Top 5 potential landing spots for Jason Heyward

Seattle Mariners

In his introductory press conference, new general manager Jerry Dipoto stressed the fact he wants his club to get more athletic in the outfield and be built to play more effectively at Safeco Field. Heyward fits that role perfectly and would make a lot of sense for the Mariners to pursue.

Seattle’s outfield was a consistent problem under predecessor Jack Zduriencik, particularly on the defensive side of things. The Mariners don’t want to be running out the likes of Nelson Cruz, Mark Trumbo and Seth Smith too often defensively, so Heyward could instantly help a major weakness.

The question is if the Mariners would want to sign another high-priced free agent at this point, or if they even could. Seattle looks like a team that could blow it up and start another rebuild this offseason, but also has the core to win in 2016.

If the Mariners think they can win while Cruz, Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez are still effective players, they should consider adding Heyward to the mix. Seattle’s payroll has been going up in recent years, so there’s a chance the franchise would be willing to dish out another huge contract.

Of course, Dipoto could decide a rebuild is in order, which means the Mariners wouldn’t go after any marquee free agents. There’s also the factor of if Heyward would even want to sign with a team that might not be competitive for a while.

That’s a lot of factors going against Seattle, but the fit makes a lot of sense and the Mariners will likely at least take a look at Heyward.

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