Of all the spicy Hot Stove rumors that have been floating around, one that seems to get persistent play is the Mariners’ interest in Marcus Semien. The surface appeal is obvious: Semien, a California native, reportedly prefers either to re-sign with Toronto or go to a team on the West Coast; and he’s the most obvious candidate among the monster free agent shortstop class to switch to second base full-time, something that’s important as Jerry Dipoto made it clear in some recent comments that J.P. Crawford will be the team’s shortstop moving forward.
John, ever the hipster, made a pitch last off-season that the Mariners should sign Semien when Oakland, presaging the teardown that looms ahead this off-season, failed to bring him back, crying poor to MLB agents who came sniffing around the Coliseum.