Seattle Mariners still have an Evan White problem

Evan White has a big contract and disappointing results so far. The Seattle Mariners have a big problem.

As the Seattle Mariners prepare for 2023 spring training, one of their biggest concerns is what they should do with first baseman Evan White.

Back in 2020, the M’s and their fans were excited by the prospect of the defensively superior White joining the team. GM Jerry Dipoto signed him to a six-year, $24M contract in the offseason, and expectations were high.

Of course that season was mostly derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. White played in 54 of the team’s 60 games. While he showed Gold Glove defense, White hit a paltry .176.

It got worse in 2021. The Seattle Mariners 2017 first-round pick hit just .144 in 30 games, including a .071 clip over his final 42 at-bats. That was before his season ended with a hip injury in May.

White had surgery to address the issue and spent the last two years trying to return. After many setbacks in his recovery he says he’s ready to go.

Even if White is 100% this spring, he’s got a huge hole in his swing. Watching his long loping cuts and misses brings back memories of Pedro Cerrano trying to hit a curveball in the movie Major League.

Besides, Ty France replaced White after the injury and has played the last two years at an All-Star level. Further, there doesn’t seem to be much room for him on the bench, either.

According to Dipoto, when he was on ESPN 710 with Mike Salk and Brock Huard, White will get a shot to make the team in spring training. But the 26-year-old needs more at-bats. He’s likely to get his opportunities in Tacoma.

“So when it comes to spring training, he needs (at-bats). He’s missed a lot of plate appearances over the last two years. … He’ll compete for a spot on the roster. The likelihood is we’ll want him to gather up some at-bats at Triple-A and get back to some type of routine, but he’s got the talent where you don’t hold him back.”

One thing he needs to work on is the strikeouts. In 279 career at-bats, White whiffed 115 times. That’s a rate of 41.29% or 2.5 times the amount of his career MLB hits.

It’s a big conundrum for the Seattle Mariners, who are on the hook for $3M this year, $7M next year and $8M in 2025. With a contract like that and his less-than-stellar track record in the big leagues, it will be hard to offload his contract.

So there is nowhere for him to play in the M’s lineup, and his contact is unmovable. The Seattle Mariners have an Evan White problem.