Expanded format or not, the Mariners stuck around the periphery of the playoff picture longer than most onlookers expected. Seattle finished the 2020 season within striking distance of a .500 record (27-33) and saw key young players like Kyle Lewis and Justus Sheffield take important steps forward.
The Mariners’ 2020 relief corps, however, was disastrous by virtually any measure. Mariners relievers ranked 28th in ERA (5.92) and even worse in the estimation of fielding-independent metrics. The bullpen posted the game’s 29th-ranked SIERA (4.99) and was dead last in both FIP (5.81) and xFIP (5.69).
Only the Rockies and Marlins bullpens struck out a fewer percentage of batters faced, and only the Mets bullpen walked a higher percentage of opponents. The Phillies were the lone team whose relievers averaged more homers allowed per nine innings. The Mariners were also a bottom-three bullpen in terms of swinging-strike rate, first-pitch strike rate and opponents’ chase rate. In short, Seattle relievers couldn’t miss bats, control the strike zone or avoid loud contact. They weren’t baseball’s worst bullpen thanks to some historically bad showings in Philadelphia and Denver, but that’s not exactly a technicality in which a team should take much pride.
It should surprise no one, then, that general manager Jerry Dipoto made the bullpen his clear focus in chatting with reporters at season’s end (links via Corey Brock of The Athletic and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times). But while many GMs speak in generalities with regard to their offseason needs, Dipoto was more specific, suggesting that the Mariners could add “three or four” new relievers — likely via free agency. (Of course, as we know by now, we should also never rule out the trade market as an avenue for Dipoto.)
While the GM cautioned that he might not pursue the market’s “marquee names” — Liam Hendriks, Kirby Yates, old friend Alex Colome and the resurgent Trevor Rosenthal are among the top available arms — it was a rather straightforward declaration of his intent to be more active than most of his peers on the bullpen market. As Brock rightly points out, spending top dollar to build a bullpen via free agency is precisely what led to the aforementioned catastrophe in the Rockies’ bullpen, but Dipoto sounds as though he plans a more measured approach to making bulk additions.
If the Mariners do wish to spend big, they’d certainly be able to do so. Seattle just over $50MM committed to next year’s payroll, per Jason Martinez of Roster Resource, and their arbitration class is rather light. Mitch Haniger, Tom Murphy and J.P. Crawford are the only locks to be tendered contracts among Seattle’s arbitration-eligible players. Mallex Smith was already outrighted and will be able to become a free agent by virtue of his service time. Carl Edwards Jr. is also arb-eligible but pitched just 4 2/3 innings due to injury.
Other additions will likely be made beyond the bullpen, though it doesn’t sound like they’ll be the primary area of focus. Divish suggests that a free-agent rotation piece will likely be in the cards, particularly given Dipoto’s indication that the Mariners will continue to utilize a six-man rotation. Speculatively, a veteran outfielder who could serve both as an early-season bridge to uber-prospect Jarred Kelenic and a safety net for long-injured Haniger could be prudent.
Speaking of Haniger, one of the more encouraging takeaways from Dipoto’s comments was his assertion that the 29-year-old is at long last believed to be healthy. Haniger’s recovery “has really picked up steam in the past 30 or 40 days,” Dipoto said, expressing confidence that he’ll be the team’s Opening Day right fielder in 2021.
That would be a welcome sight for Mariners fans, who saw Haniger break out with a All-Star 2018 season –. 285/.366/.493, 26 homers, 38 doubles, four triples, eight steals, solid defense — before a freak series of injuries torpedoed his 2019-20 seasons. Haniger fouled a ball into his groin in June 2019, resulting in a ruptured testicle. While rehabbing that already gruesome injury, Haniger suffered an adductor tear that snowballed into a herniated disc in his back. He ultimately underwent a microdiscectomy procedure that wiped out his entire 2020 season.
An improved bullpen, Haniger’s return, Kelenic’s expected debut and some additional growth from young talents like Evan White, Shed Long Jr. and/or Crawford could lead to another major step forward for the Mariners. That’s a lot of things still needing to break in their direction, but Dipoto no longer sounds like a GM in the midst of an all-out rebuild. The Mariners’ goal next season, per the GM, is to contend for a postseason berth. “I don’t think that’s unrealistic,” said Dipoto.
