Catcher: Filled long term.  Kenji Johjima is under contract for three more seasons, Jeff Clement has five or six years under team control, and Adam Moore should be ready for MLB action towards the end of 2009.  Rob Johnson is Major League ready as well if the team ever decides to with a defensive backstop.

First Base:  Hole.  Dennis Raben is Seattle’s current “first baseman of the future,” but isn’t expected to be ready for MLB starting duties for another 2-3 seasons.  Beyond Raben the organization’s depth at first is a bit iffy.  AAers Johan Limonta and Thomas Hubbard are both left handed and fantastic OBP guys, but neither player is expected to develop the power needed to fit the first baseman mold.  New acquisition Ian Bladergroen could also fit in somewhere, but he will remain an unknown until we see what he can do outside of the independant leagues and whether or not he can stay healthy.

Unless Seattle is going to move Clement to first in 2009, they have no one to play the position besides the mediocre Bryan LaHair or Mike Morse.  The M’s need to add someone, and will probably look to add a 2-3 year stopgap type player, and wouldn’t be crazy to acquire a long term option.  I thought that Nick Swisher would be a perfect acquisition, but unfortunately the Yankees nabbed him from the White Sox for a whole lot of nothing.

Assuming no blockbuster deals will be made, there are several affordable possibilities out there, including free agent Eric Hinske or an endless list of possible trades: Royals’ first base surplus, Nick Johnson (WAS), Ryan Garko (CLE), Adam LaRoche (PIT), Hank Blalock (TEX), Brad Nelson (MIL), Micah Hoffpauir (CHC), Jeff Larish (DET), Dan Johnson (TB) and many others.

Second base:  Filled for the next few seasons at least.  Jose Lopez has the position for the time being, and Luis Valbuena is showing some promise as well.  Between those two and a possible position change for top prospect Carlos Truinfel, second base isn’t really an area of concern for the future.

Third Base: Filled, short term.  Adrian Beltre has one year left on his deal.  Being a Scott Boras client, he won’t sign an extension during the season and no one really expects him to re-sign with Seattle next offseason.  Lopez could bump over to third and projects well defensively there, but we’ll have to wait at least another year to see if his bat fits.  Matt Tuiasosopo is developing nicely, but there are still questions about some areas of his offensive and defensive game, as well as consistency issues.  Beyond Tui, the best third base talent in the organization lies at the lowest levels in guys like Jharmidy DeJesus and Mario Martinez, who are several years away.

A serious attempt needs to be made to re-sign Beltre long term after the ’09 season, but the organization would be smart to look for another option now as the 2010 free agent class is slim pickings.  There have been some rumblings that Seattle could deal Beltre this winter and add free agent Joe Crede.

Shortstop: Hole.  Yuniesky Betancourt isn’t cutting it at shortstop, and if any of us had our way he wouldn’t be the starter next season.  Unfortunately, Seattle has little depth at shortstop, with the next expected contributor being Carlos Truinfel, who is 2-3 years away at least.

Seattle would be smart to bring in someone to replace Betancourt, whether it’s a stopgap to Triunfel (or Grant Green, should we end up with him in the draft) or a long term option, moving Triunfel to a position that he could handle more easily.  Seattle could make a splash by signing Rafael Furcal to a 4+ year deal, but Seattle isn’t expected to ink any big names this offseason.  As far as other free agents go, I would be completely content with a 1-2 year defensive minded stopgap such as free agents Cesar Izturis and Nick Punto or a low scale trade for Toronto’s John McDonald.  The Dodgers have a couple young shortstops worth calling about in Chin Lung Hu and Ivan DeJesus, especially if they retain Furcal. JJ Hardy is the only big fish thought to be available on the trade market, but I’m getting the impression that the Brewers would like to hold onto him for at least another half season.

Outfield:  Hole.  The Mariners outfield currently consists of Ichiro Suzuki, Wladimir Balentien and Jeremy Reed.  Ichiro is declining, Balentien has bust potential and Reed’s upside is as a fourth outfielder.  Michael Saunders is expected to make his Major League debut towards the end of 2009 and has the skillset to make it as a starter in the bigs, even if he isn’t a star.  Greg Halman is 1-2+ years away, and while he has some super star built into him he also has a hole in his swing big enough to put him on the bench as a fourth outfielder if he can’t get some things squared away.

The Mariners need to add one or two outfielders this season, and shouldn’t count on all of Saunders, Halman and Balentien to make it.  Seattle could go after young free agents Juan Rivera or Rocco Baldelli, but Rivera is a butcher in the field and Baldelli’s health makes him a bit of a risk (USSM beat me to the punch for these two.  They also recommend Ryan Langerhans).   Fortunately, there is no shortage of outfielders on the trade market, so hopefully Zduriencik can find something.  I keep thinking Seattle could snag Brent Clevlen or Matt Joyce from the Tigers in exchange for JJ Putz.  I would go on, but the possibilities are endless.

Some minor league free agent outfielders to think about could include Javier Brito, Doug Deeds, Josh Kroeger and Peter Ciofrone.

DH: Hole.  It’s hard to say what Seattle will do with their DH spot.  They could continue to use Johjima and Clement there in 2009, or they could bring someone in.  Milton Bradley and Adam Dunn would be the big prizes in free agency, but I have a hard time believing Seattle will pursue either.  Jason Giambi is a realistic option and a perfect fit.  Baldelli was mentioned in the outfield section, but he may be a more realistic fit as DH.