The Seattle Mariners are gearing up for what could be their first postseason berth since 2001. Last season, the club finished the year in second place in the AL West with a record of 90-72, good for a .556 win-loss%, their best since 2003.
Franchise icon Kyle Seager and left-handers Tyler Anderson, Yusei Kikuchi, Sean Doolittle, and James Paxton represent the Seattle Mariners’ biggest losses heading into this offseason. To this point, Paxton is the only one to sign with a new team and Seager elected to retire from the game after a successful career as a member of the M’s.
The Mariners had been quietly making moves to shore up their roster before the lockout was put into effect, signing Andres Munoz to a contract extension, acquiring utility player Adam Frazier, and signing the reigning AL Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray to a huge five-year contract. Knowing Jerry DiPoto, the moves are certainly not done.
Taking a look at the projected 26-man roster, there are not many noticeable holes in the Seattle Mariners’ current configuration of players. Of course they, like all other teams, have room for improvement.