SOB's Real Off-Season Plan

[DavidGee24]

OR - how about this - the Mariners finally get serious and make a Murakami kind of deal for 3B slugger Teruaki Sato. Why can't we give him a 2 year, $38MM deal? Would any of us think it would be money poorly spent if we got Murakami last year and he performed like he did for the White Sox? Even 7 ticks above the Mendoza, he still his 35 bombs and put up 2.3 WAR.

Sato is a triple crown winner in Japan, and last year he his for a 1.014 OPS

https://sodomojo.com/teruaki-sato-rumor ... se-slugger

We keep our starters and our prospects and get a solid bat to hold down 3B. Outbid the Dodgers or the Yankees or the Mets - just get serious for a change!!

This is the drum I've been beating like Neil Peart and that article chaps my hide. Why the HELL don't we go after a guy like that? He's affordable, he's the best player in Japan, and he plays a position where we have great need. Considering that we'd be signing him for multiple years and not just 2027 he'd be a GREAT fit. I don't even want to know what DiPoto says about him. Probably, "Oh, well we need RIGHT handed bats that we can platoon, left-handed bats are not a need of ours at this time because we have a surplus of them! Also, Ichiro says we can't."

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[GL_Storm]

I think an issue with Raley as a trade chip is that he's likely to get non-tendered and teams know that, so why trade for him?

[GL_Storm]

I think they should go hard after Sato. I don't care that he's a left-handed batter.

[D-train]

We have joked about the Japanese ban but I am really starting to think there is something to it.....What other explanation is there that we haven't been in on any for 5 years after having at least one for 24 consecutive seasons????

[D-train]

Never say never. Storm did a good job listing the reasons why he might be available above.

Neto flys in the face of what the M's have said they want to commit to this offseason. He's a poor defender with limited range. Dipoto mentioned specifically needing to get more range at SS to convert on defense for a pitching staff that throws strikes and wants to play to their defense. He mentioned being dead last in double play conversion on balls in play that should have resulted in a double play very much stood out as a problem. Not to mention that he was in the bottom 15% of pretty much every swing-and-miss stat in '26. He struck out 215 times this year... last thing this offense needs is to add more K's.

If the M's want to add a defensive shortstop with some upside... they could possibly look to the Cardinals and Masyn Winn. He hasn't hit and the metrics don't really point in a positive direction for a leap with the bat... but he's a top-2 defensive SS in baseball.

A quick Google search doesn't fully support these claims. He has mixed, but still consistent high marks for his defense. For offense, his chase rate is low but strikeouts are high. While his overall swing-and-miss numbers have increased as his power has developed, his raw plate discipline metrics are pretty good.

A quick Savant look would tell you all you need to know.

He sold out for power in '26 and the swing and miss came with it. His chase % is not low... like I said, bottom 15% in the sport.

He's bottom 6% in range in baseball. He made 18 errors which was top 10 in baseball... couple that with bad range and you've got issues.

Like I said, he's the opposite what the FO has said they want defensively.

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[D-train]

Fellas - I love the idea of Otto, but there is zero chance of it happening no matter how much we close our eye and will it to happen.

I think a better, more solvent alternative is to get Zach Neto. The Angels have new ownership, and they are set to tear it down and undo all of Arte Moreno's tomfuckery. They will need a couple of seasons at least to get up to speed. They may be willing to take an Emerson Hancock as well as a couple of prospects. The asking price would be much lower than Otto, and the Angels - unlike the Marlins - are not in a window of contention.

Neto set the Angels single-season home run record for a shortstop and joined elite AL shortstops with multiple 20-HR/20-SB seasons. He is a stud defensively, and he hits the ball HARD offensively, and he has speed on the basepaths. I am not sure why we are all so set on Otto when there are other guys who might be more get-able and are pretty much as good.

D-Train - you have access to MLBTV. What would be fair asking prices for these 2 guys? Am I off, here?

I'm at Winco right now. LOL I will run it when I get home.

[Seattle or Bust]

A quick Google search doesn't fully support these claims. He has mixed, but still consistent high marks for his defense. For offense, his chase rate is low but strikeouts are high. While his overall swing-and-miss numbers have increased as his power has developed, his raw plate discipline metrics are pretty good.

A quick Savant look would tell you all you need to know.

He sold out for power in '26 and the swing and miss came with it. His chase % is not low... like I said, bottom 15% in the sport.

He's bottom 6% in range in baseball. He made 18 errors which was top 10 in baseball... couple that with bad range and you've got issues.

Like I said, he's the opposite what the FO has said they want defensively.

neto.png

Is that just DRS?

Fangraphs has him as their 42nd rated short stop among players who played 100 innings at the position.

Among qualified SS's they had him 15/19.

And Savant had him in the bottom 23% among fielders.

[D-train]

Yeah, its the same deal with Cole Young. Massively higher bWAR than fWAR. I wish those to would get their shit together.

[Seattle or Bust]

I think an issue with Raley as a trade chip is that he's likely to get non-tendered and teams know that, so why trade for him?

His number is like $2.5M.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't take a flier on tendering him unless you're convinced he can't be healthy.

He was an All Star the first 2x months of the season.

[D-train]

I think an issue with Raley as a trade chip is that he's likely to get non-tendered and teams know that, so why trade for him?

His number is like $2.5M.

I'm not sure why you wouldn't take a flier on tendering him unless you're convinced he can't be healthy.

He was an All Star the first 2x months of the season.

It is $3M isn't it but looking at the 40 man there is just him Laz and Canzone and Arroyo to fill LF/RF/DH at the moment so there is room for him. I love what he brings when healthy but the past 2 seasons has been a health nightmare for him.