The Mariners’ offseason picture is coming into focus, and bullpen help is clearly part of the plan.
With the general meetings in Las Vegas still underway and the clock toward a lockout continuing to tick, Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto is already working on several fronts. The Mariners have needs in the outfield, on the left side of the infield and in the bullpen, and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi pointed to one reliever who has drawn at least some attention from the club.
Speaking Wednesday afternoon on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, Morosi said Seattle has interest in the left-handed market and named Dodgers free agent Alex Vesia as a pitcher the Mariners have discussed.
“The Mariners have interest broadly speaking in the lefty market,” he told co-host Bob Stelton and producer Mike Lefko. “But I will give you one name that I know they have at least some interest in, Alex Vesia.
He’s really competitive, very athletic, always available. I know they have had at least some level of conversation with him.”
Vesia, 30, is hitting free agency for the first time after six seasons with the Dodgers. Over that stretch, he has put up a 2.66 ERA and 6.3 bWAR across 367 appearances. Morosi said plenty of teams are in the mix, but he sees a fit in Seattle, especially if the Mariners want more than just another arm.
“He adds a real edge and bravado to a team that I think would really do well to where he would walk into that Mariner clubhouse a guy with a World Series ring,” said Morosi. “You talk about how to mold this clubhouse into something that was more cohesive unit than it was last year, I think Vesia is someone who can help you there.”
Morosi also weighed in on the buzz surrounding Seattle’s new manager and the coaching hires that came with him. Jason Kanzler and two coaches were brought in without managerial experience, and Morosi said the organization is clearly putting a lot of faith in Kanzler’s approach.
“They are really really trusting Jason Kanzler’s acumen here,” said Morosi, who last week stressed what he believed to be the importance of hiring a bench coach who had considerable managing experience. “They are really fully leveraged into doing things the way that Kanzler wants to do them. Obviously, he’s a smart baseball guy, he would not be in this situation if he was not.”
He added that those hires will face a tougher spotlight if Seattle’s winter ends up being a quiet one.
“Then you have really communicated to your fans that the belief in this team being different is largely on Julio Rodríguez bouncing back, Cal Raleigh playing like he did the final six weeks down the stretch and this new manager is going to have everyone keyed up and to a higher level of focus and all those things, and you are putting all your eggs in that one basket,” he said.
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