After a busy off-season in Seattle, it’s hard not to wonder: Just how much coffee does Jerry Dipoto drink?
The Mariners GM, who is entering his second full season in charge, made more off-season moves than any GM in baseball.
Apart from trading Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger and Zac Curtis, Dipoto’s moves were mostly minor. Still, the sheer extent of his roster tweaking became almost comical. Dipoto’s motivations are understandable, though: he’s looking to build the best team possible, because the M’s will face big expectations this year.
As we approach the 2017 season, we’re previewing what’s ahead for each of the 30 MLB teams. The Seattle Mariners are next:
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Up-and-coming player to watch
Canadian outfielder Tyler O’Neill is expected to make his major-league debut late in the 2017 season. The 21-year-old, who suited up for Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic, was named the Southern League’s MVP last year after slashing.293/.374/.508 with 24 home runs and 102 RBI for the Jackson Generals, Seattle’s double-A affiliate.
O’Neill, who was born in Burnaby, B.C., and grew up in Maple Ridge, is ranked as Seattle’s No. 2 prospect by Baseball America (he’s No. 1 on the Baseball Prospectus list). He should start the season with the triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.
What a successful 2017 season would look like
The Mariners suffer the ignominy of holding the longest current post-season drought in the majors. The team last reached the playoffs in 2001, back when a now-greying Ichiro Suzuki was named both Rookie of the Year and American League MVP (read: that was a long time ago). That year, the M’s finished with a ridiculous record of 116-46.
Years of struggle meant dwindling fan interest in Seattle, but the team’s showings over the last few years have been promising. In 2016, the team stayed in the hunt for a wild-card spot until the final stretch of the regular season, finishing three games back of Toronto and Baltimore.
A successful 2017 season means nothing short of making the post-season. The team is projected for fewer wins than last year, though the AL West is also expected to be a tightly bunched division, with three teams—the Angels, Rangers and M’s—projected for identical records. The Astros are expected to take the division, but the Mariners won’t be happy to repeat a second-place finish.
If the team’s core of stars can perform while players like Edwin Diaz, who’s just 21 but has already solidified his role as Seattle’s closer, live up to their promise, there’s every reason to think the M’s can make it to October.
Biggest remaining question
Amongst Seattle’s core group of stars—Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Felix Hernandez and Kyle Seager—the youngest is Seager, who is 29. If the Mariners are going to compete, their big-money luminaries will need to fight off regression.
“King Felix” continues to post solid numbers, but the right-hander’s ERA climbed to 3.82 last season, while his FIP was a more worrisome 4.63. The 30-year-old also set a career-high in walks, and a career-low in strikeouts.
Hernandez will likely be pitching with a chip on his shoulder this year, which is good news for M’s fans. The ace, who spent seven weeks sidelined with a calf injury last season, will need to stay healthy as he headlines the rotation at Safeco Field.
Cano, meanwhile, posted a FanGraphs WAR of 6 last season, rebounding from an off-year in 2015. Can the second baseman, who’s already 34 but is signed through 2023, maintain his reputation as a durable offensive producer?
