The Mariners Remain Busy

So to recap the Mariners offseason, they’ve acquired:

Domingo Santana (OF), Justin Dunn (RHP), Jarred Kelenic (OF #62 MLB prospect), Justus Sheffield (LHP #31 MLB prospect), Mallex Smith (OF), Jay Bruce (OF), Edwin Encarnacion (1B/DH), JP Crawford (SS), Gerson Bautista (RHP), Omar Narváez (C), Anthony Swarzak (RHP)

That's an incredibly busy offseason. Oh, and they signed Yusei Kikuchi for 4 years, with a strange option worked in. The 4th year player option can be replaced by an additional 4 year guarantee for 7 years, according to Jon Heyman. The initial money is believed to be three years, $43 million, with a $66 million extension over 4 years, which totals out to an annual value of approximately $15.5 million per season. If they choose not to trigger the extension, Kikuchi could always accept his player option worth $13 million.

Kikuchi is a solid mid-rotation option for the Mariners, with a fastball that can touch the upper 90’s (as high as 98 MPH), but sits comfortably at the 92-94 MPH range, which still puts him above the MLB average for left-handed starters (91.4 MPH). His fastball isn’t his best pitch, however, as his slider is by far the filthiest thing in his repertoire, with insane movement that creates serious problems for hitters at the plate, and it could be his reason for success in America.

If you haven’t seen him yet, you should watch this short clip here.

This has been an incredibly busy, yet productive offseason for Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, as he remains committed to his plan to make the team competitive by 2020. By 2020, Dipoto will have a plethora of money to work with, as players like Felix Hernandez, Edwin Encarnacion (should they be unable to trade him before the season begins), Mike Leake and Anthony Swarzak will be off the books for a total of $72,357,142 freed up. With all of this money cleared up in 2020, they can go after whatever stars they choose, with big ones on the market like Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Josh Donaldson, Scooter Gennett, Xander Bogaerts, Madison Bumgarner, Chris Sale, Gerrit Cole and a whole lot more.

What did you think of the Kikuchi signing? And who do you think the Mariners should set their sights on in 2020? Let me know down below.