The Mariners Will Be Seaworthy With a Little TLC
The Mariners made a serious run for the postseason in September. After twenty-plus years of toiling away in mediocrity and anonymity, they finally caught the nation’s attention as a respectable contender – if only for a moment. Their hopes for a Wild Card spot were dashed after they dropped two games out of three against the Angels in the season’s last series. Still, they were on a roll in September and finished with 90 wins for the first time since 2003. They did it without Ichiro, without King Félix – without any names most people would recognize, really. Their ensemble cast proved to be greater than the sum of its parts – but their front office was, and remains, a malignant tumor sucking the life out of the clubhouse.
Last offseason, a lot of front office dysfunction was brought into public view with comments from their disgraced ex-CEO Kevin Mather. Mather candidly rambled about manipulating players’ service times in a concerted effort by the team to torpedo their earning potentials. He also showed a callous disdain for his employees by spewing derogatory comments about Julio Rodríguez and Hisashi Iwakuma, forgetting Luis Torrens’ name, and complaining about having to pay interpreters. He was forced to fall on his sword and resign over his out-of-touch remarks, but it seems that he’s not the only one in Mariners’ upper management to not have his finger on the pulse of the clubhouse (or nation).
Now-free agent third baseman Kyle Seager had some interesting things to share with Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times about his relationship with general manager Jerry Dipoto:
“We haven’t had a conversation in years, probably four years. We don’t communicate at all. Not even passing by in the hall. If he spoke to my agent or anything like that, I haven’t heard anything.”
Keep in mind that Seager has arguably been the Mariners’ most important player in those four years, yet Dipoto never so much as said hello to him during that entire time. It doesn’t seem like Seager is simply exaggerating or speaking out of anger, either, because he went on to say:
“(Dipoto is) not obligated or anything to tell me one way or the other. You have to prepare like you’re not going to be here. The writing’s been on the wall for a while. There’s nobody left from when I first got here. That’s not uncommon with a regime change. You bring in your own guys. You do your own thing.”
There isn’t anything malicious about Seager’s comments – he’s simply telling it like it is. He knows there’s very little chance he’s going to wake up a Mariner on Opening Day next year. Dipoto’s disinterest in maintaining any sort of working relationship with Seager, coupled with Mather’s damning comment that Seager was “probably overpaid”, make it seem pretty obvious that the Mariners are inexplicably excited about him leaving. This disdain for Seager certainly isn’t shared by those in the clubhouse. Shortstop J.P. Crawford teared up when talking about what being teammates with Seager has meant to him. Outfielder Mitch Haniger tweeted, “When damn near every teammate is crying, you know how beloved a guy is. Kyle Seager you are the man.” And of course, when he was pulled in game 162 to receive a fan ovation, the man himself shed a few tears. His batting average was down this year and he’s not getting any younger, but the longest-tenured Mariner will surely be the youngest member of the Mariners Hall of Fame one day.
Before even getting to any roster moves the Mariners should make in the offseason to get themselves over the hump, they need to address the PR problems with their own players. In any relationship, if each side has contempt for each other, it’s probably not a healthy situation. Dipoto has made quite a few good moves to reinvigorate this team, and he certainly has a good work ethic as his past trade discussions from a hospital bed will attest to.
However, you can be good at making business decisions and bad at treating your employees like human beings. and Seager’s comments seem to point that Dipoto belongs in this camp. If ownership decides to keep Dipoto on board long-term, he will have to extend an olive branch to the clubhouse and remind them that they’re all there (front office and players) to help the Mariners win ballgames at the end of the day.
If the Mariners are able to clean up their act, whether that means making personnel changes or not, there will still be the issue of roster decisions to make. Assuming Seager departs, Abraham Toro, Dylan Moore and Shed Long Jr. will all be on hand as in-house candidates to take reps at second and third base. That’s not the worst mix, but Long is a wild card and Moore is most valuable filling in all over the diamond, so there’s plenty of room for an outside addition. Eduardo Escobar, a powerful switch-hitter who can play both positions, would be an ideal free agent target. Escobar could also play a little first base to allow Ty France to DH more often. With the outfield situation pretty well spoken for – Julio Rodríguez is still waiting in the wings, after all – a big bat in the infield is practically a necessity for Seattle, whether it’s in the form of a free agent or trade acquisition.
The pitching staff, particularly the bullpen, was a net strength for the Mariners this season – but it’s full of guys who arguably overperformed. A reclamation project akin to what James Paxton was supposed to be this year could add some veteran upside to the rotation. Perhaps that means trying again with Paxton. With the Mariners current competitive cycle opening up,they might (should) want to go for someone who can provide a bit more stability. They might not be big-game hunting for the likes of Max Scherzer, but someone in the tier of Carlos Rodón or Marcus Stroman should be a legitimate possibility. The Mariners are on the cusp of long-term relevancy – now is the time for them to invest in their players, both in terms of payroll and image-repairing.
-Michael Swinehart
