Given that Ryon Healy has been the starting first baseman all year and that, if he wants to, Nelson Cruz will return at DH, Daniel Vogelbach will likely face an uphill climb to land on the Mariners’ 2019 roster. A couple things play in his favor to remain with the club throughout the offseason, but his long-term future is certainly on the bubble.
A dearth of actual first base talent in Seattle lasting nearly a decade has contributed to fans — ironically or not — latching onto replaceable but meme-worthy talents like Dae-Ho Lee and Danny Valencia, and Vogelbach’s popularity has hardly been different.