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3 Reasons why I'm frustrated about the Mariners deadline, and 3 reasons I'm happy
The Mariners are making their way into August, and have started off on a strong note taking the series against the red Sox with a 2-1 series win. They've continued to chip away, and find themselves waking up on August 3rd with a record of 56-52, 6 games back of the division-leading Rangers and 3.5 games back of the Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot.
Not bad for a team that so many claim to be having a massive failure of a season.
The team could be doing better. I don't think that it's crazy or outlandish to say so. Kolten Wong, who I long defended, was recently DFA'd. Teo just hasn't been as good as anyone expected, and if he was any semblance of what he was for the Blue Jays, the record and offense would be in a much better spot.
Teo and Wong were two of the reasons that I thought the Mariners were going to be more involved at the trade deadline. We had heard rumors that the Mariners were open to trading not just Paul Sewald, but Teo and Ty France as well. With their strong starting pitching, there was even rumors that they would trade one of them away to try and find a solid and controllable hitter to improve their lineup.
When the dust settled, it ended up being just Paul Sewald that left the team. It was a nice return, and I still think that the Mariners got the W in that deal with the Diamondbacks. I want to dive into why I'm disappointed with how the deadline ended up going for the Mariners... and why I'm also okay with it and think that might have been the right move.
Disappointed Reason #1: This team needed more hitting
This has been the biggest gripe all season with the team, and arguably for quite a while. It stems from Wong and Teo, two additions that really did seem like they were going to help the team. Instead, Wong looked broken and was arguably the worst hitter in baseball. He had an OPS+ of 34 and 44 total bases.
Sorry, i just threw up a little bit.
Teo hasn't been impressive either. He's played passable defense and has a 1.0 WAR, but we need a lot more from him. The league leading strikeouts don't help, either.
There were hitters out there, and ones that seemed reasonably available. The only additions to the team came in the Sewald trade, and maybe they can be enough to make us all look dumb and say "Trader Jerry has done it again". But for now, I really wanted another proven hitter added onto the team.
Disappointed Reason #2: A strong farm system
The Mariners just had three first round picks, and there is an argument to be made that the team has a top ten, possibly pushing into the 5-8 range, farm system. That's a lot of strength and depth that they could've used to trade for a proven hitter. I don't necessarily like trading away prospects, but getting an impact bat would've been a wonderful feeling to have. With their depth, maybe losing a few of our top ten guys would've been palatable to push for the playoffs again.
Disappointed Reason #3: The Rangers, Angels, and Astros made big moves
I think this is why the possible inactivity hurts. We saw the Rangers add Scherzer, Verlander go back to the Astros, and the Angels make a couple of moves to bolster both their staff and lineup. The Mariners traded away Sewald and obtained Josh Rojas, Dominic Cazone, and Ryan Bliss. Can Rojas and Canzone be impactful enough the remainder of the year? That remains to be seen. If not, it's going to seem like a big miss to not improve at all when the other three teams made big deals.
Happy Reason #1: I still believe in Teo... I think
He's been such a good hitter in Toronto, that I have to think the remainder of his season is going to be closer to that and what he did in June (.303/.376/.573) as opposed to July (.200/.248/.286). If Teo ends up hitting closer to June, he is going to be a big factor in the Mariners making a run towards their second straight playoff berth.
Also, he is likely going to be able to get a good contract after the season ends, although I don't know that it would be from the Mariners. It's possible they hit him with the Qualifying Offer, thinking that someone will give up the pick to take him onto their team with a new deal. That's honestly probably what the Front Office wants, to get a pick out of what was essentially a rental.
For now, I believe in Teo. I think he will be just fine for the rest of the season.
Happy Reason #2: A strong farm system
Yup, I know that was the same reason as Reason #2 in the other slide. However, it does seem more Dipoto/Hollinger-like to not panic and make a deal that they don't believe that they are winning. They made the Castillo move last year, and you had to think that they knew they were going to be able to re-sign him.
This had to be a situation where the Mariners were calling around trying to grab a hitter from someone, and everyone either wanted too much from a decently strong Mariners system, or they wanted a MLB-level pitcher. Those are two things that the brass just isn't going to do.
Happy Reason #3: This will finally be the year that they spend money on a hitter
It wasn't that long ago that the team dropped a fair amount of money on Robbie Ray. Sure, he's had some rought outings (who hasn't). He came into 2023 with an increased velo on his stuff, and looked ready to not necessarily duplicate 2021, but to pitch as a great #2 pitcher. One TJ surgery later early in the season, and he's out.
I believe, and I will believe it every year, that the Mariners are going to make a splash in Free Agency this year. I think that it ties into Reason #1. Teo does well and walks, they get the pick, and they have that money available to spend on an outfielder. I don't know that I believe the team would fork that money out for Shohei, even though I think it would be awesome. Could it be Lourdes Gurriel? Cody Bellinger? Harrison Bader? Michael Conforto? There are some pretty good options potentially out there.
After having some time to think about it, I am slightly leaning towards being okay with how the deadline went. We always want the team to get better, but mortgaging the future can be tough. I just hope they can do something this Winter, because the pitching staff is great and this team is ready.