Seattle Mariners fans devastated by report the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox are highly interested in Mitch Haniger

Mitch Haniger's time with the Seattle Mariners could be over. It's being reported that the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers are among the most interested in the outfielder. Haniger, who became a free agent at the end of the season, wasn't offered a qualifying offer by Seattle.

The Mariners were hoping to work something out with Mitch Haniger in the off-season. It doesn't look like that will be the case with the most recent news. The market for Haniger has started to heat up.

While having an impressive 2021 season, he only played in 57 games in 2022. He was dealing with an ankle sprain that bugged him for most of the season. When healthy, Haniger is excellent at the plate.

in 2021, he hit .253 with 39 home runs. Seattle Mariners fans don't want to lose him. While healthy, he was an excellent addition to Julio Rodriguez in their outfield.

Seattle Mariners fans don't want to see Mitch Haniger anywhere else next season. In the 57 games he played last season, he hit .246 with 11 home runs. It's safe to say that if he hadn't dealt with an ankle injury for much of the season, he would've had another great year.

Boston and Texas fans are excited that their teams are the two most interested. Texas has been linked to many free agents, and they're looking to break out next season. Boston had a disappointing season last year and they're looking to upgrade in any way that they can.

The Seattle Mariners might be better off without Mitch Haniger

Mitch Haniger has been hindered by injuries for most of his career. He's only played more than 100 games in a season twice in his career. It's tough to pay a player who is consistently on the IL.

When he is healthy, he is a menace at the plate. In 2021, the second time he has played in over 100 games, he hit .253/.318/.485 with 39 home runs. It was a good enough season that he even received a number of MVP votes that year.

For a team that is ready to make another exciting run next season, they can't gamble on whether Haniger can remain healthy or not. They need players that they can depend on.

Seattle shouldn't be too worried if they can't re-sign Haniger for a reasonable amount. They acquired outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who has extreme power at the plate.

It will be interesting to see who ends up as Seattle's starting outfield when free agency is over.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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