The Seattle Mariners could be gearing up to make their first acquisition of the offseason, and an interesting name was recently floated as a possible signing for the team.

The Mariners still have needs at first, second and third base and recent comments made this offseason by team owner/president John Stanton and general manager Justin Hollander have cast doubt Seattle pursue a big-name free agent or trade acquisition this offseason.

The Mariners could instead consider a low-risk, high-reward option at third base.

According to a report from Francys Romero, Seattle, along with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, are among the clubs monitoring the free agent and former Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox third baseman , Yoan Moncada.

Romero is the same reporter who broke the news of the Mariners’ acquisition of Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 25.

Moncada was elected a free agent on November 1 after the White Sox declined his $25 million club option for 2025 on October 31.

Since August 27, 2022, Moncada has been on the injured list four times with a hamstring strain, back pain, back inflammation and adductor strain. This latest injury kept him out for most of 2024 after playing in just 12 games. He hit .275 with no homers or RBIs in his limited sample before the injury.

In 2023, Moncada played in 92 games and hit .260 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs.

Although he has suffered from various illnesses over the past two years, Moncada makes a lot of sense for Seattle. It will be cheap, and above all. It has a market value of just one year, which is $1.5 million according to Spotrac.

It’s hard to imagine that Moncada isn’t aware that he won’t make the kind of money he would with Chicago. This could make it easier for Seattle to bring him to the Pacific Northwest without significantly reducing the club’s payroll. He received a $5 million buyout when his option was declined.

Moncada’s injuries are concerning. But his hitting ability would give the Mariners some lineup flexibility. Moncada could also be slotted at third with Josh Rojas, maximizing the former’s offensive ability while utilizing the latter’s Gold Glove-caliber defense, all while minimizing injury risk for the former White Sox slugger.

The last time Moncada played at least 140 games was in 2021. He hit .263 with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs that year. His best season came in 2019, where he hit .315 with 25 home runs and 79 RBIs in 132 games played.

Bringing in Moncada is essentially a no-lose situation for Seattle. At worst, Moncada will be a cheap free agent who doesn’t work out. At best, he could be a significant offensive upgrade at the position and inject more power into a lineup that has struggled for most of the year.

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