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Reason No. 3: In order to become a playoff team, the Seattle Mariners would need more than Marco Gonzalez anyways
We have seen numerous MLB playoff teams with star-studded starting rotations, for example, the Washington Nationals who have Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin. The most recent Tampa Bay Rays with Blake Snell, Charlie Morton, and Tyler Glasnow. The 2020 World Series champions had Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and Julio Urias.
What is similar about these teams? They have at least three-star pitchers to lead the rotation. Even if Marco Gonzales can have two to three Cy Young Award seasons, it will not be nearly enough to compete against these big playoff teams like the Dodgers. Right now, the Seattle Mariners are going with a 24-year-old Justus Sheffield, a 29-year-old Yusei Kikuchi, a 25-year-old Justin Dunn, and hopefully Logan Gilbert all behind Gonzales in 2021.
https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1164402071333822464?s=20
Sheffield is the only one that has proven himself after the 2020 regular season, and the rest of them remain dubbed as question marks. That being said, even if Marco and Justus turn into stars, that is only two. The Mariners are going to need at least three really good starting pitchers, and at least two average pitchers to be in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots in the rotation.
I am hoping Logan Gilbert will become the answer for the Mariners’ search for an ace. He certainly has the stuff that translates well as a front of the rotation pitcher in the big leagues. Better yet, if Gilbert, Sheffield, and Gonzales can form into a deadly trio, imagine what signing an ace would do to the Mariners’ starting rotation. Even further down the line, the Mariners have a few more pitching prospects in the pipeline: Emerson Hancock and George Kirby.
You may be saying that the Seattle Mariners have enough, that they won’t make a big move, they won’t spend money, etc. But If the Seattle Mariners want to become a legitimate contender for the World Series in the next couple of years, they cannot just sit back and expect the current players to pan out. Trust me, I really like Marco Gonzales and his leadership right now, but the rotation needs more.