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Just how bad could things get for the 2024 Mariners? Here's what the floor could look like
If things go wrong, and we mean WRONG, just how bad could they get? Here is a look at the floor for the Mariners if things go bad in 2024
We had a feeling didn't we? After a brutal September collapse that saw the Seattle Mariners sitting at home watching the Astros and Rangers play for championships, we thought this, this is the floor.
Then we saw the end-of-season press conference by Jerry Dipoto, and the ensuing media backlash and mockery of the franchise for the 54% quotes and telling fans to be grateful. Ok, this has to be the floor, right?
Then free agency started and the years of dreaming about Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell as Mariners were dashed. This hurts, finally the flo…
And then, we find out that the Mariners are broke! John Stanton and company are not technically broke, actually far from it. The slow and painful death of regional sports networks and bad business decisions have essentially tanked Root, as well as the local TV providers jacking up the prices for fans in the local market. Essentially ownership put a ton of eggs in a rotten basket, and now that the franchise appears ready to take off, ownership has clipped leadership’s wings. Please make it stop, the floor, this has to be the floor!
We had a feeling, despite all the good that came from most of 2021, 2022, and 2023, a reckoning was coming. A reckoning for this franchise, its players, coaches, leadership and fans. This year felt like it had to be a jump, or people would start jumping ship.
This is the 2024 Seattle Mariners season, if they hit the floor
First Half: We Need A Medic!
The season starts fine enough. A moderately easy schedule had Seattle with a 2 game lead heading into May over the Astros and Rangers, but considering those two clubs' health issues, it felt like the team didn't quite capture the moment. This miss would come back to haunt Seattle, as they began to feel the effects of their brittle roster.
It was one thing when one of the newly acquired hitters went down, it was a completely different game when one of the core stars on both offense and the pitching went down.
It became clear that while the starting pitching was elite, the health of it would either make or break the season. Julio was fantastic, finishing 3rd in MVP voting, but the supporting cast just couldn't support enough with a pitching staff that wasn't dominant. While it was glorious to see Mitch Haniger back, we were painfully reminded why he has never been able to become the star he could have been. We were reminded that guys like Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco are great role players, but not guys that should be asked to hit 3rd and 4th on a championship lineup. The weight of expectations met the Injured List hard, making for a cruel sinking ship feeling during the summer.
By July, the starting staff was weathered, and fans were loud and angry after watching Blake Snell tear up the National League yet again, starting in the All Star game. The offense, after seeing 8 of their starters miss time, were ranked 9th in the American League and fading fast.
Second Half: Sinking Ship
By the deadline, the Mariners were 4 games behind Houston for the last wildcard spot, and 7 back of Texas for the division. Even though it was clear the Mariners needed an arm and a bat to get back in the race, they stood pat at the deadline. We were faced with another week of fans pissed off at ownership while Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander claimed no deal would've made their club better.
Unlike last year where a quiet deadline was followed by a surge, this year led to the end of an era. The players grew loud again with their frustrations. The vibes were rough and came to an unceremonious end on September 15th when the Mariners were swept at home by the Texas Rangers. The season was over, with no playoffs for the second straight year. On the following day, it was announced that neither Jerry Dipoto nor Scott Servais would be back with the Mariners next year.
The Seattle Mariners, in classic fashion, got hot and won 10 of their last 12 to finish 85-77, missing the playoffs by just a few games, yet again. Once again they had to watch the Astros and Rangers destroy the rest of the American League, go 7 games again in the ALCS, and watch the Astros get one last damn championship again, beating the San Francisco Giants (with Jorge Soler, Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman, and Snell) in the Fall Classic.
SMACK! Hopefully that's the floor that we just hit.
With another disappointing season, the Mariners head into a new era as they look for new leadership. Fans and likely players too are skeptical as to how the team can get better, if the financial concerns from ROOT Sports continue to cloud over the franchise.
Mariners fans have the greatness of Julio Rodriguez, and a decent team, but they are stuck in mediocrity, and the only way out may be praying the next crop of prospects help Seattle make a jump. You look around and realize that in the matter of a half decade, you've become a small market team.
SMACK! The floor just gave out and we're in the basement!
We had a feeling didn't we?
Here's to hoping this is all 100% wrong.