Salk: To be successful this offseason, Mariners’ need to pivot

Organizations should have philosophies that are sacred to the way they do business. They need a set of principles to guide them, especially when they have important and difficult decisions to make.

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has often referenced the need for (and distinction between) those principles and the methods used to accomplish goals. The principles, he says, never change, while the methods are flexible.

The Seattle Mariners are in one of those situations where they have decisions to make that are both important and difficult. They have a contending nucleus, a stellar farm system, and better organizational health than they’ve had in years. They also have shown an inability to turn those foundational pieces into a product that consistently produces successful results.

In short, they are still struggling to take their team from good to great.

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has said that his team is a “draft, develop, and trade” organization. He uses that description both to explain their focus on those parts of the acquisition process but also to distinguish his team from those that jump bravely into the world of free agency. I have always thought of the “DDT” philosophy as being one of the principles that guides the organization.

But it isn’t a principle. It is a method. And it is not the right method for this particular scenario.

Who’s out there?

Since the start of their rebuild after the 2018 season, the Mariners have done an excellent job drafting and developing talent. They haven’t been perfect – especially with the offense – but they have built a generational pitching staff and top-tier farm system by adhering to those methods. Their top seven starting pitchers and three of their top four relievers were all either drafted by the Mariners or acquired via a trade for prospects. Add in Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh, and you can see why they believe so strongly in what they’ve been doing.

But they currently have major holes on their roster. They need somewhere between two and five offensive players to cover and improve their infield and DH spots. And while we have heard them say they remain positive about finding impactful players this offseason, the calendar keeps flipping pages and names are coming off the board.

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What’s worse, I don’t see how any of the three tenets of “draft, develop, and trade” are going to help right now. The two players most likely to help from the farm system this season are Cole Young and Tyler Locklear, neither of whom seems ready to be truly impactful right away. And the trade market is funky.

Unfortunately, the teams that would be natural sellers (i.e. trading veterans for prospects) don’t have bats to trade. My cursory glance through the league turns up very few teams that would be looking to trade major league talent for prospects. The White Sox, Marlins, Nationals, Rockies and Pirates are the best bets, and none of them have high impact infielders that they might be looking to move. Maybe you could pry Brent Rooker away from the A’s (hard to imagine after they held him at the trade deadline and now have spent money this offseason to improve), but the likelihood of a traditional prospects-for-veteran swap seems mistimed.

With the DDT options not available, it’s time to pivot. That wouldn’t be possible if you think of it as a principle, but what if it’s just a method to acquire talent and achieve your real principle of sustainable competition?

If you accept that premise, it leaves the Mariners with two paths: they can either trade starting pitching for impactful offense, or they can wade into the free agent waters. Or they can do a combination of both.

The best path

I’ve written ad nauseum about trading pitching. It makes sense as a last resort and only if the return is so great that anyone would feel comfortable saying the Mariners “won” the trade. Personally, I would prefer they go big with one of their younger starters (specifically George Kirby) than trying to save money by dealing Luis Castillo. But there is a reason that conversations have reportedly been ongoing with the Red Sox and Orioles regarding Castillo.

The best path for the Mariners this offseason is to shift gears and hit the free agency market. Alex Bregman, Anthony Santander, Pete Alonso and Christian Walker would all be massive upgrades to their current roster, probably in that order. Bregman, specifically, would add the experience and grit this clubhouse could use in spades.

And unlike recent offseasons when the top of the free agent class was dominated by star shortstops ready for massive paydays from teams not yet hit by the regional sports network income crunch, this group should be relatively affordable, and much of the rest of the league is now feeling the financial pinch so the playing field is somewhat evened.

The Mariners only have two current contracts that would be considered “bad,” and both of them have just one year remaining. While Seattle needs money in future seasons to sign its young core, there is no guarantee that any of those players will wan to re-sign here, especially without seeing the commitment to building a great roster while they are in their prime.

Drafting, developing and trading is an excellent strategy for building a team. It should absolutely pay dividends for the Mariners, and will likely give them ammunition for the primary method of making impactful deals at the next July trade deadline. But right now, it makes sense to complement that with some good, old-fashioned addition without subtraction.

The best part of having methods that fit your principles is that they can be malleable. Now is the time to be flexible and build a team that can exceed the disappointment of the last two seasons.

Seattle Mariners offseason coverage

• Has the AL West changed on the Mariners this offseason?
• Drayer’s Notebook: GM speaks on Mariners’ offseason paths
• Mariners’ needs haven’t changed, but path to fill them is murky
• Seattle Mariners have a new minor league affiliate team
• Who Seattle Mariners could take with No. 3 overall pick in MLB Draft

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