Cmon, y’all gotta know he’s gonna do more than just “add relievers”. This is dealin’ Dipoto we’re talking about!
He really hasn’t made that many trades after the initial start of the rebuild. Mostly just deadline stuff or fringe moves
Exactly- we have already seen two distinctly different eras of Dipoto’s reign. His initial challenge was to convert a good but aging lineup, a bloated payroll and an avg farm system into a playoff team. He traded the remaining top prospects to find Starting Pitching (Smyly) good RP’s (Phelps, J Benoit, etc) and position players (Haniger and Segura) to get the most out of Cano, Cruz and Felix while he still could. He was bitten by injuries to Smyly and Phelps and under-performing acquisitions like Nicasio, Dee Gordon, Ryon Healy, and Mallex Smith. In the first half of 2018 it appeared his team was finally going to make a run only for his lineup to mysteriously stop producing while the A’s went on an historic run of wins. Heartbreak Hotel. That was one of the most difficult seasons to watch as an Ms fan. It was clear it was time for change.
That brought about the start of another era- the rebuild. In this stage he had to build a product on the field capable of winning 65-70wins with very little resources. He had to be imaginative and creative with his roster build.
Now that we have developed and added so many exciting young Nationally ranked prospects- Klew, Kelenic, JRod, Dunn, Evan White, J Sheffield L Gilbert,G Kirby, Trammel etc you will see the next step in the process. More Free Agent acquisitions than trades. We have literally just accumulated talent it’s not the time to trade them away.
“AND THEN TRADE THREE OR FOUR RELIEVERS DURING THE SEASON” Dipoto cheered, while waving his hat and straddling a plummeting H-bomb.
Wow man, mad funny.
I actually see a blockbuster type trade for a closer. Maybe Hader -that is-if the Brewers don’t move forward in the post season and are going to blow up their team.
It would be so far away from how Dipoto operates to dish out the prospects Hader would command in a trade for a 1 to 2 inning guy when there are multiple glaring holes on the team.
Edit: Unless he planned on immediately flipped Hader.
Zero chance he trades prospects for a reliever.
Maybe in 2022 but not this year. We don’t know how good our prospects are- what’s the point in trading them now when you’ve only just filled your system and you’ve drastically cut your payroll? IMO it’s not the time to trade multiple nationally ranked prospects for one player. What if the current young players on the roster tank next year? You also need a plan B for injuries. We’re not quite there yet. Use the payroll to add a couple of RP’s. Promote your SP prospects and move the likes of Margevicius, and Dunn or YK into the pen.
That’s probably the least likely type of trade we’ll see with Seattle. They have a potential future closer in Muñez and several set-up candidates, such as Gerber and Delaplane. Free agent rebound candidates, such as Doolittle and Holland (both of which are coming off oblique strains), might be enticed with incentive-laden 1 or 2-year deals. Players like them are probably more likely.
I wouldn’t anticipate Seattle trading any significant prospects to address the bullpen. However, Miami is already well-known to covet high-ceiling prospects and with them having a need for near-future outfield help (and starting pitching), I could see a swap of Trammell and Kirby for Sixto Sanchez–if Seattle were to make a high-profile trade. For the record, I don’t think that’s likely, either. The bigger point is that Seattle isn’t really in a position to spend farm-currency unless there’s immediate talent in the return with significant control.
The way Seattle’s bullpen was this year, Jerry might as well have activated himself. He pitched for some pretty bad Rockie bullpens back in the day.
I remember calling him Uh Oh Dipoto when he was a Met.
Hell have to get these guys via trade. I mean seriously, what FA actually WANTS to come to Seattle? Sure, throw $$ at them and even Cano will bite. But where the team is at in development, the long travel….I just can’t see a quality FA signing with the Ms.
I bet you’re wrong. In fact, I think you’ll see a tough FA market this offseason with the Mariners at the top end of teams with ability and desire to spend.
