Mariners make much-needed drastic change with surprising roster move

Perhaps no team in MLB is more frustrating than the Seattle Mariners. Their rotation, even with some inconsistency from Luis Castillo and injuries to Bryan Woo leads the American League with a 3.34 ERA. Their offense, however, is abysmal.

The Mariners rank 28th in runs scored and are 28th in OPS. The only teams that rank below them in those statistics are the 35-64 Miami Marlins and the 27-74 Chicago White Sox. In other words, the two worst teams in the majors.

Their rotation has them sitting at 53-48 on the season but even after their latest win, they're tied for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros. Imagine how good this team can be if they're just average, let alone above average offensively.

Seattle took their first step towards improving their offense by placing Ty France on irrevocable outright waivers according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Seattle technically can keep France around if he clears waivers, but if they want to send him to the minors, he can refuse that assignment and elect free agency. In all likelihood, he has played his last game with the team.

Mariners make shocking roster move by waiving longtime first baseman

France has spent parts of the last five seasons with Seattle and has been an everyday player really ever since the team acquired him. He had a solid tenure with the Mariners, even making the All-Star team back in 2022, but he's had a rough go of it in 2024, and that's following a down year in 2023.

The 30-year-old is slashing .224/.313/.351 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 87 games. He has a WRC+ of 97 while being worth -0.4 fWAR. Simply put, he has not played well enough to be a starter.

The Mariners are hoping that a team will take a chance on France by claiming him and his $6.7 million salary. In the event that he does bounce back, he'd also come with an additional year of club control, which is an added incentive.

In the interim, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Mariners are expected to give the first base at-bats to Tyler Locklear, their No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Locklear struggled in a brief 11-game stint in mid-June but has a .893 OPS in the minors this season. There's every reason to believe that with consistent at-bats he can be an upgrade over France.

Whether Locklear is great or not, the Mariners should be looking for help not only at first base, but really wherever they can find it. Their offense is abysmal, and making trades is the only way they're going to fend off the Astros.

Proving that they're willing to make a big change like this despite the money France is owed is a great first step. Now, Seattle's front office needs to make additions to make this team better.