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3 Reasons to stop being a Mariners fan... and 3 reasons you should never leave
The Mariners can be a tough franchise to be a fan of. Let's take a look at 3 reasons why you should stop being a fan... and 3 reasons why you should never leave
Anyone who is a fan of the Mariners, well, that has been for more than the last 3-4 years, knows a harsh truth. It can be hard to be a fan sometimes when it comes to rooting for this team.
We love the Mariners, there is no doubt about that. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here, rooting for the team, listening to the games, putting together plots and schemes and proposals on what they could do to make the team better. It's all part of being a fan.
At the same time, it's tough. A lot of people, at some point or another, have had that stray thought run through their mind of "What would it be like if I stopped rooting for the Mariners?". Shoot, I've seen and heard it a lot this offseason. There are varying levels to the complaints, some with a decent bit of thought behind them and others that just make people sound like morons.
There's no getting around it that there was a long period where you just knew that you were rooting for a losing team. One that didn't have a shot at making the playoffs or contending. I know some of you are sitting there thinking "yeah, since 1977 that's been the case", which, is fair to a point. 5 playoff appearances since the team's inception is gross. Especially when they set the modern-day record for the longest streak without making the playoffs.
I won't lie. The whiners and complainers who just seem to be looking for a way out... GO! I don't want to hear that negativity. Go bug some other team. Be an Angels fan or something. If you're looking to get out, I'll give you three reasons you can hang your hat on.
For those more reasonable and realistic fans, I have the flipside for you. 3 reasons to stick around and keep rooting for this team. Let's get to it, and get the negative out of the way first.
Reason #1 to Leave: A refusal to sign free agent contracts
It's not just recently that this has been apparent, it's sort of just always been a thing with the Mariners. You could actually argue that they've been more aggressive on this front, since they did sign Robbie Ray to the second largest FA contract in team history. Shoot, the Mitch Garver one, at 2YR/$24M, is the 11th largest FA contract in team history, and would move to the 8th if the mutual option is taken.
Right there lies the problem. A 2YR/$24M shouldn't sniff the top ten FA contracts handed out in a team's history, especially one that has been around since the 70s. The Dodgers just handed out $70M less to two players than the Mariners have spent in free agency in their history as a franchise.
Is this from ownership? Is it the Front Office thinking they are smart enough to do it via trades? It can be hard to tell, and it isn't something that we will really ever get an honest answer on, I don't think.
It does suck to see though, knowing that your biggest signing is going to be AJ Pollock... cause we all know how that turns out. You have to sit through free agency and watch players go to other teams, and the only hope is that a trade is going to happen. Speaking of trades...
Reason #2 to Leave: Watching your favorite players leave over and over
This is something that we have actually seen a couple of times this offseason already. We had to watch Marco Gonzales and Jarred Kelenic leave. Tom Murphy is gone as well, and he had a lot of fans.
It's not just this season though. Kyle Seager decided to retire rather than go somewhere else, because all reports were that the Mariners weren't interested in bringing him back, not even for a lower rate than the declined club option. Nelson Cruz left instead of being able to finish as a Mariner.
Bring it back to more recent times, and we've also seen Paul Sewald, Eugenio Suarez, and Jose Caballero be traded away. A lot of these players I'm talking about weren't just good, but fans really liked them.
It sucks, because this is compounded by reason number one. You know that they aren't really going to be looking for people in free agency, so that trades are going to be happening, increasing the odds of your favorite player leaving.
Reason #3 to Leave: The lifetime of losing
This is the part that many a pissed off fan puts their hat on. The Mariners have been bad, and they've been bad for a long time. All the playoff berths (before the 2022 one) came between 1995 and 2001. Nothing from 1977 to 1994, and then nothing again from 2002 to 2021. To see two stretches equalling nearly 40 years without going to the playoffs is terrible.
I know this frusturates a lot of the older fans who remember those teams from the 80s. Those around my age who grew up with the playoff Mariners (who were born somewhere around late 80s) don't have it near as bad because we got to see a great stretch as we grew into our fandom.
