Justin Turner calls out Mariners brass for not adding bats

Justin Turner calls out Mariners brass for not adding bats

The Seattle Mariners were an incredibly mediocre offense last season. They were No. 15 in on-base percentage despite having the fourth-best walk rate, No. 25 in slugging percentage, No. 21 in weighted on-base average, No. 29 in strikeout rate and No. 12 in wRC+.

Seattle, who finished 85-77, missed the playoffs by one game in what was a pretty weak American League. They had a stacked pitching rotation led by Luis Castillo and Logan Gilbert, but weren’t consistently able to muster up enough offense to compete with some of their American League foes.

They also play in the most pitcher-friendly environment in MLB and did nothing to bolster that this offseason. Former Mariners slugger Justin Turner–who the Mariners acquired to help their offensive struggles–called them out on it, too.

“The fact that they missed the playoffs by one game, and didn’t go out and add an impact bat or two when you have the best pitching staff in baseball,” Turner said, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “(It) just seems absurd to me.

“There’s not going to a better time to go for it. So, I don’t know what they’re doing. I’m very confused. It’s a head-scratcher for me.”

Turner, now with the Cubs, slashed .264/.363/.403 in 48 games with the Mariners with five home runs and 24 RBIs (190 plate appearances).

Seattle’s offense was better in the second half of the season. Six players–including Turner–recorded a wRC+ above 116 from August onward. But it was still a small sample for an offense that’s been a fringe top-10 unit since the start of 2022.

Mariners Place Luis Castillo On Trade Block

There was plenty of smoke this offseason about potentially acquiring Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas, but no deal came to fruition. Otherwise, it was a pretty dormant offseason for Jerry DiPoto’s squad. We will see if their hot end to the season will carry over in 2025 in a competitive AL West–or if it regresses back to near where it was at the start of 2024.

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