Seattle Mariners 2013 Year In Review

Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

October/November/December

The offseason began with a hunt for a new manager. After extensive interviews of several candidates, the Mariners decided that former Pittsburgh Pirates skipper Lloyd McClendon would be the new manager.

The free agent frenzy began and it seemed that any available player with a pulse was being linked to the Mariners. But several names began falling off the board and many wondered if the Mariners were going to spend any money.

Mariners President Chuck Armstrong announced on Nov. 25 that he would be retiring on Jan. 31, 2014. This news was met with as many cheers as any free agent signing the Mariners could’ve possibly announced.

But then, our prayers were answered when the team announced they had reached an agreement with….Willie Bloomquist?

Not exactly the big name we were hoping for. But the Mariners continued to be connected via rumors to Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, David Price, Matt Kemp and others.

Jacoby Ellsbury – many fans’ pick to come here – went to the Yankees. So the Mariners upped the ante and landed 2B Robinson Cano. Yes, that’s right. The Mariners went for a big name free agent and got him for the first time since Adrian Beltre ended up in the Emerald City.

Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The team then quickly added Corey Hart and traded for Logan Morrison. Smaller moves, but low-risk, high-reward moves.

Then the bomb dropped. Just as Mariners fans were getting excited about the upcoming season, a story came out in the Seattle Times that pointed to dysfunction in the clubhouse and the front office.

To add insult to injury, a separate report indicated that the Mariners were at their spending limit – despite still being almost $20M under last year’s payroll.

But sure enough, with the exception of some minor league signings, the Mariners have not landed another free agent or made a trade since.

We can only hope, as we head into 2014 that some more moves will be made. Otherwise, we are looking at an improved team but not one that will sniff the playoffs – unless every young player on this team plays well above expectations.

Either way, I think that Mariners fans are eager to turn the calendar from 2013 to 2014 and anxious to see what this team is capable of accomplishing with Cano in the lineup.

We here at SodoMojo.com want to thank all of you for reading and sharing our stories in 2013. The 2014 season will be our 6th season providing you with coverage, analysis and opinions regarding your favorite team.

We wish you all a very happy new year and as always…..GO MARINERS!

We are Seattle……….We are FanSided.