Mariners solidify future at first base by signing prospect Evan White to unprecedented deal
In explaining how significant signing Evan White to a lengthy contract could be for the future of this Seattle Mariners organization, general manager Jerry Dipoto turned to the past.
He recalled a moment three years ago in Cooperstown, New York, and a conversation he had with Ken Griffey Jr. the weekend the beloved Mariner was inducted into baseball’s hall of fame.
“(He said) no team ever treats you like your first team, and that he’ll never forget what it felt like to come through and make his debut at that time with the Mariners,” Dipoto said.
“That’s what we want this group to feel like. We want our fan base and our community to feel that way about this young team. I think this is the first day where that is a reality.”
Signing White, a 23-year-old first baseman who was drafted by the Mariners in the first round in 2017 but has yet to play a big-league game, to this extension represents perhaps the most substantial move so far of Seattle’s youth movement.
It was first reported Friday that he and the Mariners were nearing an agreement on a six-year, $24 million deal that includes three club options. White is signed through the 2025 season and could earn about $55 million should the Mariners exercise the options from 2026-28. The deal was officially announced on Monday afternoon.
“It’s a little bit unprecedented, but something that we think has a chance to make a great difference in the future history of the Mariners,” Dipoto said.
White spent the entirety of the 2019 season with Double-A Arkansas and becomes the first player at that level to sign a major-league extension in baseball history.
The Astros’ Jon Singleton, Phillies’ Scott Kingery and White Sox’s Eloy Jimenez each signed from the Triple-A level. They are the only other players in MLB history to sign extensions without any big-league service time.
White said he first visited Seattle after he was drafted and realized instantly this is where he wants to spend his career. He said he considered the pros and cons of an early deal like this with his family and agents at True Gravity Baseball and decided this was the best course of action.
“I have full trust in the organization, where we’re going, and the front office, the players coming up and the guys here now,” White said. “It was kind of an easier decision once we really sat down and weighed the pros and cons.”
Dipoto said the Mariners recognized the risks of investing up to nine years in a player who has yet to play in the majors but believes White will continue to develop at a rapid pace.
Considered the organization’s No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, White climbed through Seattle’s farm season quickly and slashed at .293/.350/.488 with 13 doubles, 18 homers and 55 RBI in 92 games with Arkansas last summer. Dipoto also considers the defense White will provide to be Gold Glove-caliber.
While he recognizes it will take some time and at-bats for White to become comfortable and excel at the big-league level, Dipoto doesn’t expect it to take too long.
“When you throw the best young players in the deep end of the pool, they learn how to swim pretty quickly,” he said.
White was already expected to compete with utility player Austin Nola this spring for the starting spot at first base, but this signing certainly amplifies that competition. Dipoto said White will have “every opportunity” to be Seattle’s first baseman when camp breaks and will have a long rope.
“It’s our intent to have our best young players on the field from the very start and let them play together whenever we think they’re prepared enough,” Dipoto said.
Dipoto didn’t rule out the possibility of similar contracts with some of Seattle’s other top prospects if the right situation arises.
“Obviously, we like our players,” he said. “We want to build around this young group. … We want to build around a group of Evan White, of Kyle Lewis, of Shed Long and J.P. Crawford. Of Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez. This core of young players. Logan Gilbert and Justin Dunn and Justus Sheffield.
“There’s a reason why over these last 12-13 months we’ve done what we’ve done, and part of the excitement that we see headed into 2020 and beyond is creating stability at the core of that. We know for the club there are some risks in deals like this. That will not stop us from venturing out and doing it again if we get the opportunity because we want this young group to stay together.”
White’s extension is just the first piece of solidifying the future.
“He’s phenomenal,” Dipoto said. “We take a lot of care through player development, working on developing leaders and bringing players together. It was probably never more apparent than with that group in Arkansas this summer. We took great care in trying to keep that group together because we do think that group ultimately sits in the middle of our big-league clubhouse as a primary part of our core.
“We’ve never sold that short. And of the players who have come through our system, so many have shown growth, so many have shown high character. Few have shown all of that plus the maturity and advanced leadership that Evan has.”
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 5:53 PM.
