Rob Refsnyder reportedly chooses retirement over haunting Mariners as an Astro

For Mariners fans, it's tough to envision a scenario much worse than Rob Refsnyder regularly misfiring for the team at the plate. However, it turns out there was an alternative brewing in Houston, which could have potentially left the M's with egg on their face. More specifically, Refsnyder lighting up the skies for the Astros.

It's been a week since the Mariners finally admitted defeat and released Refsnyder, bringing to an end one of the most disappointing and historically bad tenures by a player in franchise history. This is no hyperbole either, as he put together a horrendous .140/.211/.254 slash line, .465 OPS and 34 OPS+ which contributed towards a career-worst -1.0 bWAR. That's right, at no point had he ever played worse during his 11 years in the majors, than in Seattle.

What was particularly galling for the Mariners was just how bad Refsnyder was versus left-handed pitching. Literally the main reason he was acquired by the M's was to hit southpaws, and yet his productivity looked nowhere close to his career averages, never mind what he achieved during his previous four seasons with the Red Sox:

As such, as per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, perhaps it should come as no surprise Refsnyder has apparently decided to retire. Although we'll admit our eyes bulged slightly when the Astros beat reporter added the juicy titbit, that the 35-year-old was close to agreeing a deal to sign in Houston.

Rob Refsnyder + the Astros = Potential trouble and embarrassment for the Mariners

Can you just imagine how much Mariners fans would have panicked if Refsnyder had actually signed, and with their biggest rivals in the division of all teams? We would contend the M's have suffered more misfortune than any other current franchise in the majors, so it's entirely feasible to foresee the 2012 fifth-round pick suddenly rediscovering his mojo and hitting lefties again.

In the end though, pending official confirmation from Refsnyder himself, he has taken a decision which was apparently in his thinking as far back as 2024. The rumors then resurfaced during the past offseason, but we can appreciate why he decided to sign with the Mariners, for a fully guaranteed $6.25 million, which is the most he has ever made in his professional career in one year.

In fairness to Refsnyder, the right knee inflammation which sent him to the Injured List at the end of June likely bothered him for longer than he let on, and you can only wonder how effective he might have been if fully healthy. Ultimately, it's a tough end to what was a solid career and we happily wish him all the best, especially with him deciding not to continue playing with the Astros.

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