3 rumors that could be disastrous for the Mariners

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As Mariners sit and stew about ownership being greedy and not spending, other teams are rumored to be active and aggressive in trying to make another push for the playoffs and even another World Series. The Mariners arguably have the best roster to build around in all of baseball, if ownership would just open up the payroll and commit to winning. If you aren't committed to spending at least a little bit, while guys like George Kirby, Cal Raleigh, Logan Gilbert and even Julio are relatively cheap, then I don't have any confidence that you as an ownership group are committed to actually winning.

Thank you @RyanDivish.

Either show us you’re broke, or commit to winning, Mr. Stanton. https://t.co/WIw9RthQS2 pic.twitter.com/0aSBKoPclp
— Jage (@thejagepage) December 12, 2023

While Jerry Dipoto is working hard to try and build a roster with certain budget constraints, teams like the Astros, Angels, Rangers, and Blue Jays are running payroll numbers approaching or topping $200 million. The Mariners are at a disadvantage financially, but that is ownership's fault, as they could very well afford to increase the payroll. As Ryan Divish said in his recent article in the Seattle Times, "Let's be clear, the Mariners aren't broke or leveraged. They have money. They make money." With the Mariners and Dipoto facing an uphill battle against ownership, these rumors could make life even hard for a team trying to make it back to the playoffs.

Jordan Montgomery to the Rangers

The Rangers pitching last year was abysmal, that is until they got Jordan Montgomery, who took over and led that staff to a World Series. He is the most consistent pitcher in a staff full of inconsistencies in Nathan Eovalid, Max Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom. In his time with the Rangers, he went 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA and an impressive 7.7 K/9 and elite 1.7 BB/9. Montgomery was really good for the Rangers down the stretch and provided a lot of stability for a rotation and bullpen that badly needed it during its postseason run.

The Rangers offense is elite, they don't need a lot of help on that side of the ball. If there were able to add a starting pitcher that has combined for over 10 fWAR over the last 3 years that would be a huge addition for them. Prior to his addition, the Rangers didn't really have a pitcher that could go toe-to-toe with any of the Mariner's starters. While the Mariners staff as a whole, is better than the Rangers, Montgomery is a very good starter.

Ideally for the Mariners, Montgomery gets a really good offer from another team really pushing to compete this year, maybe even a big market team like the Dodgers, Giants, or Cubs. Perhaps the teams that lose out on Yamamoto will turn to Montgomery and get him out of the AL West, that would help the Mariners out a ton.

Cody Bellinger to the Blue Jays

While the Blue Jays are not in the Mariners division, this one could prove to be a real dagger. The Blue Jays were reportedly in late stage talks with Shohei Ohtani, so they obviously have no issue adding to the payroll. With a rotation already featuring Gausman, Berrios, Chris Bassit, and Kikuchi, they have a solid staff. Adding a bat like Bellinger to an already potent lineup featuring Bichette, Vlad, and other dangerous hitters could be the nail in the Mariners coffin.

The Mariners will be fighting for a wild card berth, and hopefully a division title. The team that finished 1 game ahead of them in the wild card was the Toronto Blue Jays. Bellinger would most certainly add a win or 2 to this team and cost the Mariners a few spots, especially if they aren't willing to spend to compete.

The best-case scenario for the Mariners, in regard to the Bellinger sweepstakes, is that he returns to the Chicago Cubs. Really, him going to any team in the National League would be a huge win for the Mariners as he would have little impact on their opportunity to make it to the postseason.

The Mariners only add "One and a half bats."

This one is going to be the most talked about this offseason. This could also prove to be the biggest offseason mistake the Mariners could possibly make. The Mariners have got rid of 3 relatively big bats from last season and were already 1 short. The Mariners are in a position where Luis Urias is almost certainly going to be the opening day third baseman. You then have 2 corner outfield spots and a DH hole to fill, so adding only "one and a half bats" is going to put you in a similar position as last year but with Urias at third instead of Geno, which I don't know if you are better.

I truly think for the Mariners to be in a better situation you need two and a half bats at a minimum. If you add a solid DH like Jorge Soler, a capable outfield like Lourdes Gurriel, then a platoon partner like Robbie Grossman, or ideally, Tommy Pham, I think you can say you are better than last year. It would give you a solid lineup, with a solid floor and some very high upside. A lineup something like JP, Julio, Soler, Cal, Gurriel, France, Canzone/Pham, Urias, Rojas I think is a little better than last year with a higher floor.

The Mariners are facing a very critical offseason, one that will see a lot of Mariners fans rally around a team and a town desparate for a winning team. On the flip side, botching this offseason could see a lot of Mariners fans turn on the ownership group like they have in the past when ownership did not commit to winning. This will make or break a lot of Mariners fandom for the team, and if John Stanton and the rest of the ownership group were smart, they would invest in this team and town that is a sleeping giant, ready to become a baseball town.

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