The Seattle Mariners could add Berrios if they are finally serious about contending for the playoffs. Despite being in a division and behind the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics, the Mariners have a chance to acquire a pitcher to help them this year and at least two years from now while maintaining a young core throughout the major league roster.
The Mariners have young and solid pitching depth with Yusei Kikuchi (30 years old), Justus Sheffield (25 years old) Logan Gilbert (24 years old), Justin Dunn (25 years old), Chris Flexen (26 years old), and Marco Gonzales (29 years old). It is proven, over and over, that a team can absolutely never have enough pitching depth. Right now, the Mariners are dealing with injuries to Dunn (10-day IL) and staff ace Gonzales is out on the paternity list but has dealt with injuries this year.
The Mariners, despite their young pitching staff, have one of the worst staffs with a 93 ERA+, which is good for sixth worst in all of the major leagues. In just about every pitching category, the Mariners are below league average.
The Mariners’ FIP sits at 4.24 which is just above the league average of 4.12. The same goes for WHIP where the Mariners are at 1.281 while the league average is 1.277. Therefore, an addition of Berrios would, statistically, push the Mariners to be a better than league average starting rotation, but it would contribute to more wins for a team chasing the American League West division title.
To make this situation better for the Mariners, they currently have one of the best and deepest farm systems. For 2022, the Mariners only have about $44 million committed to their team with club options for Kyle Seager ($15 million) and starting pitcher Kikuchi ($14.5 million) which, if not exercised, would free up room to sign Berrios long term.