Fansided

One free agent each MLB team needs to target this offseason

By Joshua Sadlock

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning during Game 5 of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday, October 27, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches in the first inning during Game 5 of the 2019 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday, October 27, 2019 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – MAY 22: Rick Porcello #22 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 22, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – MAY 22: Rick Porcello #22 of the Boston Red Sox delivers a pitch in the first inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 22, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Seattle Mariners: Rick Porcello

The Red Sox were the butt of many jokes after giving right-hander Rick Porcello a four-year, $82.5-million contract for 2016 to 2019 after he “delivered” a 9-15 record and 4.92 ERA in 2015. To that point in his career, Porcello was 85-78 with a 4.39 ERA and one above-average season to his name. Boston overpaid for Porcello, and by a huge margin.

Porcello was able to quite his detractors briefly after pulling a rabbit out of the hat and winning the AL Cy Young in 2016 thanks to a select handful of voters who still find pitcher wins to be a legitimate barometer for dominance. He was 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA in his award-winning year, stealing the honor away from Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander.

Of course, Porcello followed up his Cy Young season by leading MLB with 17 losses and 38 longballs in 2017. He also had a 4.65 ERA and led the AL in hits allowed with 236 in 203.1 innings of work. Since winning his Cy Young, Porcello is 42-36 with a 4.79 ERA. He enters free agency on the heels of a 14-12 season with a 5.52 ERA, the worst mark of his 11-year career.

Despite all that, still only 30 and having averaged nearly 31 starts per season, Porcello has proven himself to be incredibly durable over the course of his career. His career 4.36 ERA and ERA+ of 99, however, are a bit underwhelming.

Porcello does have a chance to earn another $50 million for himself before his career ends, but he needs to take a single-year deal and show he still has what it takes to be a dependable number-three starter on a good team.

The Mariners are stuck in that weird in-between space of contending and tanking and could use a dependable starter to carry them through the early part of the year.

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