Mariners, Colin Moran Agree To Minor League Deal

The Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract with free-agent nook infielder Colin Moran, stories Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll be invited to Main League Spring Coaching.

Moran, 30, spent the 2022 season with the Reds after signing a one-year deal in early March. Cincinnati, nonetheless, reduce the previous Astro and Pirate free after he appeared in 42 video games and posted  a lackluster .211/.305/.376 batting line in 128 plate appearances.

In components of 4 seasons with the Pirates (2018-21), Moran was a roughly common hitter, handing over a mixed .269/.331/.419 batting line with 44 dwelling runs, 71 doubles and a pair of triples in 1527 plate appearances. At instances, notably within the shortened 2020 season, it’s appeared as if the previous No. 6 total draft choose may need extra within the tank.

Moran posted an enormous 91.9 mph common exit velocity in 2020 and put a whopping 47.2% of his batted balls in play at 95 mph or extra. He belted 10 dwelling runs in simply 200 plate appearances that season and posted career-best marks in slugging share (.472) and ISO (.225). That now seems to be like an outlier, nonetheless, as his batted-ball knowledge since that point has fallen again in keeping with his stable however unspectacular profession charges.

The Mariners have a pair of right-handed-hitting nook infielders in third baseman Eugenio Suarez and first baseman Ty France. Each rank among the many Mariners’ best hitters and are more likely to be within the lineup no matter matchup, however Moran may feasibly make the membership as a bench possibility and spell both within the case of harm or on days the place the Mariners need to load up as many lefties as potential in opposition to a right-hander with notably pronounced platoon splits. He may additionally step into the lineup at designated hitter occasionally.

Moran has been primarily a primary baseman and designated hitter over the previous two seasons, however he has greater than 2000 profession innings on the sizzling nook and has nonetheless spent extra time there than wherever else on the diamond. If he doesn’t crack the Opening Day roster and if his deal doesn’t include a spring opt-out (comparatively frequent for veterans of this standing), he may head to Triple-A Tacoma and provides the Mariners some depth.