Offseason Outlook: Seattle Mariners

theScore's baseball editors break down the past year for each team, and look ahead to the offseason.

Free agents: Joe Beimel, Endy Chavez, Chris Denorfia, Franklin Gutierrez, Kendrys Morales, Humberto Quintero, Chris Young

Arbitration-eligible players: Dustin Ackley, Charlie Furbush, Austin Jackson, Logan Morrison, Kyle Seager, Michael Saunders, Tom Wilhelmsen

2014 payroll: $90 million

What went right in 2014?

The first season of Robinson Cano's 10-year, $240-million contract.

It took Cano a month to find his stroke, but once he did, he was arguably the top second baseman in baseball the rest of the way.

Cano's typically spectacular defense, championship pedigree and All-Star swing helped lead the Mariners (87-75) to their best finish since 2009.

The 32-year-old earned a fifth-place finish in MVP voting after leading all major-league second basemen in on-base percentage and wRC+. Cano ranked third in walks and WAR, while posting a career-high 10 stolen bases.

Mariners ace Felix Hernandez once again proved his place among the game's elite, finishing second in Cy Young balloting with an American League-leading 2.14 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. The 28-year-old right-hander pitched to a career-best five percent walk rate and issued a personal best 248 strikeouts.

Kyle Seager (pictured above) completed the Mariners' three-headed monster, producing a team-leading 5.5 WAR among position players. Seager's career year included 25 homers, .454 slugging and a Gold Glove Award.

What went wrong in 2014?

The Mariners' offense as a whole struggled, slashing .244/.300/.376 with an AL-worst .676 OPS. Seattle's lowly output was mostly an indictment of the roster's lack of depth, but disappointing years from two players once considered potential cornerstones left dark clouds over the franchise.

Jesus Montero jeopardized his major-league career with an alleged bat-wielding incident involving a team scout - and that was after the former top prospect reported to spring training 40 pounds overweight.

Justin Smoak, meanwhile, regressed significantly from his 2013 breakout year, hitting .202 with seven homers in 80 games this season. Smoak's five-year run with the Mariners ended in October after the Toronto Blue Jays claimed him off waivers.

Offseason Needs

Offense, and plenty of it.

Despite spending over $260 million in free agency last winter, Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik says he'll remain aggressive in improving his club this offseason.

The Mariners front office is said to be targeting a top bat, and were rumored to be pursuing designated hitter Victor Martinez before he reportedly re-signed with the Detroit Tigers. 

Expect the Mariners to be active in trade talks this winter if nothing materializes on the open market, but here are a couple areas they'll look to address in free agency.

Middle of the order bat

The Mariners have been linked to free-agent shortstop Hanley Ramirez, but his contract combined with Seager's presence at third make him a less-than-ideal long-term fit. 

Top Target

Nelson Cruz - MLB's leader in home runs doesn't possess the defensive skills to play spacious Safeco Field, but Cruz provides the kind of pop the Mariners would love to surround Cano and Seager. He's reportedly looking for a five-year deal, but three plus an option seems like a nice term to secure him at. 

Additional candidates: Melky Cabrera, Yasmany Tomas, Michael Morse

Shortstop

If Seattle does pass on Ramirez and some of the higher-priced bats, the club should look to bolster its offense with several smaller upgrades. 

Jed Lowrie - The 30-year-old shortstop took a step back this season after a pair of productive seasons at the plate, and a weak market could inflate his value. Still, the oft-injured Lowrie has created runs at an above-league-average rate the last three seasons (108 wRC+), and would give the Mariners a veteran option to pair with Cano up the middle.

Additional Candidate: Asdrubal Cabrera

Taijuan Walker - It feels like Walker has been a top prospect forever, but no young player in the Mariners organization would more immediately impact Seattle's playoff chances than the hard-throwing right-hander. The 22-year-old spent most of the 2014 season either on the disabled list or in Triple-A, but he ended his major-league year on a high note: Walker's eight strong innings of one-run ball against the Blue Jays in his final start of the season served notice his time is near. If Walker can assume a big role this year and pitch behind Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, it would arguably give the Mariners the top rotation in the AL West.