The rich get richer and the Seattle Mariners ... well, they keep squandering an offseason that could have been a real difference-maker. One report from a national MLB insider just prior to Roki Sasaki signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers makes the entire winter even more painful, though.
ESPN's David Schoenfield felt that Seattle, not Los Angeles, was the best landing spot for the 23-year-old Japanese right-hander given the Dodgers' checkered track record in terms of keeping their young arms consistently healthy. Here's what he wrote:
"If Sasaki is primarily concerned with his own development as a pitcher, is there a better place than Seattle? Unlike the Dodgers, the Mariners have kept their young starters healthy. They also play in a great pitcher's park, they play on the West Coast and it's not like Seattle doesn't have a chance to win. But we haven't heard much about the Mariners being in the running."
From the get-go, it felt like the Dodgers and San Diego Padres were the likeliest destinations for Sasaki. Teams on the periphery like the Chicago Cubs or Toronto Blue Jays made sense on paper, but there was never any serious smoke to make the industry view them as legitimate landing spots. Even as a finalist, it felt like no one considered them a real threat to lure Sasaki away from LA or San Diego.
Seattle Mariners could have been a perfect fit for Roki Sasaki
Given Seattle's extensive track record with Japanese players over the years (the greatest of all-time, Ichiro Suzuki, just fell one vote shy of unanimous enshrinement in Cooperstown and the list stretches far beyond just him) and Sasaki's cost-controlled entry into Major League Baseball, even now, the Mariners check so many boxes when you think about it.
After reportedly preparing to make their pitch to Sasaki for months, if not years, the Mariners and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto didn't even get a seat at the table — they weren't one of the clubs selected to sit down and lay out their vision for a future with Sasaki in Seattle. That alone is a gut punch for this team.
Granted, the M's boast one of the league's best — and youngest — starting rotations. But had they landed Sasaki, they could have flipped one of their starters in a trade to shore up an offense in dire need of added firepower. Instead, the front office seems poised to play it safe and hope for the best in running things back, which is a frustrating development for a fanbase itching for more after finally returning to the postseason two years ago, ending a 20+ year drought in the process.