What to make of Mike Leake’s (likely) last start with the Mariners

Trade value going UP!… on a… Wed…nesday… I-I…didn’t think this through.

Wednesdays are often the most boring days in baseball. The getaway day. A day of mostly meaningless and casual baseball with games that start at the end of your lunch break and wrap up at the top of the longest hour of the day. For the few thousand Mariners fans that are able to go to one of these games, it’s a neat experience. For the rest of us, it’s mostly an afterthought.

Today was not that. In fact, it may have been one of the biggest days of the season for two organizations. Ironically, it came in the form of the most unassuming matchup on the day’s schedule—a rubber match between the AL West’s fourth- and fifth-place clubs. The importance, however, did not lie in the numbers on the scoreboard, but rather the numbers in the final lines of both starting pitchers.

As next week’s trade deadline inches closer and many teams remain on the fence about buying or selling, Mike Minor and Mike Leake are two pitchers who should be incredibly attractive to these hesitant organizations. Scouts from the Braves, Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, and Nationals were in attendance, presumably mostly for Minor, but it was Leake who stole the show.

Reports last week indicated ‘minimal’ interest in Leake on the trade market, then he went out and nearly perfected the Angels last Friday night. Even then, it’s hard to imagine Leake raising his value higher than where it already is, which isn’t a whole lot. Leake is a dependable innings eater who equally has a chance of blowing up as he does throwing a complete game every outing.

You got a bit of everything from Leake in today’s start. For the first five innings, Leake dominated a good Rangers lineup, working efficiently and showcasing his elite athleticism off the mound. Then, per usual, the home run bug bit Leake in a big way as three runs crossed the plate on one sixth-inning swing from Rougned Odor.

But Leake, being the stabilizer he is, retired four of the next five batters he faced and put a bow on what should be his last start in a Mariners uniform. The final line of seven innings, three runs, nine hits, seven strikeouts, and zero walks is a fitting way to end Leake’s time in Seattle, doing what he did on most nights—bending, not breaking.

Those seven strikeouts especially standout, given that’s been one of Leake’s weakest points for most of his career. He doesn’t miss a ton of bats, but was able to do so today against an above-average lineup. Leake produced 11 swinging strikes on 100 pitches, including four on the slider. Outside of Odor’s home run, he was once again at the top of his game today.

Despite the putrid attempt at a pun to start this article, I don’t know what this means for Leake’s trade stock. The baseball world knows who Mike Leake is, so maybe these last two starts did nothing for it. But he certainly didn’t hurt it in any way, shape, or form. Perhaps this has opened the eyes of more teams for Leake to, at the very least, be considered as a fallback plan.

The teams that are truly going for it this season want impact. And, as I said, Leake is a stabilizer. He’s not impact. Pair his…. consistent inconsistencies, if you will, with the fact that he’s making slightly north of $10 million for at least next season and suddenly teams lose interest. But Leake’s done everything he can to prove himself worthy to a team with October dreams. Now we wait.