It is unclear what the Seattle Mariners' exact mindset is with MLB free agency already underway. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has concerned some fans with his sugarcoated comments about the team's current standing and its future. People do not want to settle for another 88-win season, but in order to advance, the organization might have to take some risks this offseason.

Broadcaster and MLB Network host Matt Vasgersian has a big name in mind for the M's. “Cody Bellinger to the Pacific Northwest,” he said on Tuesday. There is arguably no bigger wild card than the 2019 National League MVP.

Bellinger endured one of the most precipitous and stunning declines in recent memory after battling injuries and season-long batting slumps from 2020-22. He was reborn with the Chicago Cubs in 2023, posting a .307 batting average, 26 home runs, 97 RBIs and a 133 OPS+ in 130 games.

Is Cody Bellinger too much of a gamble for Mariners?

This unexpected and impressive contract year will earn him official redemption in the form of a big contract, but should the Mariners be the team to give it to him? Health is always going to be a concern for the All-Star outfielder/first baseman, and there is also the possibility he reverts back to his high strikeout rate of 2022 (astonishingly went from 150 to 87). Still, Seattle could be in need of a “big thumper,” as Vasgersian puts it.

Dipoto already dealt away slugger Eugenio Suarez for reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala and could lose outfielder Teoscar Hernandez in free agency. Cody Bellinger might be the big bat this club needs to launch itself back into the playoffs. Though, Vasgersian is aware that adding a left-handed power hitter likely means the Mariners would have to trade former top MLB prospect Jarred Kelenic.

The M's are consistently a good team, winning 88 or more games in four of the last six seasons, but they must find a way to elevate beyond that ceiling and put together the championship-caliber team that fans have been waiting almost four decades to arrive. While that mission does not necessarily have to include Bellinger, there needs to be a sense of urgency in T-Mobile Park this winter.