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Mariners offseason chat
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Mark P
4:30
Hello Seattle, I'm listening.  (Uh, or reading.)  Let's take some M's questions!
marco714
4:31
will Kelenic be in a strict platoon with Pollock....or breakout to an everyday player?
Mark P
4:32
Kelenic should get more at-bats just by way of being the left-handed side of the platoon, but if he's really tearing it up, Seattle will find ways to get him into the lineup on a more regular basis.  Could mean less playing time for Pollock, or one of Pollock/Kelenic could be the DH
Mark
4:33
How surprised were you that the Mariners held on Chris Flexen? Seemed like an obvious trade candidate and will now be underused as a long man.
Mark P
4:34
Not overly surprised.  Like I wrote in the offseason review (and in the offseason outlook, and in other chats for months!), having rotation depth is a nice luxury for the Mariners.  And, the odds of the rotation being basically entirely healthy again in 2023 are pretty slim.
Mariner Moose
4:35
Frankly, I'm disappointed the FO didn't pay up for a valuable free agent. Our window of opportunity is right now (and for a while, hopefully). Why didn't we make a bigger splash on the free agent market? We could have easily upgraded at second base or shortstop.
Mark P
4:36
The "for a while" is perhaps a reason for the M's didn't see this offseason as a true all-in play.  Rodriguez and Castillo are locked up, Munoz and Ray are on long-term deals, there's a good young core under control....landing a big-ticket middle infielder might not have seemed like a preferred option for the front office, especially if they think Wong can upgrade 2B by himself
Zach
4:37
Our young players have slowly been filling our roster and impacting them each of the last two seasons. Who do you think will be the guy making the jump to the majors and adding an impact this season?
Mark P
4:38
Take your pick between Emerson or Dollard.  I suspect we'll be seeing both in the majors before the season is over
George Kirby
4:39
How did Marco get the #4 spot over me?
Mark P
4:39
Teams arrange their early-season rotations around for any number of reasons, so it's not exactly a slight to Kirby
Peter
4:40
Emerson or Dollard? Wouldn’t Miller be over Dollard. Dollard lacks velo
Mark P
4:41
Miller is also in the mix, that was an omission on my part
Sailor
4:41
Suarez at third last year worked out really well for the club. Is he a long-term solution or will the M’s need to replace him at some point?
Mark P
4:42
Suarez's deal is only guaranteed through 2024, so no, he isn't a long-term option (though the M's can retain him via club option for 2025).
4:44
Cole Young is the shortstop of the future, but it's possible he might end up as the third baseman of the future.  Suarez has already been a nice surprise for the M's, and they would love it if he stay productive long enough to act as a bridge until Young is big league-ready
Guest
4:44
What happened to the Sunday chat?
Mark P
4:44
It's been on hold due to some scheduling issues, plus the surge of roster moves close to the start of Spring Training.

On the plus side, you're getting all these extra team-related chats!
Niehaus
4:45
Is Castillo a true “ace”? Or is he just the best on our club? I hear mixed things on TV and radio
Mark P
4:45
As a Jays fan who saw Castillo mow through the Toronto lineup last October, he sure seems like an ace to me.
Joey
4:46
Do you think LaStella making the team is just a place holder for when Dylan is healthy?
Mark P
4:46
Very possible.  Since the Giants are basically paying all of La Stella's salary anyway, the Mariners can take a flier on him as bench depth
J-ROD SHOW
4:47
Any word on a potential Teoscar extension?
Guest
4:48
Will Teoscar Hernandez resign with the Mariners?
Mark P
4:49
No real rumors to that effect.  Could be that M's are in wait-and-see mode on Hernandez, or don't see him as a long-term investment.  Doesn't mean they won't enjoy whatever offense he produces in 2023, and if they did let him walk, Hernandez would bring back a draft pick via the qualifying offer
SwingAndAWish
4:49
I think the pitch clock helps Teoscar with keeping his focus defensively. Sneaky good pick-up for the M's. Are the $$$ there to keep him?
Mark P
4:50
This is an element of the pitch clock that I think has been a little under-reported....the impact it'll have on defensive players.
Kyle
4:50
Doesn’t it seem likely come June the Mariners will still be looking for a 2nd baseman?
Mark P
4:52
Wong's defensive decline last year was a concern, but it might be an explainable one if he was dealing with nagging leg injuries.  Assuming he's healthy, he's a plus for the team.  

Whether it's excellent defense and so-so offense or even last year's aberration of a season, Wong has been a pretty consistent 2.0-ish fWAR player for several years now
Todd
4:53
I think the biggest hole with the Mariners roster construction is a power hitting DH/backup 1B. What are your thoughts here?
Mark P
4:54
Getting one more hitter does seem like the "final touch" kind of move Seattle needs.  The fact that they don't have a true regular DH creates some flexibility to add such a bat, whether that player is actually a DH type or a regular position player who just shuffles everyone else through the DH spot
4:55
And naturally, the M's would love to see Evan White get on track in any kind of capacity, even at a backup.
Dustin
4:55
Do you see them carrying 3 catchers for long?
Mark P
4:56
Sure, since Hummel isn't just a catcher
guest
4:56
What will it take for the M's to make a change from JP at SS?
Mark P
4:58
While 2022 was disappointing in a lot of ways for Crawford, he still ended up with 2.0 fWAR.  If he's "only" generating 2 fWAR per season over the course of his contract, that's still a pretty decent outcome.
While Crawford does have his flaws, I do think M's fans slightly underrate him, just because of the Mariners' decision to stick with Crawford over all of the big-time shortstops in the last two free agent seasons
Frenchy
4:59
Shouldn't we have a better backup plan for corner OF.  See it as a real weakness if Kelenic doesn't live up to expectations, and with Teo out there, Julio is going to be putting some milage out there defensively in CF.
Mark P
5:00
Haggerty, Hummel, and (when healthy) Trammell and Moore can fill in the corner OF depth chart, but you're right, it would certainly be a setback if Kelenic still isn't ready for prime time
M’s fan
5:00
Is Jared Kelenic’s big-league struggles normal for such a high rated player? Or is this a big red flag
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