The list of potential fits to fill the Seattle Mariners' hole in right field seems to be shrinking by the day.
Melky Cabrera, likely Seattle's top target, agreed to a three-year deal with the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.
In addition, Alex Rios signed with the Kansas City Royals on Monday, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, which takes one more target off the board.
That leaves a very thin remaining free-agent market for outfielders. General manager Jack Zduriencik said that Seattle may have to "get creative" to address the team's last weakness, via Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN.
The Mariners could elect to stay in-house or even try to convert Brad Miller into an outfielder. They also may swing an unexpected trade, with names like Seth Smith and Gerardo Parra popping up recently as possible fits, per Paul Casella of MLB.com.
Even with the best outfielders already signed, a couple of free agents and players known to be available for trade could be options for the Mariners in right field.
Nori Aoki
With Cabrera gone, Aoki is probably the best free-agent outfielder left. The Mariners would prefer a right-handed hitter, but Aoki has a reverse platoon split for his career and would be a good fit to bat second in Seattle's lineup.
Aoki is coming off a .285/.349/.360 season and has posted 6.2 WAR in his three-year major league career. He makes excellent contact and consistently posts strong OBP numbers without striking out much.
That's nothing spectacular, but it's far better than anything on Seattle's current roster. If the Mariners landed Aoki, it would be hard to identify a major weakness on the team heading into 2015.
Aoki's cost might be inflated due to the thin remaining free-agent class—and he is a so-so defensive player. Still, Aoki would be a serviceable option during Seattle's current window of competition.
Colby Rasmus
Rasmus is a very talented player who hasn't risen into stardom due to inconsistency and injuries. When Rasmus has put it all together, the results have been excellent—including a 4.8 WAR season in 2013 with the Toronto Blue Jays.
But Rasmus has struggled more often than he has succeed in his career. He is coming off a .225/.287.448 campaign and has missed 102 games over the last two years.
Defensive metrics have not been kind to Rasmus in his career, and he has an awful platoon split against righties. A move to right field would boost his defensive value, but he doesn't really fit with Seattle otherwise.
Whichever team signs Rasmus will be getting an intriguing addition with upside—and he's not going to cost much. For a contending team like the Mariners that needs a reliable everyday player, he should be a last-resort option.
Justin Upton
After trading Jason Heyward earlier in the offseason, it became clear that the Atlanta Braves would be willing to move Upton in the last year of his contract. The Mariners would make sense as a potential landing spot.
Upton would certainly improve the team for 2015 and solidify Seattle's chances at World Series contention. While Upton has never come close to matching his 6.1 WAR campaign in 2011, he is coming off his best season since and owns a 121 wRC+ for his career.
The problem is the cost to land Upton, as the Braves want a bigger return than they got for Heyward, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Atlanta is probably looking for either Taijuan Walker or James Paxton in a potential Upton deal.
Zduriencik is not going to trade five years of Paxton or six of Walker for one year of Upton. There's a price where Upton makes sense, but the Braves would have to reduce the asking cost first.
Shane Victorino / Allen Craig
The Boston Red Sox did some work to free up a logjam by trading Yoenis Cespedes to the Detroit Tigers last week, per CJ Nitkowski of Fox Sports 1.
There are still too many outfielders on Boston's roster, so either Victorino or Craig could be on the way out before the season.
As a one-year rental, Victorino shouldn't cost anything more than a reliever, and he put up a 5.6 WAR season as recently as 2013. There's obviously a concern about a 34-year-old who played just 30 games last season due to a back injury, but Victorino is likely still a more reliable option than Rasmus.
Craig is coming off a miserable -1.4 WAR season, so he won't warrant a large return. He also has three years of team control and posted no worse than a 134 wRC+ with the St. Louis Cardinals between 2011 and 2013.
Both players have some upside and both could backfire in a major way. The Mariners would have to add a reliable fourth outfielder as insurance, but it might be worth it to send over a fringy prospect or a reliever like Yoervis Medina with their current situation.
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