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As the Seattle Mariners' road woes continue (4-13 in their last 17 away games), there's now genuine concern they won't even make the playoffs, despite a tremendous trade deadline which bought in Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez. Now comes news that two former M's players have signed with teams which theoretically give them a better shot at the World Series than in Seattle.
First, as reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Carlos Santana has signed with the Chicago Cubs. The first baseman played for the Mariners during the second half of the 2022 season and although he wasn't outstanding, he still played his part in helping them end a playoff drought which had lasted 20 seasons.
Mariners quite rightly don't take a second bite at the apple
Santana was released last week by the Cleveland Guardians and some believed the Mariners should have looked to reunite with a player they reportedly offered a two-year deal to last offseason. However, SoDo Mojo's Tanner Vogt explained why the M's shouldn't waste their time pursuing the 2019 All-Star, which turned out to be prophetic.
The other former Mariner finding a new home is Luis Urías, who Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported has signed a minor league deal with another one of his previous teams, the Milwaukee Brewers. We wrote last week about how being designated for assignment by the Athletics was the latest blow in a career which has seen him fail to live up to his potential. He spent last season in Seattle, posting 0.4 rWAR in 41 games.
Don't expect much from Carlos Santana or Luis Urías
How much either player will offer to their new teams remains to be seen. At 39, Santana's best days are behind him, as evidenced by a .225 batting average and .650 OPS in 116 games. Urías' .230 batting average and .653 OPS in 96 games is yet another chapter of him continuing to disappoint.
If we were going to put a bet on the duo — and we're not, because gambling is bad, kids — then we would predict neither of them will be involved in a meaningful way in helping their respective teams. At the same time, you can't blame Santana and Urías for putting themselves in the best possible position to win a ring, with the Cubs and Brewers having two of the top five records in the majors.