Seattle Mariners fans frustrated by rumors that team's front office is keen on signing former All-Star Michael Conforto

The Seattle Mariners, fresh off breaking their long playoff drought, are wasting no time in rehashing and bolstering their arsenal for the 2023 season.

The team recently acquired star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez from the Toronto Blue Jays. They are now seemingly involved with another former All-Star in the free agency market.

Recent reports have linked the team to former New York Mets slugger and 2017 All-Star Michael Conforto. The outfielder spent seven seasons with the New York Mets, having last played for the team in 2021.

Conforto didn't play for the entirety of the 2022 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. He was offered a two-year, $30 million contract by the Houston Astros on August 31 but refused to sign it.

Seattle Mariners fans are now divided on the move, with most of the fanbase baffled by the sudden interest in Michael Conforto.

He can indeed light it up when he has the momentum and has shown signs of brilliance. However, with the number of outfielders that the Seattle Mariners have, fans think that Conforto could already be an unwarranted addition.

With the crowded outfield and Conforto's recent injury, it would be interesting to see if the Seattle Mariners push through in their pursuit of the former Mets All-Star.

Seattle Mariners-linked Michael Conforto's career

Michael Conforto was selected as the 10th pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the New York Mets. It didn't take long for him to be called up as just a year later, on July 24, 2015, he was called up to the Mets' main squad.

Conforto continued to be a reliable bat at the end of the lineup for the squad, eventually breaking out and becoming an All-Star in 2017. That year, he posted a slash line of .279/.384/.555 with 27 home runs and 68 RBIs.

During the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Conforto was sensational. He batted .322/.412/.515 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs in just 233 plate appearances.

Conforto has been away from the field since the end of the 2021 season after undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this year.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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