Kris Bryant Rumors: Mariners Among Teams Interested in Giants Free Agent

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The Seattle Mariners may not be done acquiring impact players.

After ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the American League West team landed Adam Frazier via trade from the San Diego Padres, Robert Murray of Fansided reported the team is “interested” in free agent Kris Bryant even though he is not expected to sign before a possible work stoppage on Dec. 1 if a new collective bargaining agreement isn’t signed.

Bryant is one of the best available free agents this offseason with a resume that includes the 2016 National League MVP, a World Series title, the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year and four All-Star appearances.

He is even more valuable because of his ability to play all over the field. He has seen time at third base, first base and every outfield spot during his career.

The 29-year-old slashed .265/.353/.481 with 25 home runs and 73 RBI last season while splitting time with the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. Chicago traded him to the Giants prior to last season’s deadline before he hit free agency even though he was one of the franchise cornerstones who helped the team win a World Series during his tenure.

The early trade for Frazier and this connection suggests the Mariners could be aggressive this offseason.

Seattle hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2001 season but impressed in 2021 on the way to a 90-72 mark. If it is able to build on that effort, the postseason in 2022 should be a realistic goal even in a difficult American League West that features the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics.

Bryant’s versatility also echoes Frazier’s, which is notable since Mariners president Jerry Dipoto told reporters, “We felt like adding Adam made us a deeper team without stopping us from doing anything else we would have wanted to do. That’s double the fun. We can continue to add to our team because Adam is so versatile.”

Bryant would be another versatile All-Star caliber player who would make the Mariners an even bigger playoff threat.