Players are desperate to get FA not just to play on a good team but to finally get a big pay day. Teams who suddenly have a lot of money to spend like Seattle have a lot of leverage in FA discussions. A 20% increase in salary for example can give a player motivation to choose a team like Seattle.
Seattle’s geographical location might be the biggest deterrent for free agents. But there is a very literal and visual sense of camaraderie and family in Seattle. Seattle is no longer a place players dread to land. And with the fact that their best prospects have yet to debut–two of which are on most top-10 lists–it’s easy to see Seattle being an attractive place for players who want to be apart of a team being built to win for the long-term and in a fun and positive environment.
I don’t think trade is going to be the primary method of acquisitions, especially considering the dough coming off the books between now and 2023.
Yo Stevil…I assume Seattle has already burnt its bridges over the summer and the attraction is certainly one to be dreaded, if not the players, then their respective families in tow.
Jerry and everyone else.
Go get Holland, go get Petit from Oakland and Bass from Toronto, go get the ageless Romo, go get Workman, and bring in Tony Watson.
Pays off to invest in the pen.
The Rockies probably beg to differ
Holland = pass
Bass = pass
Petit = yes please
Watson = agreed
Workman = good gamble of cheap
Romo = blah
Also petit is EASILY the most underrated reliever in MLB. Hope the braves throw 2yr 16 million at him
Greg Holland, yes. Petit, maybe.
I pass on the rest.
Rosenthal if you can. I take a flyer on Shelby Miller.
It’s worked well for Atlanta
Melancon inherited a 4yr 62m contract
Greene 1yr 6.25 via arbitration
Martin 2yr 14m
Smith 3yr 40m W/club option
Oday 1yr 2.25 w/club option for 3.5m
Just don’t be the Rockies and you’ll be fine
Haworth- you’re right, it pays to invest in the bullpen but, you’d be wasting money if you chose to spend money on all of those RP’s. Of those pitchers T Watson is the only RP worthwhile. Petit is 37, Workman was shelled far too often this year and none of the other names are much better than what we already have.
I’d be happy with a couple of free agent signings, a healthy Edwards, bringing back Margevicius, Ramirez, Brennan and Gerber, and then seeing if Delaplane is ready, and/or using Graveman as a reliever. No trading prospects for bullpen help. A couple of decent free agents (and no Hirano) should be all they need, IMO.
“We Hope To Add “Three Or Four” Relievers In the Offseason”
The vast majority of GMs during the vast majority of offseasons…
Hubcap, not the Angels. The Angels think they can solve the problem by throwing mud on a wall.
The A’s and Astros don’t, they go after RPs.
Yes, you’ll make mistakes, but the Angels pen is a mistake. And the mistakes will likely be less costly than other mistakes teams make in the free agent market.
Mariners need more than 3 or 4 relievers to contend. This season was reminiscent of last season. Thru 60 games last season the Mariners went 25-35 and fell off a cliff the rest of the way. This team will need to add at least a bat or two especially if they let Seager walk
Seager is under contract for 2021. They have Haniger and Murphy coming back which should be better than they had this year. France at DH should be big upgrade over Vogey. Moore likely takes over 2B and then you have Kelenic at some point most likely
To add to Haworth’s point Evan White will also continue to grow and most importantly we also don’t know for certain if MLB/Players Union will keep the current playoff structure or go back to the original playoff system. Obviously the Mariners are a certain contender if it’s the former. If we go back to the original format you may be right but there’s another thing to consider- they don’t have to be a powerhouse when the Astros and the A’s are weaker than they have ever been over the last 3-4 years.
If OAK didn’t have the best BP in MLB I’m not so sure that rotation or lineup gets them more than 5-7 games above .500. HOU’s BP is avg at best, they will also be without Verlander (and Cole obviously) and their best SP Grienke will be 37 years old. A long ways from that 2017-2018 team.
They fell off a cliff well before 60 games, but you’re right. They’ll need to add a veteran or two to address the fielding positions as well.
But that’s probably a lot easier to do than finding multiple arms for a bullpen or rotation. Look at the Angels and the luck they’ve had trying to address both since Eppler tool over.
