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Seattle Mariners Aiming Big With Pursuit of Dexter Fowler

By Paul Taylor

Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler (24) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler (24) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Cleveland Indians in the first inning in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Seattle Mariners are reportedly among the teams interested in Dexter Fowler, but how realistic is it to expect the centerfielder to end up in the Pacific Northwest?

There’s nothing like some intriguing speculation to get a fan base fired up. In that respect, Seattle Mariners fans will surely be excited by the latest news doing the rounds in the Majors.

According to Carrie Muskat at Mlb.com, the Mariners are apparently among the teams that may pursue Dexter Fowler. The reports started to circulate shortly after the 2016 All-Star rejected the Chicago Cubs’ qualifying offer of $17.2 million.

Certainly, adding Fowler to the roster would represent a tremendous coup for the Mariners. He provided excellent production at the top of the Cubs’ lineup in 2016, batting .276 and leading the team with a .393 on-base percentage.

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In addition, the centerfielder had his best year in terms of his defensive metrics. Overall, 2016 was the best season of his career since entering the Majors in 2008.

Understandably, any pursuit of Fowler would be met by significant competition. Muskat writes that the Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are among the other teams interested in him.

Interestingly, this is the second straight year the 2004 14th round draft pick has rejected a qualifying offer from the Cubs. He ended up signing a one-year deal for less, but is looking for four years this time around and is in a much stronger position after his success during the 2016 season.

With this in mind, you have to wonder how much general manager Jerry Dipoto would be willing to offer Fowler? We previously wrote about how the team already has $78 million tied up in just four players for the 2017 campaign.

Further, the Mariners’ opening day payroll totaled $142 million in 2016, which was the highest in franchise history. However, CEO John Stanton then came out and said he would be prepared to increase the payroll again, if Dipoto demanded it.

Of course, all of this is dependent on Fowler not wanting to return to Chicago, with him likely testing the free agent market just to get a sense of his value. For now though, Mariners’ fans can dream of the possibility of adding the 30-year old.

Next: Does Zack Cozart fit the bill for the M's?

What would be your approach to pursuing Fowler, if you were GM for the Mariners? Would you do everything necessary to sign him, or take a more pragmatic approach, including considering payroll and other needs on the roster? Let us know in the comments section.

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