The Seattle Mariners “Re-Imagining” Might Just Work

This off-season, Seattle Mariners’ General Manager Jerry Dipoto, and staff decided to embark on a “re-imagining” of the roster in hopes to compete for a division championship by the 2020 season (even though it’s more likely that it’ll be 2021 at the earliest).

When the news first came out many fans were split on the decision. Some cited the 89 wins from last season as a reason to go all in. Others have become allergic to anything that sounds like a Mariners rebuild due to past failures from the organization. Clearly, time needed to pass and moves needed to be made before judgment could be passed on how well this “re-imagining” was going to work.

As Mariners fans, we’ve been here before (though the team has never really done a full rebuild) as management sells us on the promise of the future. There have been so many failed prospects that there is a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to the likes of Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, and the rest of the Mariners prospects. That skepticism is warranted; however, there is one thing that stands out as vastly different about this “re-imagining” from the team, and it has nothing to do with the prospects.

For maybe the first time the Mariners appear willing to make difficult decisions.

In the past, the Mariners have refused to give up top prospects to make a push for the playoffs, brought back aging stars to recapture the glory days, or made decisions that impacted ownership’s bottom line more than the production on the field. The moves Dipoto has made might be finally signaling a change in philosophy.

To the fan base, moving players like Edwin Diaz, Robinson Cano, and Ben Gamel are tough pills to swallow, but when faced with another year of mediocrity these types of moves were needed. When you look at the way the Seattle Seahawks have made calculated business decisions regarding key players in the past that’s one of the key reasons they have maintained their success.

They haven’t let fan favor or past accomplishments cloud their judgment. While it was difficult for fans to see Richard Sherman and others depart, those departures allowed the ‘Hawks to flourish this year as they appear poised for a bright future.

If the Mariners want this re-imagining to work then they need to continue making the difficult decisions. Fans will get upset and some will stay away from the stadium which will hurt their bottom line, but in the long run management needs to put less focus on the aforementioned items, and keep their focus solely on making the difficult decisions that will lead this team to contention, even if that means trading Mitch Haniger.