The Seattle Mariners started free agency strong when they ensured Josh Naylor would be coming back to town.
Since then, it's been mostly quiet.
One key loss came last month when Jorge Polanco signed with the New York Mets. Eugenio Suarez still lingers in free agency, too, potentially another departure.
MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince wrote in a new article on Thursday that it appears the Polanco departure is setting up another move in Seattle. But what?
"Losing the popular (in the clubhouse and elsewhere) Jorge Polanco to the Mets was also interesting, because it left the M’s with a clear need for an impact infield bat," Castrovince writes. "Does Polanco’s departure increase the chances of Eugenio Suárez coming back, despite his subpar performance after a midseason trade? If a trade for the Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte is now off the table, as many suspect, could a deal for the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan still come together? Or could the Mariners commit to their kids (Cole Young, Ben Williamson and Colt Emerson) in the infield and deploy any remaining financial resources elsewhere?"
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Well, that's a lot of questions.
The fact that Suarez hasn't signed yet suggests that his market isn't exactly booming. That could mean he ends up with the right kind of price tag for Seattle to consider bringing him back after getting him originally at the trade deadline.
If Suarez leaves, though, it'd make sense for the Mariners to get someone else, and it might have to be the trade market, with multiple links in recent weeks between Seattle and Donovan from the Cardinals.
If business is done for Seattle, it means the in-house options will have to live up to their potential. But don't be surprised to see the Mariners going after one more new guy.
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