Seager’s still under contract and has an option for 2022, so he’ll be around for at least a little while longer.
I don’t see them giving Seager 15 million for 2022. He would have to take a cut
Perhaps but since the start of the 2019 season Kyle Seager has posted 4.5 fWAR, valued at $35.9 million, in 166 games:
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=6&season=2020&month=0&season1=2019&ind=0&team=11&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2019-01-01&enddate=2020-12-31
Seager continues to outperform his contract.
Well, they lack veterans and Seager is the lone long-term veteran they have. I could see him sticking around, but even Jerry probably doesn’t know what they’re going to do about 2022. They certainly didn’t get France thinking he’ll be the long-term answer at 2B or only a DH moving forward, so there’s that.
They’ll probably reassess after 2021. If Seager continues to be productive, I don’t think the 15m option would be a stretch. They have almost nothing on the books and trying to low-ball the oldest Mariner probably wouldn’t send a great message to potential free agent targets or prospects they wish to sign lock up with long-term extensions..
“I hope to add 3 or 4 relievers this offseason, just realize that none of them may be any good”.
You’re just asking for trouble by signing that many relievers from the same free agent class. With how volatile they are, you know there’s some that will absolutely bomb. Just ask Colorado about it.
Who said anything about signing free agents? If they are free agents, he’s smart enough to know you don’t put all your dollars in that basket. They’d be cheap deals with invites to Spring Training. Go out and get means he’ll dive in the dumpster that is the waiver wire, minor league free agents, and in trades.
The “likely via free agency” isn’t a quote attributed to Dipoto.
Obviously I said that because that’s the most common way to acquire decent players during the offseason.
Every team is going to add three or four, most likely more, relievers through minor league signings w/invites to spring training, waiver wires, etc. But if we’re talking about adding relievers that you expect to make significant contributions towards the team, you’re most likely going to get them by signing them as free agents. Unless you want to make an Edward Diaz type deal. You aren’t going to sign three or four relievers that pan out to be gold through dumpster diving, unless you get super lucky,
In all fairnes, what’s the worst that can happen if they sign a bunch of mid-tier relief pitchers to short term deals? It probably wouldn’t be a good idea for a team that is contending, but it probably wouldn’t hurt a team still a year or so away from trying to compete.
Seattle’s unlikely to sign free agent relievers to 3-5 year contracts. They’re far more likely to pursue 1-2 year deals. Colorado invested somewhere around a 100m in relievers over 3 years (?). Nuts.
Exactly.
Wade Davis: 3 years w/mutual option, 52 million w/1 million buyout for 2021.
-1.1 WAR
Bryan Shaw: 3 years w/mutual option, 25 million w/2 million buyout for 2021.
-07 WAR
Jake McGee: 4 years w/mutual option, 31 million w/2 million buyout for 2021
1.2 WAR
Might be a little off with the salary amounts, didn’t really take my time adding them up, but this is the risk of heavily investing in relievers. Like a poster said above, stick to 1-2 years.
Dipoto should have added the relievers last offseason but he didn’t believe in his team. We were well on our way to the playoffs this year until Dip**** traded away Taijuan Walker and Austin Nola. He’s trying to strong-arm this teams momentum instead of going with the flow. His approval rating has dropped significantly since the rebuild in my opinion. Watch him trade Haniger at the all-star break. Why do we need another veteran outfielder? The outfield was just fine this year. Haniger IS your veteran outfielder. We don’t need anymore outfield additions. He’s obviously not very confident about Kelenic. He’s more confident about Evan White seeing as how he never played AAA and got a guaranteed contract and a promotion to the big leagues without getting called down. I like Evan White but he wasn’t ready and it showed. Kelenic was the most prepared and ready prospect we had at the time of Evan White’s promotion. Ya, great, we’ll make the playoffs next year, but what about this year. Be patient he says, just keep waiting another year he says. Just because you make the playoffs in the future doesn’t save you from judgment from punting the playoffs this year. Im sure he just wants us to get over it. Initially he wanted us to wait up to 5 years into the rebuild before making the playoffs until he realized we are going to win now. If a rebuild takes you 5 years to make the playoffs then you’re obviously doing something wrong. Maybe Dipoto should just quit and start his restaurant
“We were well on our way to the playoffs this year until Dip**** traded away Taijuan Walker and Austin Nola.”
