Latest #Mariners Rumors from MLB Winter Meetings w/ Jon Morosi | #SeattleSports

Latest #Mariners Rumors from MLB Winter Meetings w/ Jon Morosi | #SeattleSports

He is our guy John Morosei. How are you, man? Doing great, gentlemen. Usually I’m I’m wearing my workout hoodie or I I just come from the rink. So, as you know, we’ve had on-site coverage for MLB Network all week long. One of our biggest weeks of the year. I love coming to winter meetings. Well, I was going to ask just in as as you said, you’re you’re the last man standing essentially there. Now, looking back on everything that had happened during this time, was it more active than you thought it was going to be? Less active? We saw the Pete Alonzo news today. Obviously, that was big. Um I I don’t know in terms of just moves being made. I know there’s lots of conversations, but actual deals being struck. Was this about what you expected or little more, a little less? I I would say that we have parred the winter meetings. Okay. This is par. We were kind of talking about Harry Ford and how you have a tendency to kind of fall in love with prospects, right? Right. And you know, definitely that was the case with with Harry Ford. I remember a couple years ago thinking saying, “Oh, he’s untouchable. They can’t they can’t move him.” But that is kind of what happens. Um, and then, you know, just uh just tell us a little bit about what you know about Jose, the bullpen. You got it. Yes. So, let’s let’s start let’s start with Harry Ford. Um, your assessment is right in that there was a time probably a year ago, maybe even two years ago, where where he would have been considered virtually untouchable and and he still was ranking in the top three according to MLB pipeline in in the overall prospect rankings. What I’ll say is this, and and this I’m sure will be spun any number of different ways, and the Nationals may well have a different uh perception of his defensive ability than another team might. But what this move says is that there are significant doubts, not ruling it out, but significant doubts in the industry about whether or not he can be an everyday catcher in the major leagues, starting 110 games a year, and being and being another team’s JT Ral Muto. I’m not even not even going to say Cal Raleigh. He’s in a class unto himself, but just a really good defensive catcher. Someone else is Dylan Digler. saw Dylan during the during the uh playoffs. That that’s the question. Can he be someone’s Dylan Dingler? And and basically this trade says that the industry opinion is no. Because if if if he was without a doubt an everyday catcher, you would have done better than a a seventh inning reliever for him. Now again with all due respect to to Ferrer who’s good um Ford if if if Perry Ford is a true everyday catcher you’re getting more than a seventh inning reliever for that’s and if that’s the general industry opinion now this is a good cautionary tale and again it might work out fine fer might be the perfect compliment to Gabe Spire at that lane of the game and and the bullpen as an area of the team that the Mariners had to work on. It’s all it’s all there. I mean, like, it makes logical sense. They probably kept him a year too long. Uh, now granted, they didn’t know that that Cal was going to have one of the greatest seasons ever for a catcher, but they’re calculating now at this point in time. Calign there’s no real path for Ford to be the everyday catcher for this team in the near term. So, yeah, it it made sense to trade him. I would have liked to have seen them arrive at that conclusion a year earlier. You might have had uh you might have certainly would have had a more valuable trade coming back, but there was value in that year to see more of what he could bring. Test him out a little bit in the in the outfield dh different situations, but it seems to me that clearly the the expectation of the Mariners and the assessment was he was not going to be their everyday catcher. And obviously they’ve got Cal sitting there and that was ostensibly the the best value they could find is a good but not yet great reliever who was importantly under control for a couple more years. And and by the way this type of pitcher Ferrer is a type of pitcher the Mariners have done a good job with in the past of of getting a high level performance out of again. Gabe Spire is an example of that. Bazardo is an example of that to some extent. So, it’s there’s proof of concept there for the Mariners, but in the totality of Harry Ford’s time with the Mariners, you would have to say that they have sold at lower than what the peak price is. Yeah. And I think that was most most of the people that didn’t like the deal wasn’t so much how could you get rid of Harry Ford. It was this is all you got back in exchange for him. And and again, we get attached to our own prospects and they they rise higher and higher in our minds certainly. But I I want to talk about who you who’ they get back for him. Bob, I’m not even going to attempt to roll the RS. Thank you. I can’t I can’t do it, so I’m not going to do it. The I I also fully realize that like that the screenshots of me saying his name, I just I look I look a little goofy. So, we’re going to work on that. We love that. What do you uh I I’m reading all kinds of things surrounding this. Uh, John, as you might imagine, all the rumors about, well, this team’s talking about this guy, this team’s talking to this team about, and the Mariners are attached to a few different players. Obviously, Catel Marte is one. Brandon Donovan is Brandon Donovan is one. I’m seeing somebody sent me something about Bregman today. I don’t know if it’s real or if that’s fake. Uh, that they’re expressing interest in Bregman. What What are you hearing? You’re you’re the man