Mariners' roster starting to take shape after fan favorite sent to Tacoma

After acquiring Samad Taylor from the Kansas City Royals this offseason, many a Mariners fan was left wondering "did we just pull off a heist in getting Taylor from the Royals"? He was a speedster with a bit of power, and he could play second and the outfield. Essentially, he was Moore or Haggerty. Less power than Moore, but more speed than either of them.

The Mariners didn't even really have to send anything to the Royals, as the PTBNL ended up being 23-year old Natanael Garabitos, a reliever with big control issues who hasn't been above A ball. Taylor instantly shined for the Mariners in Spring Training, as the 25-year-old would hit .300/.353/.533 with 2 HR and 3 SB in 14 games.

Samad Taylor was sent to AAA to start the season for the Tacoma Rainiers

Unfortunately for Taylor (and those who were rooting for him), it wasn't meant to be... at least not yet. The Mariners optioned him to AAA Tacoma on Saturday, keeping him around nearly as long as possible before making the move. Some of us thought that he had a shot to take over from Moore, but with an option for Taylor and none for Moore, it made sense in the long term. Let Moore play, and if Taylor is doing great, he can come up to replace someone who is injured or to fill in after a trade.

Taylor wasn't the only one to be re-assigned Saturday. Emerson Hancock was sent to AAA, which makes total sense. He's trying to show that he can stay healthy, and getting regular starts in Tacoma is going to be the best way to do that. Especially since the Mariners have the best rotation in baseball as it is. If he can shine down there, it's going to be wonderful to see him remind the world why he used to be ranked up there with Kirby and Gilbert in prospect rankings.