Interesting free agent outfielders for Mariners fans to consider

The Mariners haven't signed a high-profile name this offseason. But free agency could still be the route the team takes to land a key position player.

The Seattle Mariners have publicly expressed an interest in acquiring another right-handed corner outfielder this offseason. Doing so would help prevent overexposing young left-handed hitting outfielders Jarred Kelenic, Taylor Trammell, and Cade Marlowe to southpaw pitching. With this in mind, I identified four free agent corner outfield types for fans to consider.

It’s important to note the players we’ll be discussing were basically full-timers with their former clubs. Therefore, they may have zero interest in joining an outfield timeshare in the Emerald City. But for the purpose of our conversation, let’s assume each is amenable to doing so.

Since performance against left-handed pitching is driving Seattle’s pursuit of a right-handed hitting outfielder, I’m presenting each candidates’ platoon splits. Unless otherwise noted, assume the player we’re discussing hits exclusively from the right side.

---

Wil Myers

Selling Points: Myers has a long history of success against lefty pitching. Dating back to 2019, the North Carolina native’s .875 OPS is 30th best among 150 hitters with 400-plus plate appearances against southpaws.

Over the past five seasons with the San Diego Padres, Myers had a respectable .239 AVG/.325 OBP/.417 SLG slash line at Petco Park. This should matter to Mariners fans considering the Padres’ home field has a reputation for depressing offense much like Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

Myers’ 28.2 ft/sec sprint speed ranked in the top 30-percent of 321 players with 75-plus competitive runs this year. The MLB-average sprint speed is 27 ft/sec.

In recent years, Myers has played first base and both corner outfield spots with the majority of his outfield time coming in right field. Advanced defensive metrics suggest he’s an average-ish outfield glove.

Potential Concerns: Thumb and knee injuries limited Myers to 77 games this year. That said, the 32-year-old has remained relatively available in recent years appearing in 92.7% of Padres games in 2019-21.

Myer’s overall 30.1% strikeout rate is up nearly five percent from two seasons ago and significantly higher than the MLB average.

---

A.J. Pollock

Selling Points: Over the past two seasons, Pollock has a .562 SLG against left-handed pitching. That's eighth best among hitters with 250-plus confrontations against southpaws during this period. The 11-year veteran also boasted a superb 50.7% hard-hit rate against lefties.

A “hard-hit ball” has an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher. The “hard-hit rate” of a player or team represents the percentage of batted balls with a 95+mph exit velocity.  In 2022, the average hard-hit rate was 38.4%. – Statcast

In 2021-22, Pollock averaged 26 doubles and 18 home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. Although the Notre Dame product doesn’t steal bases often, his above-average sprint speed (27.8 ft/sec) helped him go 12 for 14 in stolen base attempts during this two-season span.

This year with the White Sox, Pollock demonstrated he could still play all outfield positions with starts in left field (77), right field (11), and center field (35).

Potential Concerns: Pollock’s overall 6.1% walk rate placed 109th among 130 qualified hitters. Perhaps this won’t matter to the Mariners, although it’s worth mentioning the team already has a corner outfielder with a low walk rate - new addition Teoscar Hernández (6.4%).

Pollock appeared in 138 contests for the South Siders this season. But hamstring injuries did cost the Connecticut native playing time in 2021 and 2022. This can’t be overlooked when discussing a player getting ready to enter his age-35 season.

---

Jurickson Profar

Selling Points: Only five hitters with 150-plus plate appearances against lefty pitching had a lower strikeout rate than Profar did in 2022. Taking this a step further, his 1.1 strikeout/walk ratio was third-best, trailing only Alex Bregman (1.4) and Padres teammate Ha-Seong Kim (1.3).

Profar also found ways to be productive in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. This year, the switch-hitter delivered a .251 AVG/.345 OBP/.419 SLG in San Diego.

Although he played exclusively in left field this year, Profar has a history of moving around the diamond. In 2021, he made starts at each outfield position, plus first base and second base.

Potential Concerns: Profar, who turns 30 in February, had a below-average 26.6 ft/sec sprint speed this year. By no means is the Curacao native a statue. But diminishing quickness could affect the long-term value of a player capable of filling in at multiple infield and outfield positions.

Profar’s overall hard-hit rate was a well-below average 34.3%. When facing left-handed pitchers it was much worse. His 28% hard-hit rate ranked 102nd among 115 hitters with 100-plus batted balls off southpaws this year.

---

Andrew McCutchen

Selling Points: The oldest player on our list has done a nice job of fending off Father Time. The 36-year-old has the fastest sprint speed (28.9 ft/sec) among our candidates and averaged 139 games in 2021-22 despite missing nearly two weeks to COVID-19 last year.

Among qualified Mariners hitters, only Julio Rodríguez (50.7%) and Eugenio Suárez (43.5%) had a higher hard-hit rate than McCutchen (40%) did this year. The Floridian also continues to do a good job of drawing walks.

Potential Concerns: Well, McCutchen is 36. Age-related regression is inevitable. Perhaps advancing age is the reason the eleventh overall pick of the 2005 MLB amateur draft experienced career lows in OBP, SLG, and wRC+ this year.

---

Thoughts

I’m guessing none of the players we discussed blew you away. That said, I do believe each could provide value to the Mariners next year under the right circumstances.

Myers’ tendency to strike out often does concern me. The Mariners already have two hitters with strikeout rates near the 30% mark - Hernández and Suárez. A third might be more than the team wants to take on. Then again, being able to hit well in a pitcher’s park and mash left-handed pitching is enough to at least pique my interest.

Pollack has enjoyed sustained success against left-handed pitching. Moreover, he’s capable of playing center field in a pinch. This added versatility could prove beneficial to a team expecting to rotate its outfielders through the designated hitter spot on a regular basis.

It’s hard to look past Profar’s low hard-hit rate. But much like Myers, hitting well at Petco Park could translate to success at the Mariners’ home field. Furthermore, his positional flexibility would make it easier to move the veteran of nine seasons elsewhere on the diamond if Kelenic, Trammell, or Marlowe demonstrated they were ready for more playing time.

With his numbers seemingly on the decline, McCutchen’s age is a concern. Perhaps the Mariners would accept the risk of further regression in order to have a former NL MVP available to mentor their young outfielders. This kind of leadership can be tough to find.

Finally

We don’t know how the Mariners might partner a right-handed hitting outfielder with Kelenic, Trammell, or Marlowe. Perhaps it depends on the skillset of the player acquired and which, if any, youngster emerges as the primary left-handed hitting option for manager Scott Servais.

Something else to consider; it’s still possible the Mariners acquire a right-handed hitting outfielder via the trade market rather than free agency. After all, the team’s front office does have a reputation for brokering innovative, unexpected deals.

My Oh My…

Thanks for reading Mariners Consigliere! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.