Major League Baseball

Mariners, Danny Valencia Avoid Arbitration With 5.5 Million Dollar Deal

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:21 p.m. ET

Fansided, Adam Levi/FanSided via SoDo Mojo

The Mariners made sure to lock up their new platoon first baseman, Danny Valencia, for 5.5 million dollars next year to avoid arbitration.

Danny Valencia was brought to Seattle to shake up the 2017 Mariners at first base. With Dae-ho Lee and Adam Lind gone via free agency, the M’s were looking for someone who could bare a skilled glove and provide more athleticism while still maintaining the power of the big guys of 16′.

They believe that Valencia can do just that, and have put a lot of confidence into that decision, paying him two million dollars more than he received last year from the A’s.

At just 32 years of age, Valencia has already been a part of seven different ball clubs: the Minnesota Twins, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles, the Kansas City Royals, the Boston Red Sox, the A’s and now the Mariners.

That’s not because he’s been such an underwhelming player (although at times he has been) it’s more because he’s been a platoon/utilityman his entire career. Since 2012, he’s only played more than 105 games once, and that was last year with the A’s -he did play a career-high 154 game for the Twins in 2011.

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In his 130 appearances, he was nearly setting career-bests, racking up his 2nd most home runs with 17 and his 3rd most RBIs with 51.

The odd thing is that while those are OK numbers to have for a season, they are both worse than his totals in 2015 when he had 18 home runs and 66 RBI while playing in 25 fewer games.

That makes you think, does Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto know something about Valencia’s 2017 off-season preparation that the fans and the media don’t?

The Mariners and Valencia could end up being a good match, and if he and Dan Vogelbach can combine for 30 home runs and 100 RBI next year, most people won’t complain, but why pay him two million dollars more than he earned in his second year of arbitration with better numbers?

In the end, Valencia’s cost isn’t hurting the Mariners too much. With the 5.5 million dollar deal, as of today, Valencia is only the 14th highest paid first baseman in the league, or in other words, the 16th lowest paid first baseman in baseball.