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SEATTLE -- The Mariners made their first offseason splash on Wednesday, acquiring two-time Silver Slugger Award-winner Teoscar Hernández from the Blue Jays in exchange for reliever Erik Swanson and Minor League pitcher Adam Macko, who was ranked Seattle’s No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline. 

The transaction wasn’t a shocker, given the Mariners’ need for a power hitter and a corner outfielder, and that Hernández had been linked to Seattle the past few weeks. But now that it’s official, the scope of the Mariners’ offseason all of a sudden is much clearer. 

They’ve checked off one big box
A run-producing corner outfielder was arguably Seattle’s biggest need, and the club believes it hit a home run in filling it with Hernández. Since the start of 2020, Hernández’s 73 homers rank 15th, his .852 OPS is 20th and his 241 hard-hit base hits (anything 95-plus mph) are tied for 13th among all Major Leaguers.

Moreover, acquiring Hernández one week into the offseason gives a front office that always strikes early a chance to move on to its other notable needs. 

“It gives you something that you feel good about plugging into a spot in your lineup that we may have had great uncertainty about a day ago or a week ago or a month ago,” Mariners GM Justin Hollander said. “Certainty is really valuable. Whether you're in the trade market or the free-agent market, there are no guarantees, and so when you have a deal that you're comfortable with, and you can do it and it answers a big need, we are generally of the mind to do it.”

How Haniger might still fit
Hollander reiterated that the Mariners would like to bring back Mitch Haniger, but now that they’ve landed Hernández (who is projected to earn $10.65 million), it’s become clearer why Seattle chose not to extend its longtime leader a $19.25 million qualifying offer. A lower salary for Haniger, perhaps even for multiple years, isn’t off the table, but the need to fill his position has diminished significantly.

“There’s still more work to do, we think, and things we'd like to do -- and that includes Mitch Haniger, of course,” Hollander said. “I talked to Adam Karon, his agent, [on Wednesday]. I've been in contact with him throughout, as has [president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto]. We met with him at the GM Meetings. Certainly the door is still open for Mitch to be back.”

If they were to bring Haniger back, Hernández -- who was worth minus-3 defensive runs saved in right field -- could move to left, where there’s less clarity on production between Jarred Kelenic and Jesse Winker. 

They still must address the middle infield
None among the superstar shortstop class has signed yet, but acquiring Hernández, who is a free agent after 2023, might illustrate the calculus behind the Mariners’ offseason budget. Dipoto and Hollander were willing to go all-in on one player for one year at a more modest rate, rather than splurge for, say, right fielder and AL MVP Award winner Aaron Judge, who sources indicate has never been a realistic target for Seattle.

That’s not to suggest that the Mariners won’t pursue Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts or Dansby Swanson -- all shortstops who’d need to move to second base, if the Mariners have their preference of keeping J.P. Crawford at short -- but they would each also come with a massive payday. The largest free-agent contract under Dipoto is the $115 million deal for Robbie Ray last offseason, and it’s likely that at least Turner, Correa and Bogaerts could net double that.

So, where does that leave second base? The top free agents by Wins Above Replacement are Adam Frazier -- who the Mariners are attempting to replace after a mostly disappointing season -- and Jean Segura, who played in Seattle from 2017-18 and did not coalesce with his teammates. As this front office has shown once again with Hernández, it upgrades most frequently via trades.

They’ll need to replace Erik Swanson
Though the early returns make it seem like the Mariners did well with this trade, filling Swanson’s high-leverage innings will be vital. Swanson registered a 1.7 WAR per FanGraphs, tied for 10th-most among relievers, and his 34.5% strikeout rate was 12th-best. 

Relievers, however, are perhaps the most replaceable players given the cyclical nature of bullpen success. It’s possible that the Mariners will fill Swanson’s role internally with a prospect such as Bryce Miller (No. 5), or perhaps someone will wow them in Spring Training -- much like Swanson did last year.

“It's a priority,” Hollander said, “and I don't know whether that will be through an external acquisition, whether [Swanson’s] role will be absorbed by the growth and maturation of other guys that we have existing, whether it comes as a trade or free agent or the collective combined development of three pitchers. I can’t answer that today.”

The Mariners were one of two MLB expansion franchises that began play in 1977. Who was the other team?

A) Toronto Blue Jays 
B) Arizona Diamondbacks
C) Texas Rangers
D) Houston Astros

The Mariners announced late Thursday that they traded 2020 AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis to the D-backs in exchange for catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel, ending the tenure for a player who was once viewed as the face of the future.

The transaction was executed one day before the non-tender deadline, at which point the Mariners would have needed to determine whether Lewis would be part of their plans for 2023. Seattle was already operating with a 40-man roster at capacity after adding four prospects earlier this week in order to protect them from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

That likely left Lewis as the odd man out after a lengthy recovery from the third surgery on his right knee as a pro and his limited availability upon returning. Lewis, who also missed nearly two months with a concussion shortly after returning in late May, slashed .143/.226/.304 (.529 OPS) and would have faced an uphill battle for playing time in Spring Training.

Alex Rodriguez broke out in 1996 -- especially with his bat -- when he led the Majors with a .358 batting average in his age-20 season. But he also had a few snazzy plays with his glove, and none was more stellar than the one that robbed one of his childhood idols, Cal Ripken Jr., of a base hit in Baltimore on May 18.

• 2023 Season Ticket Memberships: Secure priority presale access to 2023 All-Star Week with a Mariners Season Ticket Membership. Plus, save at least 10% on single-game tickets with no fees. Buy Membership

A) The Toronto Blue Jays 

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