The Mariners have improved their offense by quite a bit after a less than impressive 2021. Suarez, Winker, and Frazier will all see a ton of at-bats this year, and the lineup is better than average. The Mariners could do more though, and an interesting choice could be giving Trevor Story a massive one-year deal. I do want him on a 4/5 year deal, but this is an interesting choice for a short-term answer.
Now that Freddie Freeman and Kris Bryant have signed, Correa and Story are two of the few big names left. Correa reportedly has massive deals on the table (10-300 from Baltimore) and an offer from Houston to return. Who knows who else has offered him a deal. Story likely has two options. Strike before Correa, or possibly get left with a lesser deal as teams decide to wait on next year’s crop of free agents.
The Mariners could strike by giving Trevor Story a massive one year deal
Dipoto has long talked about building a team, or at least signing players, with versatility. Story has the arm and defensive ability to play all over the infield, and we’ve all been singing the rightful praises of Mariners infield coach Perry Hill. Whether it’s at 2B, 3B, or SS, Story would succeed.
If the Mariners offered Story a one-year deal for $34 million, it would be hard to turn it down unless there was a deal with significant length or a similar AAV to what Freeman and Bryant got in the $26-27m range.
Why a one-year deal? There are a couple of reasons. Story, Frazier, and Haniger would all be on one-year deals. In most sports and in most cases, guys playing with only a single year left on their deals are trying to prove how good they are, and will have what’s called a “contract year”. Performing a bit better than average because they are working on getting that big fat bank account.
I’m sure there are studies out there that show it’s not a thing. I’m sure there are some that try and prove it is. With a situation like that for the Mariners, I think they would play well off of each other, all working towards that big deal. If they like the new culture of the Mariners, combined with the youth that is coming up, maybe a couple of them re-sign with the team.
Plus, it’s Dipoto. He’s gonna account for almost everything. Like if the Mariners are having awful luck this year, the reverse of 2021. He could always trade someone away at the deadline and gain a couple of prospects in order to make a deal the next offseason to build the team back up again. For him, it would be a win/win.
For the present, Trevor Story would provide a massive boost to the lineup. Something like this.
- Crawford – SS
- Frazier – LF
- Story – 2B
- France – 1B
- Winker – DH
- Haniger – RF
- Suarez – 3B
- Lewis – CF
- Raleigh – C
Move it around as you want, but however you put it, it’s a darn good lineup and pretty scary. That’s a near 50 HR guy in the 7th spot, and the 2020 AL ROY in the 8th spot. The Mariners lineup goes from a bottom 5-10 in all of baseball in 2021 to a top 5-10 in 2022.
Adding Trevor Story to the Mariners on a one-year deal might not be the ideal move for fans. However, it would be a great short-term addition, and instantly move the Mariners into a legit conversation for the AL West and a run in the American League Playoffs.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism