Mariners sign AJ Pollock

Mariners sign 1-year, $7 million outfielder AJ Pollockas reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan (twitter link). Once Pollock passes physical, his contract becomes official. Pollock is represented by Excel Sports Management.

The Twins and Rangers were also known to be interested in Pollock, whose offseason entry into the market was a bit unexpected. Despite posting a disappointing .292/.389 figure, he still chose to decline the $13 million player option for the 2023 season. That option included a hefty $5 million buyout of him, so between that money and his $7 million salary, which Pollock reportedly received from Seattle, the 35-year-old The opt-out decision left $1 million on the table.

Considering Pollock didn’t look really comfortable during his solitary season in Chicago, that might be a small price to pay. , hoping to move further into World Series contention. His GM Jerry DiPoto in Seattle is no stranger to Pollock, as DiPoto worked in his office fronting the Diamondbacks when Arizona drafted Pollock 17th overall in his 2009 draft.

with center field Julio Rodriguez Established as Seattle’s outfield foundation, the M’s have spent much of their offseason business building and consolidating their corner outfield positions. Mitch Haniger started as a free agent, Kyle Lewis When Jesse Winker Traded while Mariners acquired Teoscar Hernandez Acting as the new daily right fielder (and possibly part-time DH) from the Blue Jays. Jared Kelenic When Taylor Trammell Add left-handed depth as a platoon partner for Pollock or as an option on the bench.

Some degree of platoon shielding may be necessary given that Pollock’s numbers against right-handed pitchers have dropped dramatically in 2022. Always a solid bat against right-handed pitchers in the past, Pollock’s Only hit 394 PA over .231/.284/.309 against last year. This was the root of Pollock’s offensive struggles as he continued to mash up lefties with .

In terms of overall Statcast metrics, Pollock’s performance in 2022 wasn’t all that different from the previous season, but his hard contract percentage has dropped significantly from 2021. His speed and base running also took a hit. of the last two seasons. The biggest problem was lack of power. From 2017 he recorded an isolate his power of .227 through 2021 before Pollock said he would drop to just .143 in 2022.

There are a few reasons the Mariners can hope to rebound, but playing in the sprawling T-Mobile Park may not help Pollock regain all that power stroke. If Pollock is a left-handed musher again, M theoretically has enough left-handed outfield contenders to pick up the slack. Returning from a less than full-time role could be beneficial for Pollock. That’s because his 138 games last season were his second-most total in the MLB over his 11 of his seasons. down to some extent. A normal offseason and his spring training routine for 2023 is what the 35-year-old needs to create a year of resilience.

Just yesterday at MLBTR, Steve Adams announced that the Mariners are looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder, and that M looks odd for a team that looks ready to put the finishing touches on the contender. wrote about the broader sense of having a quiet offseason. Adding Pollock for $7 million won’t quell speculation that the ownership hasn’t stretched the budget as much as hoped, but the signing could also be seen as a relatively cheap but wise investment. Pollock is still posting big numbers in his 2021, and has been a solid performer for most of his career, with veteran experience and championship pedigree (Pollock has won his 2020 title with the Dodgers). ) to the young Mariners. .