Mariners fans celebrating as Astros begin teardown by trading star player

The Mariners have been passive this offseason. It's consistent with their MO and recent words from the front office haven't done much to lead people to believe that they'll change any time soon. In fact, the team is so passive, the biggest move of their winter so far has been made by a heated division rival.

There have been rumors of him being moved since last year's trade deadline but the Astros finally got rid of Kyle Tucker, sending him to the Cubs in return for Isaac Paredes and two prospects. Houston's front office has been transparent about wanting to be more cost-efficient with their payroll and since Tucker is entering his final season before free agency, it seems general manager Dana Brown knew the organization wouldn't be able to pay him what he's worth.

What does this mean for Seattle? For starters, it makes the Astros significantly weaker as a team, potentially clearing the way for the Mariners to seize the division. Since becoming a full-time starter for the Astros in 2021, Tucker accumulated a whopping 21.2 rWAR and has consistently been among the most valuable parts of the roster. He also has an .805 OPS against the Mariners over 277 plate appearances, a tough pill to swallow given how frequently the two teams play each other. Now that he's going to the Cubs, he'll only see Seattle during one series per year.

More broadly speaking, this also symbolizes a likely end to the Astros dynasty as the front office will begin a moderate rebuild. Alex Bregman's future landing spot is still unclear but the acquisition of Isaac Paredes could mean that Houston has already found his replacement. Paredes is solid, but without two pieces of the team's central core, the Astros are the most vulnerable they have been in the past seven years.

Furthermore, if the Cubs are interested in reloading the roster to seriously compete for the NL Central, it could mean that they're willing to listen in on other trade deals for their current major-league talent, especially one involving Seattle.

Fans got a short-lived glimpse of how the division could look with a weakened version of the Astros in 2024 after Seattle rose to hold a 10-game lead over the division before suffering an historic collapse. The Astros' sale of Tucker is likely to be followed by subsequent moves to invest in cheaper, younger prospects, limiting their ability to be competitive in the short-term.

Even after blowing their lead, the Mariners finished the season just three wins behind Houston. Within the context of the division, Seattle is still more competitive than some might think, and additional improvements could make them the clear favorite to be division champions for the first time since 2001.