Mariners want Hanley Ramirez ‘badly,’ plan to spend

The Seattle Mariners made a major move in free agency last year by signing Robinson Cano, and the acqusition paid off. The team finished 87-75, which was their best record since 2007.

After finishing a game out of the playoffs last season, the Mariners may feel like one more hitter can put them over the top. Because of that, the team plans to spend this offseason, and they have even expressed interest in Hanley Ramirez, according to reports.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Monday that the M’s “badly” want Ramirez and are “aggressively pursuing” the free agent:

The Seattle #Mariners are aggressively pursuing free agent shortstop Hanley Ramirez, letting him know how badly they want him.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 10, 2014

FOX MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal later confirmed the Mariners’ interest in Hanley, however he says some doubt whether the team will make another $100 million signing.

Sources: #Mariners interested in Hanley. Some, however, doubt team will make another $100M+ signing. One source says VMart is M's priority.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014

The Detroit Tigers definitely want to keep Victor Martinez, but he will be in demand. The 34-year-old is coming off his best season, where he bashed 32 home runs and led the league with a .402 on-base percentage and .974 OPS. Seattle also reportedly has their sights set on Martinez, too.

Since Martinez is the older of the two players, he will probably command a contract of shorter duration than Ramirez. That could make him a more likely/attractive option for the Mariners.

Either way, we should probably expect Seattle to upgrade their lineup this offseason and become even more of a threat in 2015.

Forearm bash to Big League Stew