Then you have the younger generation, who went their entire fandom without ever seeing the playoffs. There are people who have written for this site, or still do, that were in diapers back in 2001... if they were even around yet. 2022 was their first time ever seeing the playoffs. That can be hard to handle.
Add in the fact that the team seems to never improve, and it's easy to lose hope.
However, notice that I said seem.
Reason #1 to Stay: A willingness to play the long game
We move on to the positives now, as I always believe it's better to end on a strong note than to finish by dwelling on the negatives. It can be hard as a fan to "trust the process" and deal with all the "54%" stuff that we heard about. Yet, we as Mariners fans find ourselves in a great position, especially to any of those moments from the past 20 or so years.
Think about it. A farm system that is pushing the top 10, a young core, and a team that is pushing as a top 10 team in baseball. It's a good spot to be in.
Even this offseason, they laid out their plan for how to improve. They wanted to remove strikeouts from the lineup, and go with more of a plate control ideal. It hasn't been a massive change, but Garver/Raley/Haniger strike out less than Murphy/Kelenic/Teo. Same goes for Urias compared to Geno.
It sounds like there is still another move or two to be made as well for the Mariners this offseason. They are taking their time, not reacting in a brash manner, and getting the best values possible instead of reacting too emotionally and losing deals. That's a big reason why...
Reason #2 to Stay: This is the best position the team has been in, in decades
I mentioned it a bit earlier, but the team is in a really good spot right now. The core and the stars are young, or at least on the right side of 30. You take a look around the team, and you have to start with the pitching staff. Castillo, Kirby, Gilbert, Woo+Miller. Thats insane, and they are all under control for a long time.
Shoot, If GIlbert turns up this year like I predicted above, would it be possible to have three Mariners starting pitchers receive Cy Young votes? Castillo and Kirby were both in the top 4 when the calendar turned to September last year. There is a reason why the rotation is lauded by so many.
Let's drop down and talk about the prospects. Although they aren't the best farm system in baseball like they were a few years ago, you've seen a lot of players graduate and have massive impacts on this team at the Major League level. After all that, they are still a top ten farm system, and have a shot at 6 players making the top 100 this year. A strong international class headlined by Felnin Celesten and Lazaro Montes last year brought it up, and when you add last year's three first-round picks from the draft, it's a wonderful position to be in.
Then we have Cal Raleigh. Having a stud catcher behind the plate that can hit decent, drop bombs at any given moment, and does a great job managing the staff is a joy that few teams have. Crawford is your "old" guy in the core, but looks like he is entering his prime after an insane 2023 season that saw him as the second best shortstop in all of baseball on the offensive side of the ball.
You may have noticed I missed one person, here. Fear not, as he gets his own slide.
Reason #3 to Stay: JULIOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Superstar factor
I don't know what it is, but somehow, the Mariners have had more than their fair share of Superstar players. Not just stars, but Superstars.
Ken Griffey Jr.
Edgar Martinez
Alex Rodriguez
Randy Johnson
Ichiro Suzuki
Felix Hernandez
The newest member in that group is Julio Rodriguez. The Mariners continue to find players that change the game and put the baseball world on notice. For some of them, it didn't pan out to team success, as such is the world of baseball.
It makes being a fan so much fun though. If you can tell me that you didn't enjoy it nearly every time that the Big Unit or King Felix stepped on the mound, I'll willingly call you a liar ala Bill Simmons to Roger Goodell. Or having to stop what you were doing to not just pay attention to an At Bat, but to fixate on it when Edgar, A-Rod, Griffey, or Ichiro stepped up to the plate.
We aren't just talking about great players here. We are talking about all-timers. Players who go down in history. The ones who create fans of a team.
That's Julio Rodriguez.
There is an argument that he is still 3-5 years away from his prime. That usually doesn't happen until 27-29, and Julio just turned 23. It's not just that he is amazing. It's that he should continue to get better. It doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, when Julio is involved in a play, you just find yourself gravitating towards it.
I'll never leave this team. Even if Stanton cheaps out. Even if they don't make the playoffs for another ten years. I don't think it'll happen, nor do I want to see them fail, but I'll be here for all of it. Let's hope you will too.