Seattle was 14-22 before the trade deadline and 13-11 after the deadline.
The Mariners were not postseason bound when they traded Taijuan Walker and Austin Nola.
Didn’t Seattle just trade 2 relief pitchers to the Padres?
Indeed, Seattle traded two relievers — 28-year-old Dan Altavilla and 29-year-old Austin Adams — to a San Diego club angling for the postseason. Altavilla and Adams have surplus trade values of 0 and $2.6 million, respectively, according to Baseball Trade Values.
With a competitive window farther out, in return the Mariners acquired 21-year-old reliever Andres Munoz, a Tommy John casualty who has a surplus trade value of $10.1 million.
Of course Seattle also received outfielder Taylor Trammell, the only Top 10 prospect dealt at the trade deadline, as well as likely designated hitter Ty France and catcher Luis Torrens.
In September France posted a wRC+ of 129 in 23 games and Torrens a wRC+ of 97 in 18 games. Torrens” predecessor,, Austin Nola, posted a wRC+ of 92 in 18 games with San Diego.
In a separate deadline trade, Seattle sent to San Diego 29-year-old reliever Taylor Williams, who has a surplus trade value of $1.9 million.
He signed Hirano and Edwards Jr. Edwards got injured before the season started and never pitched; Hirano caught the virus and wasn’t effective after a late activation. Further, their ‘pen endured injuries to Brennan, Adams, and Bautista (among others).
But they weren’t built to contend this season. They were projected to finish second to last and that was before Haniger needed surgeries. It made no sense to invest heavily in a bullpen when they had yet to see what they had at a number of positions.
Regarding the outfield, keep in mind that Kelenic isn’t likely going to be on the opening day roster, and none of their alternative options have impressed. A utility player who could serve as a stopgap does make sense.
Regarding the rebuild, you never heard Dipoto state or suggest this would be a traditional 5-year rebuild. You heard the opposite and this was year two. Now you’re hearing that he’s making an effort to contend next season. That fits everything he’s been saying.
Kyle Lewis, Mitch Haniger and Phil Ervin can keep the outfield seats warm until prospects Jarred Kelenic, Taylor Trammell and Julio Rodriguez are ready.
Of those six outfielders, who was the only player who has never been a Top 100 prospect?
To be clear, my response was to Benji. I agreed with everything in your (Muskie) comment.
That said, Trammell probably needs another full season in the minors. Rodriguez probably needs 2 more years. He had minimal time at Modesto and just recently got cleared to play following the fracture in July. Ervin was a waiver claim with no options and he simply didn’t produce. I don’t expect him to stick around. They could turn to Bishop or Fraley, but neither played much this season and both have work to do themselves.
If they were to bring in an infielder or utility player they could improvise with Moore or Lopes in an outfield corner, but I would anticipate an outfield of Kelenic-Lewis-Haniger by May.
You Angel fans are getting creative. Make a fake acct pretend to be an Ms fan and rip Dipoto. I have not heard much bad mouthing or loss of approval. Sure people chirp a bit about guys like Walker. I was bummed to see him go but there is no rule against signing him next year.
Dipoto very well could trade Haniger at the break. If he comes in and has a great first half of the year why not trade him and get a young almost ready pitcher or 3rd bm a year or two off. Tranmell will probably be moved. I see our future OF Kelenic in RF Rodriguez in CF and Lewis in LF. Bishop and Moore can be the utility guys. All five off those guys can play any position in the OF.
If Moore beats out Long for 2nd then that will of course change. I think France plays 2nd and 3rd until Seager is gone. Pitching is going to be interesting. They have some good young guys that will compete for the starter jobs and some for the BP. I can see Dipoto picking up a couple FA relief pitchers that can jump between AAA and the majors. That way the Young guys can come up and get time in no stress times.
