Debbie Downer

It's fun to be excited about the Mariners and young stars like Julio Rodriguez, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby...but there is a long-standing problem that remains

Going into this season I was very excited about the Mariners. I wrote a blog post about how I felt the Mariners would win the AL West (https://seattlesportsmachine.substack.com/p/what-could-go-wrong?s=w). The blog post was a bit tongue in cheek, but I really did think that the Mariners would contend for the division…then the season started.

I should have realized we were in for a long season when John Stanton went on KJR and talked about the business plan of making sure we keep our prospects when he was asked bluntly why they did not spend more money in free agency. Listen to the Softy interview starting at 5:45 (https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/softy-dick/seattle-mariners-owner-john-buL8eP7SkWD).  When you are 22nd in payroll in Major League Baseball and you’re getting outbid by other teams when you have the resources that the Mariners do, it comes from a lack of wanting to do whatever it takes to win. The Mariners would argue there is a case of not making a big move in free agency. Kris Bryant has been injured, Marcus Semien had a very slow start, and Trevor Story is just starting to heat up so maybe not doing a big free agent signing was the smart move. However, I doubt the Mariners were not jumping in because they didn’t believe in any of those players; Mariners ownership just didn’t want to spend the money. In the interview they kept saying that Jerry DiPoto runs the baseball side, but it doesn’t seem like he has carte blanche to sign whoever he wants. I would think this year’s team would have more depth if that was the case. The focus from Stanton was on keeping our prospects; our cheap and team controlled prospects.

This attitude even flows through the teams media. Mike Salk angered some fans on social media with his comments on Kyle Seager. He was pumped about the play of Eugenio Suarez, but it turned into a weird tangent, bad mouthing Kyle Seager. I could probably just dismiss this as a sports broadcaster making a bad take.  However, Kyle Seager was an average player who played here for a decade. Why would a broadcaster from the station of the Mariners bad mouth a guy who spent so many years in the city and doesn’t play here anymore? It is because the Mariners front office hated him for his contract. As much as it would be nice to say Mike Salk was just excited about Suarez, in reality it was more likely a move to kiss up to the Mariners front office. I am not a huge Kyle Seager fan, but it wasn’t even that bad of a contract. Jerry DiPoto hated how the Seager contract limited his room to maneuver. A good team would have just ate the money or traded Kyle Seager for peanuts but the Mariners are a special kind of cheap.

I’ve lived in the greater Seattle area for my entire life and one thing I have always hated about people in the city is the total indifference about the local teams. The impression from some of the local leadership that sports teams do not bring any cultural value is still prevalent. That attitude emboldens leadership like the Mariners brass to not have to do what it takes to win a championship. People can claim otherwise, but years ago Stanton felt comfortable alienating sports fans by calling the only potential arena solution to bring basketball back at the time an “ugly house”. It’s why the station of the Mariners bad mouths a former player who played for the team for a decade. There is no pressure on this team to win.

The Mariners are not just Seattle’s team. The Mariners are a regional team. I spent almost every summer in Alaska in high school and early college and found that almost anyone I talked to loved the Mariners. Oregon loves the Mariners. Eastern Washington and Idaho love the Mariners. Not only do the Mariners have a large regional fanbase, but the fans are loyal despite the years of futility. This fanbase could be even bigger if the ownership of the Mariners did what it takes to win a title. The Mariners don’t see that opportunity.  The Mariners ownership just wants to do the bare minimum to make sure that people keep going to that beautiful ballpark they got for free.

I do understand the Mariners have had some bad luck this year but the margins were too razor thin for a team with the potential of the Mariners. Having the number one farm in baseball means nothing if you don’t win it all. In the KJR interview John Stanton kept talking about being positioned to make the playoffs.  The goal is not the playoffs. The goal is a championship and while this year is not likely the year to win it all, the Mariners are going to need to do whatever it takes to get there in the very near future. If that means overpaying some free agents this offseason that is what will have to be done. If it means trading away a great prospect for MLB all-star talent, DiPoto will need to have the green light to make that move. Making the playoffs on the cheap is a great for business but there is a whole region demanding more. Until the Mariners leadership is willing to spend the money to act like a sports franchise that cares about winning they will continue to be the “ugly house” of Seattle sports.