The Seattle Mariners checked one box right away this offseason when they re-signed Josh Naylor.
That left them a couple of other free agent hitters to go to work on from their own roster before exploring the rest of the market. Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco are out of their contracts, too.
Based on the rumor mill, it seems more likely that Polanco comes back than Suarez.
And if Suarez leaves, that creates an opening at third base. There is an intriguing player out there who could fill it.
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MLB.com's Mark Feinsand isn't the first to suggest it, but he writes that the Mariners should go after Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami.
Murakami holds the NPB record for single-season home runs by a third baseman, having hit 56 in the 2022 season.
"The Mariners have had some success with Japanese players during the past 25 years, though most -- aside from Ichiro Suzuki, of course -- have been pitchers," Feinsand writes. "Murakami is the most notable power hitter to come from NPB since Hideki Matsui in 2003, and with Eugenio Suárez likely to depart as a free agent, Seattle has a vacancy to fill at third base."
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There will always be the question of how a player's game will truly translate from NPB to MLB, but Murakami's raw power is legitimate.
Suarez seemed like a re-signing candidate when the Mariners got him at the trade deadline, but he struggled in Seattle and may now head elsewhere.
Murakami would certainly be a top-notch replacement.
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