who’s on the ground there. You’re you’re in the middle of all that. What are you hearing that you think is a legitimate rumor? Not that they’re going to get the guy, but there are legitimately serious inquiries about as it pertains to the Mariners. It seems to me that they’re looking for one more infielder, but not two. And the idea is that they are they’re trying to keep themselves with some flexibility there. um at and I’ve had it suggested to me that at some point some point in the next year, I don’t know when exactly, but if they believe that that Emerson is is a good enough offensive player, they believe his glove is really close to being there right now, that he could potentially be a shortstop and maybe that swings JP Crawford around to second base and then eventually they they believe in Williamson to a degree that he could play third. So if if the right player comes along, if they wait on Palanco and and he comes back, maybe that fits to get Catel Marte, it’s probably going to cost them Hancock plus. Um and so I’m I’m not sure that they would do that necessarily. So I I think that Marte is I would describe that as being unlikely in my view. There are other players that I think do make some sense. Brandon Laauo is one more name that he has been a popular Mariner target for a long time. The Mariners and Rays, we know they do business together a lot. So, uh, Lao Donovan with St. Louis. I think those types of moves would would make a little more sense. Maybe even a Nolan Gorman. I’d be surprised if if it was Aronado, but not totally surprised because the thing about Nolan is I think he wants to be in a winning environment. He is. I think in some ways he’d be a really nice player to add to the Mariners mix because I think he would be a good mentor for Williamson. The the Cardinals are probably going to pay down that salary a lot. Um and it’s just a matter of finding the right place for him. So So if they pay down that salary to where the Mariners only have to spend, let’s just say $2 million to have Nolan Aronado on your team. I I think you do that. I think he’s got a good chance to bounce back. I think he’d be a great addition to and really giving this young team a real sense of resolve. Obviously, they’ve got their own resolve losing game seven, the LCS, but but Nolan has been oh so close in in different playoff situations in the past, like he’s got a real hunger to win. And and I think that having a a player like him to to supplement and again, if he’s only needed for half a year, hopefully he’s there for the full year, but he’s a nice bridge. uh and he gives you a little bit more insurance because I I think it would be asking a lot to lose Gino and Palano from last year’s ALCS roster and then have to have it be a lot of young people there alongside Naylor and JP. So, um I think one more infielder is coming, but I would not necessarily count on Suarez being being that guy. It seems like things have been pretty quiet there. And and if if Suarez was the was the real priority for the Mariners, I I think he would already be signed and back in the Seattle uniform by now. Seems like the Red Sox are hot on his heels from what I’m reading. Yeah, there there’s interest there, but there he’s a fallback for Bregman. I I don’t from what I was told and I checked on Aohano’s market with a number of different people here this week. Uh it just seems like it’s been slow to develop because there’s interest in in Bregman and they’re going to wait for Bregman’s situation to get settled before really fully moving on other other topics. I don’t think there’s a chance that the Red Sox will sign Aohenio Suades until Alex makes his own decision. Okay, so Shannon uh wrote Shannon, our own Shannon Dreer wrote an article about Ferrer and uh you know just about how like he has a really high whiff rate on his slider and and Bob and I were talking about it’s it’s kind of it seems like a an interesting thing to bring up because it seems like the bullpin coaches for the Mariners typically bring guys in and then try to you know say hey what’s what’s your best pitch and let’s throw more of that. I mean, it’s kind of a simple um you know, formula, but it it seems to work. And have have the Mariners kind of earned that? I mean, we almost assume that every every guy that comes in here and is part of the bullpen is just going to be better than the than they were before. But do do you think that I mean, is that kind of what you’re seeing from the Mariner bullpen? They have that reputation of of being a very good group and I think certainly coaching is part of it. Let’s not forget the guy behind the plate being a big part of that, too. Yeah. And and I I do think there’s a certain confidence that Cal gives to other people when you consider, especially in that bullpen, reliever after reliever after reliever, having confidence in in their stuff, their ability to execute. And to me, in a lot of ways, I think Cal deserves a pretty healthy amount of credit for the perform performance of the bullpen in the last couple years, especially in 2025. So, uh, I I do expect Ferrer to be able to to get even better at that pitch execution. Um, and and also remembering just the the situation he’s being put in. The Nationals have not really been a a marquee team. Uh, and again, this can cut in two different ways. He’s Ferrer is going to go to his first game at T-Mobile and it’s going to be a more electrifying environment than he has seen in a long time uh in terms of uh the major league product. And so that that will be probably a different experience for him and and the way in which the fans are are responding in Seattle right now. And certainly he’ll be able to handle that pressure, but it’ll be different. And and I and I think that the the Mariners, I’m