The Bad, The Ugly...

 

HVH's Tommy Gunner takes aim at potential trade-targets to be named at a later date.

By Stevil, April 21st and 22nd, 2023

We're in game 20 of the season as I write this and things haven't gone as most people expected, so this might be a good time for a quick assessment. 

First, The bad...

Relief pitching

Seattle's relievers are in the bottom-third of runs allowed. The early loses of Muñoz to injury and Flexen to the rotation would have been more tolerable if Castillo, Brash, and Festa hadn't had their struggles. But they have. The bullpen isn't something we're too worried about long-term, but it would be irresponsible of us to ignore the early issues and concerns, which are the runs allowed in tight games.

The ugly...

Bench & Second Base

We don't need to talk about just how terrible the offense has been from the DH and 2B positions. La Stella and Wong are taking most of the heat, but the bench collectively has simply been horrendous.  Pollock came into tonight's game batting .111 with a .527 OPS. Haggerty has a .328 OPS. Hummel, .323 and Murphy, just .217. Not having Moore has stung.

Timely hits haven't come easily, as the record in one-run games and in extra innings reflect. Some of this may be nothing more than bad luck in a small sample size. But probably not all of it, and while it's too early to be talking about trades and alternatives (sorry, Tommy), we don't blame anyone for wondering how much rope some of these guys will get. The answer: Enough to hang a man (figuratively). 

And The Good...

Luis Castillo has pitched like an ace, Kelenic isn't just hitting for average, he's having excellent PAs and barreling the ball like a star veteran. Most of the regulars have been pretty good overall, and some reserve-relievers, specifically Topa and Speier, have been pleasant surprises. We also like what Caballero has done in the minors and the kind of contact he's made since his call-up. He, too, could be a pleasant surprise. Someone to watch while Moore is out.

It's early. Really, it is. But with Texas off to a hot start, LA not playing worse than Seattle, and Houston being capable of firing off at any moment, Jerry & Justin may not have the luxury of waiting till the deadline to pull the trigger on a deal. Our completely original advice for them: When it's time to shoot, shoot, don't talk.