SAN DIEGO — The Winter Meetings, as often happens, closed Thursday in a flurry of major deals and free-agent signings that resonated throughout Major League Baseball.
The Mariners, though, returned home with their roster unchanged beyond the selection of left-handed pitcher David Rollins from Houston in the Rule 5 Draft.
Which means … what?
There is a feeling, M’s general manager Jack Zduriencik said, that “it’s all going to happen at the Winter Meetings. But that isn’t the case.”
“Sometimes, it’s better to get away from here,” he said. “Get back and let the dust settle. You’ve had all of these discussions. The one thing you realize when you’re here, is there are a lot of discussions. They follow one another.
“There are so many things that get thrown out there. … And it’s like, wait a minute. We like some of these ideas, but we just need to back off a little bit. We’re in the middle of December.”
The Mariners did much of their heavy lifting before arriving at the Manchester Grand Hyatt by signing free-agent outfielder Nelson Cruz and acquiring left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ from Toronto in a trade. That ticked the first two items on their wish checklist.
They remain interested in acquiring another bat, preferably a right-handed hitter who can play right field. They also need a replacement for left reliever Joe Beimel — hence the selection of Rollins.
“We’ll keep all of our irons in the fire and see where it ends up,” Zduriencik said. “We’ve talked trade, and we’ve talked free agent. We’ll keep the dialogue going.”
Even so, some potential targets are now off the board.
The Mariners were once close to a deal to acquire outfielder Matt Kemp before talks stalled over the Dodgers’ insistence that either Taijuan Walker or James Paxton be included in the swap. Kemp is now heading to San Diego in a trade for a package built around catcher Yasmani Grandal.
The Mariners never showed much interest in outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, and he is now bound for Detroit in a deal that returned pitcher Rick Porcello to Boston.
The best remaining free-agent outfielder is switch-hitter Melky Cabrera — and many in the industry believe he eventually will sign with the Mariners. That might happen, but Cabrera, 30, is seeking a five-year deal believed to be in the $60 million range, while the Mariners appear unwilling to move beyond three years. The Mariners also are unlikely to offer Cabrera a higher annual salary than what Cruz received — $14 million over each of the next four years. If so, that means a three-year offer to Cabrera tops out at $42 million.
The impasse hinges on whether Cabrera can get a bigger offer elsewhere. So far, no club appears willing to go beyond three years.
The Mariners, meanwhile, signaled a growing willingness in recent days to look at second-tier possibilities.
“The high-profile, upper-echelon dollars, we’re not going to be in that market,” Zduriencik said, “It’s just not going to happen. But I do think we have room to make a move that will help the club.”
Club officials now downplay reports of renewed interest in Chicago White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo, whom they asked about in the past, but continue to see free-agent Alex Rios as a bounce-back candidate. The snag with Rios is his agent, Scott Boras, who appears to think Rios will benefit by waiting until the market settles. At that point, if the strategy works, clubs that need an outfielder will push the bidding higher.
The Mariners remain interested in Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton but not at the Braves’ asking price. They also appear cool, at this point, to Washington’s efforts to trade shortstop Ian Desmond. Upton and Desmond would be one-year rentals since each will be a free agent after next season — and pricey one-year rentals: Upton at $14.5 million, and Desmond at $11 million.
Sources say the Mariners have some interest in outfielder Seth Smith, who could be available from San Diego following the deal that sent Kemp to the Padres. Smith, a 32-year-old left-handed hitter, is under contract for $12.75 million over the next two years with a club option for 2017 at $7 million with a $250,000 buyout. He batted .266 last season with 12 homers and 48 RBI in 136 games.
Club officials also are toying with the idea of converting shortstop Brad Miller, also a left-handed hitter, into an outfielder if they fail to fill to hole through a trade or a free-agent signing.
“We’d still like to have one more bat in the lineup, one quality bat,” manager Lloyd McClendon acknowledged. “Whether it’s a right-hander or a left-hander doesn’t make a difference.”
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