The M’s Of 2015 Are Doomed
The writing is on the wall, the fat lady has left the building, or put simply– it’s over folks. The Seattle Mariners of 2015 are done and they are not going to the playoffs let alone the World Series either despite the expectations of almost everyone, including me.
It’s time to for Jack Zduriencik and company take a long hard look in the mirror and do what’s best for this franchise right now. That would be to replenish a depleted minor league system by selling off the teams major league trading chips.
The good news for the Mariners is they still have a pretty solid core lineup, a solid rotation, and there are lots of contending teams that would love to have a few of their surplus players that are about to leave them anyway. That makes the M’s in somewhat of an enviable situation in that they get to name their price to a certain point. Let’s take a look at who should go.
Hisashi Iwakuma
Pending free agency, the M’s would be wise to cash in on Iwakuma now.
The M’s import starter has been stellar this year other than one start, his first, when he came off the DL. No reasonable person can hold that against him. Hisashi Iwakuma sports an ERA of 4.50 which is a bit deceptive. That first start off the DL I mentioned inflated it severely. In his next three starts he gave up a total of 4 runs.
Iwakuma is likely the Mariners best trading chip. Every contender could use an extra starter, especially one as good and experienced as Iwakuma is. The fact that Iwakuma is a free agent and is unlikely to re-sign with the M’s beyond 2015 makes it an excellent decision move him.
Fernando Rodney
As funny as it might seem to Mariners’ fans, Fernando Rodney does have some trade value. Just like Iwakuma, Rodney is a free agent at the end of the year and there is zero chance he’ll be re-signed by the M’s for the following season(s).
For all his struggles this year, Rodney still has great stuff. He throws 97 MPH for heaven’s sake and he’s recorded 149 saves over the past 3+ seasons. Rodney has a lot of experience as a reliever and teams that want to make a run want to add guys that have that kind of experience.
Jackson has never looked comfortable in Seattle (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Austin Jackson
For whatever the reasons, Austin Jackson has just not found a home in Seattle. Maybe he’s not comfortable here. Maybe it’s the stadium. Maybe he doesn’t like the Moose. It really doesn’t matter at this point.
What does matter is that Jackson is a free agent at the end of the season and I really don’t see him wanting to come back to the Mariners. Jackson is also a career .272 hitter and plays at an above average level in the outfield. He’s a great chip to unload if you are the M’s.
Logan Morrison
Logan Morrison has been extremely streaky in his time with the Mariners. He seems to go from red-hot to ice-cold every couple of weeks or so at the plate. His defense is just average but I have to admit he’s been better defensively in 2015 than I expected him to be.
Unlike the others on this list, Morrison has one more year of relative “cheapness” to go. In 2016 he’ll be eligible for salary arbitration for the final time before becoming a free agent in 2017. To a potential M’s trade partner that means they aren’t just getting Morrison for the remainder of the year.
So why trade LoMo if you are the M’s? Well, it’s because you have Mark Trumbo on your roster too. Contract wise, he’s in the exact same situation as Morrison. You don’t need both and I believe Trumbo to be the better player.
Trumbo can play in a corner outfield spot, if necessary, although I’d rather see him at first because he’s not too fluid out there. LoMo can play in the outfield too but he’s even worse out there and would be at great risk of injury to his surgically repaired knees. Offensively, Trumbo has batted .295 over the last month with the M’s whereas Morrison has batted just .138. Do you see the difference now?
Final Thoughts
This list is hardly all encompassing. J.A. Happ has been a great starter and is a free agent. He’s certainly trade bait. Dustin Ackley, Seth Smith, and Franklin Gutierrez all have value on the trade market too.
With the M’s still around 10 games back and with three teams to run down, it just makes sense to throw in the towel. The core of Kyle Seager, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Felix Hernandez is certainly something that will still be there and can be built upon in 2016.