I don’t see the sky falling and doom or dread. This team looks better than it did at the beginning of the season. We found our third base replacement which I am not sure we had. The kid they have is four years away I think. Long could be the guy for second but the surprise of the season was Moore. He could fight for that spot or Servais could feel he is more valuable moving around. Which I could see. He played each position he played as a passable replacement. I see a good team that can be great if most of the guys live up to their billing and if not we have pieces to replace them.
Would love to see these guys sign deals like White because they want to stay together and win. They are friends from AA and it helps if they can prop up each other when they hit a slump.
BenjiB24- I’m sorry but you are dead wrong on just about everything you say about the Mariners. Well on our way to the playoffs? When? On 8/29 just before the deadline we were 13-22 and the Astros were 18-14. We had zero chance of a playoff spot at the time of the trades but Hindsight is 20/20.
It wasn’t until Sept 7th 1 week after the deadline when anyone started looking at the standings. The only reason we were close is because we had just won 4g against one of the worst teams in MLB (TX) with a Starting Rotation that was on a historic losing streak. Their ERA was in the double digits. The day after we got to 19-22 we lost the next 3. The team was only briefly in a ‘race’ because HOU went on a losing streak due to all their injuries.
I have no idea what you mean by “Dipoto strong armed the team’s momentum instead of going with the flow?” I assume that means you think Jerry is trying to lose on purpose, if so that is absurd. “His approval rating has dropped significantly since the rebuild in my opinion.” Your opinion is very different from reality. Over the last 2 years his approval rating amongst the fan base has vastly improved- fans and media alike love his recent draft pick Emerson Hancock. We’ve gone from a bottom 5 rated farm system to a top 3 farm system. We currently have 5-6 prospects in the Top 100 and he just netted a ML ready Catcher, a (.300 BA) 3B/DH and another top 100 prospect for 4 players who cost next to nothing. And on top of that the first couple players from Dipoto’s draft classes have just reached the Majors. You may have heard of his first pick as Seattle GM- Kyle Lewis.
Confidence or lack of, in Kelenic has absolutely nothing to do with why White was promoted before him. Kelenic was not promoted because he HAS confidence in him, so much so, he wants to be sure we control him on a rookie contract as long as possible- 2027. This is the only reason why he wasn’t promoted and why we won’t see him next year until the 3rd week in April. Kelenic may have looked more prepared and ready in your eyes but the fact is he had about 1/3 the amount of Minor League PA’s compared to White. If Evan White struggled because he jumped up straight from AA to Seattle why do you think Kelenic is going to do any better? Because he’s crushing HR’s in Cheney Stadium against the same 4-5 pitchers every day? FYI the Angels No. 1 OF prospect Jo Adell is ranked higher than Kelenic- did you see how he struggled this yr? At times he looked worse than White.
How did we punt the playoffs this year when we couldn’t even beat SF a .500 team when we got to 19-22? That 3g losing streak told you all you need to know about the teams playoff readiness. Have you seen our negative run diff or the BP’s ERA? Let’s imagine HOU falls apart and gifts us 2nd place – do you really think we even win one game vs MN?
Dipoto has never once said the words we won’t win or make the playoffs for 5 years. I’m not sure where your getting that information. You’ve clearly missed the multiple articles from the org and the Seattle media stating this is not a typical rebuild. In fact, if you recall, in the beginning Dipoto was very careful not to use the term rebuild. You must have missed him calling it a step-back, or a reimagined roster. The point is he’s said on multiple occasions that he envisions us being competitive perhaps at the end of this 2020 season and definitely by 2021.
Sorry for this long Mariners manifesto- but I for one am very excited for this coming season. I also see the White Sox and the Padres in the hunt and think- that could be us soon. I am more of a Dipoto fan now than I’ve ever been. I wasn’t so sure when he shipped off Diaz but I’m now glad he made those moves. He’s not perfect but he’s a hill of a lot better than anything we’ve had in nearly 2 decades.
Dipoto fanboys are the worst. They’re so sure that Dipoto is a genius, yet refuse to look at the actual mlb product.
