Mariners finish their offseason?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here we sit about a month away from spring training and the Seattle Mariners\u2019 roster has not changed a whole lot. We haven\u2019t seen some of the additions that we\u2019ve talked about, and to be honest, they\u2019re kind of running out of options, right? Ketel Marte is no longer on the market. Brandon Lowe got traded. I don\u2019t think Geno Su\u00e1rez<\/a> is the fit that he was here last year.<\/p>\n

Seattle Mariners add righty reliever from Cincinnati Reds<\/a><\/p>\n

I love Geno the home run hitter, and if you know anything about me, I\u2019m willing to live with Geno Su\u00e1rez strikeouts, but you\u2019ve got to have the walks. And that walk rate, he used to have 70-75 walks a year, but the last couple of years that number has been in the 40s, and that to me is a much bigger concern. It\u2019s why his on-base percentage dropped under .300 while he was here last year, so I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m wild about going down the Geno Su\u00e1rez road again.<\/p>\n

Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm came up at times last year as a third base option. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a good fit for the ballpark, nor do I think he\u2019s the right guy for this team. The body language and all of that, just kind of a big \u2018no thank you.\u2019<\/p>\n

So what are the realistic options? Nico Hoerner I think is No. 1 on my list. I don\u2019t know whether the Cubs are going to deal him. Jon Morosi has said that they are at least entertaining offers. The Giants are supposedly interested there as well. The Cubs did spend a whole lot of money on Alex Bregman<\/a>, who may eventually move to second base, so maybe that allows Nico Hoerner to get dealt.<\/p>\n

If the Mariners can get Nico Hoerner, that\u2019s the direction they should go. He is a good player, a six-plus win player last year, plays great defense, affects the game with his legs and his running game, could lead off, gets on base, makes contact, .300 hitter roughly. He\u2019s the kind of guy that I think would fit very well into this lineup and onto this team.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Other than that, I\u2019m really struggling to find the next player that I think is a good fit. I like Cleveland\u2019s Steven Kwan, I like Jarren Duran from the Red Sox. There are some options if you want to go outfield, but it doesn\u2019t feel like that\u2019s the fit or that that\u2019s the direction they want to go. So what do you do?<\/p>\n

I know this isn\u2019t going to be a popular idea, but if the right fit isn\u2019t available \u2013 and I\u2019m not convinced that Brendan Donovan is the right fit or offers enough impact \u2013 then you wait. You allow the young players to get their reps in early, and if it works out, great. And if not, you\u2019ve retained a lot of options and opportunities to go out and make the trades that you want to make in order to bring players in during the season or at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

The latest on potential M\u2019s trade target Brendan Donovan<\/a><\/p>\n

The only thing I don\u2019t want the Mariners to do is to significantly overpay for the wrong player now, which would prevent them from giving up that same asset, that same younger prospect down the line for a player who could be the right move during the season.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether you add another bat, you want to create space for some of these young players to make an impact this year. That\u2019s Cole Young, that\u2019s Colt Emerson, that may be Ben Williamson, it might eventually be someone like Michael Arroyo<\/a> \u2013 we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

Look, I don\u2019t know that they\u2019re going to come in and instantly be great players who are going to carry you to the playoffs once again, but if you don\u2019t give them the opportunity, you never get to find out. And then you don\u2019t get what Toronto had last year with players like Addison Barger<\/a>, who played such an enormous role down the stretch and in the postseason for them.<\/p>\n

The Mariners can give those guys runway without having to rely on them for the entirety of the season. You\u2019ve got to find ways to give them their at-bats, to give them their playing time, but I don\u2019t know if you want to be counting on any of the young guys as being the only option you have at their position.<\/p>\n

This post is a transcript of the video at the top of the post. It is edited for clarity.<\/p>\n

More on the Seattle Mariners<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Mariners sign five on Day 1 of international signing period<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0In two ways, Mariners GM trying to strike balance with roster<\/a>
\u2022 Morosi: Mariners could be impacted by Cubs\u2019 Bregman deal<\/a>
\u2022 M\u2019s reliever Gabe Speier added to Team USA for World Baseball Classic<\/a>
\u2022\u00a0Seattle Mariners to play four games on Sunday Night Baseball<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow @themikesalk<\/a><\/p>\n

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