sure, have done their homework on him to realize that he’s the kind of player that’s going to embrace that environment. Not everybody wants that. Not everybody wants high leverage spots that matter a ton for teams that are about to win. They they may all say they want it, but not everybody wants it. And I think that Ferrer, based on what I’ve been told about his time with uh with the Nationals and his um his overall character level, I think he should be ready for that and and he’ll be an ideal person to put there alongside again Spire, Bazardo, Muno certainly at the end of the game. So what what are you hearing about Palanco? Because I’m reading that he’s looking for a three to fouryear deal at somewhere between 14 to 17 million a year, which I don’t doubt that he’s looking for that. I was thinking he’s going to sign a two-year deal somewhere. So, if he gets a three or even a four, I’ll be surprised based on age and based on injury history. Do do you think he gets that or where where do you think he he lands in terms of contract? And teamwise, who do you think is the front runner? Because it sounds like he’s the Pirates are in on him. Multiple teams are in on him. I thought saw the Red Sox as well on him. So, where do you think this is to me a a fascinating question in light of the Pittsburgh Pirates because the Pirates were very public about their effort to sign Kyle Schwarber didn’t work out obviously. They seem to be very interested in spending money and becoming relevant again on the position player side. We know, of course, their pitching is great, led by skins, but they need a bat. And and Jorge Palano for me is if the Pirates are going to try to make a statement by signing someone to a three-year contract and going above and beyond what the rest of the industry is doing, Jorge Palano is the ideal candidate because I I like you believe that his market should be somewhere in the two-year range based on age, injury, injury history. My assessment is exactly the same as yours. And so that’s why I love you Pirates. If Yeah. Well, hey, we’re all we’re all we’re family here. We’re fan family. Uh but even in addition to that, if the Pirates if they’re just going to be within range of of everybody else’s offers like they were on Shore, they’re never going to get anybody. Okay? They’re going to have to overpay. I’ I’ve seen this. I I saw this with with the Tigers when they first started to get good around 20 years ago. They had to overpay to get Magalo Ordonz and and Pudge Rodriguez. They had to overpay to bring in talent. You have to take some chances to get yourself back on the map. The Pirates have to do that. And that might be Munitaka Murakami. That might be Kazuma Okamoto. That might be Jorge Palano. They might might even be an Ahane Suarez. These are the types of players that they could probably they’re going to make a statement. They might go one year longer than everybody else. They might go $1 million more on the AV than everybody else. And they probably have to because right now people are not lining up to play in Pittsburgh. They may in the future, but they’re not right now. Someone has to be the first person there to sign the above market deal to establish the legitimacy and relevance of this group again. And and that is now going to be I I think potentially someone like aore Palano. The other thing about Palano is if you look at him as a second baseman DH, there are other players. I’ve mentioned Donovan, I mentioned Laauo, uh we’ve talked about Marte, Jake Cronorth is one more name, Nolan Gorman. There’s a lot of different players that that fit that general description that that are available now in trade that you’re not going to have to spend all that money in cash to bring in. So, I think other teams are probably working through what they could get on the trade market for some of these less expensive players in salary than what Palanco will be before then having to stretch and say, “Okay, three years for Palano. How comfortable am I at that level?” I think that’s more of a later December, maybe even early January decision. John, we love you, man. We appreciate it. Stay safe. Have fun out there. And we’ll talk to you next week live from Duth, Minnesota. I I cannot wait. It’ll be probably the first history the first segment ever Wyman and Bob live from Duth. I’m I’m guessing I think it’s probably true. And they probably don’t have a Waldorf apha story there. Maybe there’s no Waldorf story, but I’ I’ve been told a good pizza place. Uh so I I’ve been given all the recommendations. Uh they they specialize there in in uh exactly the type of food you’d expect when it’s about 10 below. Uh and that’s what I expect it’s going to be. Hot food. There you go. Uh John, we appreciate you, man. We’ll talk to you next week. Looking forward to it, guys. All the best. There he is. The great John Marosi with us each and every week. Always

Jon Morosi of MLB Network joins Bob Stelton and Dave Wyman (Wyman & Bob) from the MLB winter meetings in Orlando to discuss the Harry Ford trade, Mariners trade rumors, and the future for a couple M’s free agents.

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0:00 – Reality behind rumors for Mariners targets
3:00 – Julio Rodríguez slow vs hot starts
6:55 – Mariners infield in 2026
7:55 – J.P. Crawford vs Bo Bichette?
12:15 – What’s behind the Mariners bullpen success
15:25 – Japanese players coming to MLB
17:35 – MLB teams to get aggressive before work stoppage

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Listen to The Wyman & Bob Show weekdays from 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. live on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports App, or on-demand wherever you listen to podcasts.
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