The actual product, as you call it, is a young team that overachieved and has yet to have it’s best prospects from the number 3 farm system in baseball debut.
This was year 2 of the rebuild. There are fans of Dipoto’s work because they understand the big picture, something you apparently haven’t grasped.
Murpy and Haniger back is Huge.
A veteran starter, between Marco and sheffield. Tanaka?
-Move Kikuchi and some of his $.
2 GOOD releviers. Colume and Liam H.
A more offensive CF(Lewis to left). Joc P? he mashes rightys(yes, 20 was a down year).
-When Kelnic comes up, got the dh spot to rotate everyone in/out.
They won’t or shouldn’t spend any resources on a CFer because Rodriguez should be ready after next year. They have the talent to play decent in the OF. I would think Kelenic plays CF next year especially if Haniger is back. The OF is fine question marks are C 2nd and 3rd. Relief and SP needs to be anchored too.
bring back Carl edwards ( and hope he stays healthy)- theres a live arm with experience
“Addiitional growth” from White and Long, such as batting averages in the .180’s?
I might be alone in this, but I think both players are more likely to start 2021 in Tacoma. White has holes in his swing reminiscent of his early minor-league days and Long has to re-learn how to elevate the ball like he kind of started to do in 2019. He was the king of grounders this season.
That said, I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that both players could contribute to Seattle’s success in the second half next season.
Agreed, especially with White. He was definitely overmatched at the plate at times this season, but at other times he looked good. The excellent defense is already there. He is a hard worker, and during the next few seasons I think he will develop into an above-average hitter with power who should win some Gold Gloves. That’s the hope anyway. The organization is making a large bet, but it’s one where I think they’ll come out ahead. No worries. Long also has some good skills that showed through here and there. Both players need to find positive consistency, and both are capable.
As a mets fan,I hope Edwin diaz is one they trade for
What would be an appropriate return from Seattle in a trade of Edwin Diaz?
And, no, the Mariners won’t reverse the December 2018 trade.;-)
A bag of baseballs and an apology for sending him to ny in the 1st place?
Absolute nonsense. Is Dipoto actually trying to justify spending no money? Seattle isn’t a bottom feeder market. When they were “competing” they have payrolls north of $160 million. Next year they’re looking at $70 million and even less in 2022. If he actually believes they can compete for a spot and sticks with team of prospects he’s actually joking the fan base and robbing them blind.
JP Crawford is not the SS of the future when you look at the 2022 F/A class. They cannot roll with a mid-600’s OPS weakling. The M’s should be looking at trading for one of the potential F/A SS’s with 1 year left on their contracts. I’m looking at Lindor personally… eventually the M’s gotta add payroll and stars. Trammel, JPC, Dunn, Fraley for Lindor and extend him.
We’re a star starting pitcher short of competing. Marco, Gilbert, Sheff is a solid core 3. Bring back Tai Walker and sign Bauer (who lives in Maple Valley) to a 3-year deal.
If you’re actually going to add BP arms… don’t fk around. Sign Liam Hendricks and Alex Colome. Pair them with Graveman and Ramirez on the back end and you’ve solified your pen w. Misiewicz, Marge, Kikuchi, Gerber, Swanson. + Warren, Deleplane, Mills should also be right there.
1B- Evan White
2B- Dylan Moore
SS- Fransisco Lindor
3B- Kyle Seager
LF- Jarred Kelenic
CF- Kyle Lewis
RF- Mitch Haniger
C- Tom Murphy
1. Trevor Bauer
2. Marco Gonzales
3. Taijuan Walker
4. Justus Sheffield
5. Logan Gilbert
Closer: Liam Hendricks
7/8: Ramirez, Colome, Graveman
Long Relief: Marge, Kikuchi
Remaining: Misiewicz, Gerber, Swanson
^ That’s a contending squad… not some bs where we don’t spend cash.
Hard to see a spot on like this one from a mariners fan (idk you are one) really spot on.
That’s pretty a contending team and one Dipoto should aim for 2021, basically he just needs to cut the bs here, stop good trading and messing around with the bp and we’re good.