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Seattle Mariners: The 5 Most Disappointing Acquisitions of 2018

By Ty Gonzalez

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 25: Dee Gordon #9 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after hitting a ground out in the third inning against the Oakland Athletics during their game at Safeco Field on September 25, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 25: Dee Gordon #9 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after hitting a ground out in the third inning against the Oakland Athletics during their game at Safeco Field on September 25, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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OF ICHIRO SUZUKI

SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 30: Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Seattle Mariners jokes around on the field after a game against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field on September 30, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 3-1. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 30: Ichiro Suzuki #51 of the Seattle Mariners jokes around on the field after a game against the Texas Rangers at Safeco Field on September 30, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 3-1. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

No, I did not have any expectations of Ichiro being good this season. I’m not that daft. The reason why the 44-year-old Mariners legend is on this list is because of the front office’s decision to initially bring him back as a player. For a team that consistently expressed a desire to end their historic postseason drought leading up to the season, bringing in the shell of a Seattle icon felt like a complete reversal of identity in the blink of an eye.

As fans, it felt like we had been spoon-fed lie after lie up until that point. By making this move, the Mariners made it clear that they weren’t serious about contention whatsoever. It was obvious that the team’s ownership had forced the front office’s hand into wasting a roster spot for ticket sales. This was probably always the plan, but Ben Gamel’s oblique strain in early March gave them a clear path to execute this horrible decision.

Ichiro only played 15 games, which was still 15 games too long. As expected, he was a dumpster fire at the plate and equally as bad in left field, despite an exciting home run robbery in the second game of the season. After Ichiro forfeited his roster spot in favor of a position within the organization, I had no issue with his presence on this team. It was nice to see him involved in a very fun season. My only problem was that this is what should have been done to begin with.

Of course, Ichiro hasn’t played his last game in a Mariners uniform. Jerry Dipoto has already confirmed that the Japanese native will be included on the team’s 28-man roster for its season opener against the A’s in Tokyo next March. He’ll likely start, too, because who cares about actually winning real games, right?

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