Breaking Done Deal: Mariners Officially Announced The Signing Of Another Top Star After Rejecting Contract Offer

Mariners fans’ expectations got a $100 million reality check 1 day into GM Meetings
The GM Meetings are underway in Las Vegas, and the tone has already shifted to what Seattle Mariners fans should not expect to happen. A Ronald Acuña Jr. trade? Yeah, right. A big-ticket free agent signing? Oh, please.

That’s the gist one gets from reading the latest from Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, which takes a turn after stating that the Mariners are “motivated” to add to their roster before the MLB lockout hits on December 1. The article largely concerns what won’t or is unlikely to happen, with an obvious non-pursuit of Tarik Skubal representing just the first step.

“They might not even be comfortable approaching a $100 million figure for a free agent this winter,” writes Jude about the Mariners’ intentions. Even if he wasn’t seemingly intent on returning to the East Coast, that almost certainly rules out Randy Arozarena. It could also rule out Seiya Suzuki, which is the really big blow here.

Suzuki to the Mariners has been a semi-popular prediction, with notable votes coming from MLB Trade Rumors and Paul Hembekides of ESPN. There’s nothing wrong with the fit on paper. Indeed, there’s a lot right with it. But that idea is based on an assumption that the Mariners want nice things and are willing to pay for them. Perhaps it was inevitable that hope would run into reality.

Our guy Hembo is predicting that Seiya Suzuki will sign a 4-year, $108 Million deal with the Mariners

Would you sign off on this deal?

The Mariners seem determined to die on the hill of extreme risk-aversion
The John Stanton-Jerry Dipoto regime has been in place for a decade now, and Robbie Ray remains its only nine-figure splash in free agency. The only other time the Mariners have come close was last winter, when they signed Josh Naylor for $92.5 million. Both he and Ray were in their 20s at the time of their respective deals, which is that much more relevant after Stanton expressed (in no uncertain terms) his distaste for big-money contracts for players in their 30s.