Seattle Mariners Offseason Plan – If The M’s Had The Rays’ Budget

Jun 25, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Clint Barmes (12) against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Mariners sign Mike Carp and Clint Barmes to minor league deals.

Wondering how the Cheapo Mariners were going to fill out their bench? These two guys right here. Carp fell off after his nice 2013 in Boston, and is now a free agent. He’s coming back to Seattle on a minor league pact, but projects as one of the first bats off the bench. He’s still mostly a defensive zero, which limits his value. But at $500,000, he’s worth having around.

Barmes is the backup shortstop, and should be available at this rate after his ho-hum 2014. He’s essentially Brendan Ryan, which is to say he’s a great guy to have on your bench who can also start if need be. He gives the Mariners depth and a legitimate backup plan if Miller once again struggles at the plate.

So the roster is now more or less complete, but payroll is still under $40 million. Let’s give $500,000 to every pre-arb guy on the major league roster, because those salaries count, too. That’s another $6.5 million, which still gives the team plenty of room with which to work. With a fairly complete roster and money to spend, the Cheapo Mariners have enough room left for one last surprise maneuver.