SODO MOJO
FanSided

FanSided Off-Season Sim Primer

By Colby Patnode

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 30: GM Jerry Dipoto of the Seattle Mariners looks on from the dugout prior to the game against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on September 30, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 30: GM Jerry Dipoto of the Seattle Mariners looks on from the dugout prior to the game against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on September 30, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /
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For the first time in a long time, the MLB Division of FanSided has banded together for a grand experiment. 30 fans running their favorite teams through an entire off-season in 3 days.

It promises to be a lot of fun and very informative. Trades are already being discussed and ideas are flying left and right. However; to fully understand the task we are undertaking, you must first know the rules we are bound by.

  1. You must stay true to the 40 man roster. The Mariners currently have 36 players on their 40 man, so if I add 5 players to the team, I will need to release 1 player.
  2. Our operating budget is a max 15% higher than the Opening Day 2017 payroll. This gives the Mariners a max payroll of $177.5 million.
  3. Free Agent bidding begins Monday morning. The highest bid doesn’t guarantee you a player. All decisions are made by a super agent.
  4. To prevent bad trades, all deals must be approved by the commissioner (that’s me!).

It will be interesting to see how other people view the Mariners. I have already received a few offers for some of our bullpen depth. As the “faux GM” I will be avoiding a full-scale rebuild. I personally believe Seattle should consider it, but I will by trying to win in 2018.

The goal is to add 2 quality starters, 3 bullpen arms, and at least 1 outfielder to the mix. In true Jerry Dipoto fashion, I will attempt to fill as many holes as possible via trade.

However; I will be pursuing Yu Darvish, Alex Cobb, and Lance Lynn, as I feel a true impact arm will be nearly impossible to acquire via trade. If you are curious about Shohei Ohtani, allow me to fill you in.

Ohtani potential signing, for the purposes of our sim, has been narrowed to 5 teams. Yes the Seattle Mariners are one of those 5. Obviously, signing Ohtani would greatly change what we can do with the rest of our team in this sim.

Obviously, I am already bound by the trades Dipoto has made. Ryon Healy will be our first baseman to start the sim. Whether or not he will be after our sim, remains to be seen. Please keep in mind that the point of this exercise is not to run things exactly how the Mariners would. I am going to try to do things differently, to show an alternative route can work.

While nobody is safe, I do not foresee trading Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Mitch Haniger, James Paxton, Mike Leake or Mike Zunino.

Next: First Sodo Mojo Off-Season Plan

However; guys like Edwin Diaz and Kyle Seager are currently up for grabs, though not likely to get dealt. We at Sodo Mojo want you to be involved in the process. We are running polls on our Twitter account (@sodomojoFS) for you to voice your opinion.

In conclusion, I have no idea what is about to happen. What I do know is that this will be a ton of fun. Stay tuned for more updates. As always: Go Mariners!

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