Seattle Mariners: Best Pitching Options for 2017
By Jason Reed
Jason Hammel
The former Chicago Cub is a free agent this offseason, and with many teams eyeing Tyson Ross the Mariners could sneak in. Sure, Ross would be the better option of the pair, but Jason Hammel can still bring a lot to the table and would add much-needed depth to the starting rotation. While he may slot in at the third or even fourth spot in the rotation, Hammel will likely love the promise of victory and take the bait on bringing Seattle to glory.
Hammel’s stats the last two seasons haven’t been the best, but they haven’t been the worst. In the last two seasons he has posted ERAs of 3.74 and 3.83 with a winning record. Hammel doesn’t strike a lot of people out, and he doesn’t really excel at anything. What he does, however, is bring consistency and depth to a Seattle rotation that has battled injury. Of the last nine seasons there were only two in which Hammel didn’t log 30 or more games (2012-13). Hammel has shown to be a work horse, and has shown glimpses of being able to produce great outings. Seattle could use that in their rotation for 2017.
With so much attention on Tyson Ross it may not be challenging to secure Hammel to a deal. Hammel likely wants to go to a playoff contender, and no playoff contender with an already great staff will pay for a five arm. That is what makes Seattle a perfect fit. Outside of perhaps Houston or the Yankees, no other playoff caliber team would likely use Hammel as more than a five man.