The Seattle Mariners are heading into 2014 with some high expectations after shelling out nearly a quarter of a billion dollars on Robinson Cano in the offseason and after some comments the second baseman made in spring training, there is a chance the franchise will shell out even more money, as Ervin Santana and Kendrys Morales are two players on the market that could join up to bolster the roster.
Cano signed earlier in the offseason on a decade long $240 milion contract and after that deal went down, many in the media speculated that the Mariners would continue to spend money on free agents, with Nelson Cruz and Ervin Santana mentioned as possibilities along with a David Price trade. The team didn't sign anyone that big, bringing in Logan Morrison and Corey Hart, but after Cano made some comments to the media about adding a right handed bat and possibly some more pitching, the Mariners could be inclined to sign one or both of those players.
The Mariners were connected to Santana earlier in the offseason but did not want to meet his asking price and since he had draft pick compensation attached to him that was another red flag. But after injuries to Hisashi Iwakuma and young star Taijuan Walker came down that could force the pitchers to miss the season, the team may look to Santana to help beef up the rotation. Walker was expected to win a spot there, while Iwakuma was a Cy Young finalist last season and two names in camp that could be options include Scott Baker and Randy Wolf, but both are coming off injuries from last year.
Cano said that the team needs an "extra bat" since they are a lefty heavy lineup and he cited Morales, as he is a switch hitting player with power. Last season Morales hit 23 home runs for the Mariners and he wouldn't cost the team a draft pick since he was on the team last year and that could make it an attractive move. CBS Sports reported that the Mariners will look into bringing in both players, but that no deals are guaranteed to go down. Cano obviously would love a little protection in the lineup, as Kyle Seager is the only Mariners hitter that had a decent season last year and Justin Smoak has a ton of expectations on him to start the year as well.
Santana went 9-10 last season with the Royals and was one of the top names on the market, but teams were leery of giving him years and meeting his high number because of the draft pick compensation attached to him. The Mariners now could put that aside with the injuries they have and they may have to rely on youngsters like James Paxson and Erasmo Ramirez in the rotation to start the season.
