Mariners on the Move: Keith Law’s Trade Target for Mariners Revealed
On Tuesday afternoon, Keith Law took a swing at the question Seattle baseball fans are awaiting the answer to this winter: How do you fix the Mariners?
A daunting task? Not in Law’s eyes.
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“On some level, they’re one of the ‘easiest’ teams to fix because they just kind of need offense almost everywhere, right?” Law, a senior baseball writer for The Athletic, told Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.
That’s certainly true in the infield, and Law sees a fit with the player he ranked 19th on his top 50 free agent list for this offseason, Arizona first baseman Christian Walker.
“Age-wise, he’s definitely past peak, but he has been a very productive, very, very consistent offensive performer,” Law said. “A really solid defensive first baseman where the underlying data, the batted ball data, the stuff you’re finding on Baseball Savant all says to me he’s going to hold this level of production for at least a couple of years. You’re not giving him five years (on a contract), but maybe you’re giving him three years and paying him pretty handsomely. I think he’s worth it.”
If “past peak” raises an eyebrow, the key with Walker is the offensive consistency. The Mariners wouldn’t be looking for a bounceback with Walker as they have been with any number of hitters they have acquired recently – a path Law believes is fine in most years but one they should avoid this winter. Walker slashed .251/.335/.468 for an .803 OPS in 2024 with 26 home runs, and also won his third straight National League Gold Glove at first base at the age of 33.
