With addressing first base at or near the top of their offseason to-do list, the Seattle Mariners just took a 1-2 combo off the chin this week, with the New York Yankees trading for Cody Bellinger and veteran Christian Walker reportedly signing a three-year, $60 million deal with the Houston Astros.
It wasn’t so much that Seattle was ever a serious player for Bellinger and his lofty, somewhat complicated contract — it’s that even after bringing in the former Rookie of the Year and MVP, the Yankees are now expected to turn their attention to the first base market, continuing a torrid pace they’ve maintained since missing out on Juan Soto.
The Yankees’ pickup of Bellinger comes on the heels of signing Max Fried to the largest free-agent deal ever given to a left-handed pitcher and acquiring All-Star closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. Brian Cashman pivoted quickly off Soto and continues to address one need after another as New York gears up to defend its AL pennant in 2025.
Mariners Rumors: Free agency heating up after Christian Walker-Astros contract
It just adds insult to injury, really. And that aforementioned first base market continues to thin out by the day, with the announcement of Walker’s deal with Houston. That leaves Seattle the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, Pete Alonso, Carlos Santana or maybe Justin Turner to fill the first base void. Alonso isn’t happening, and the rest of that list certainly comes with some question marks.
For Goldschmidt, Turner and Santana, age is a concern. Goldschmidt turns 38 next September and looked like he had definitely lost a step in his final year in St. Louis. Turner played well with the Mariners after coming over in a deal with the Blue Jays, but turned 40 last month. Meanwhile, Santana just had himself quite the platform season, winning a Gold Glove at first for the Twins, but he turns 39 in April.
It feels like, no matter how this shakes out, New York will get their pick of the litter, leaving the Mariners and any other teams looking for first base reinforcements to pick over the scraps of the market. That’s not to say Seattle can’t find production out of these options or a potential trade, but the possibilities are starkly different than they were just a week ago, and time may be running out if the pace of the offseason doesn’t slow down soon.
