A State of the Mariners Address Instead of the Q&A That Was Promised

By Stevil, August 4th, 2023

At the end of June, the Mariners barely had a pulse. We had endured three months of the most frustrating inconsistency and it was all but certain that the team would sell at the deadline.

And that's what they did. 

Though we didn't see a mass exodus of veterans, we saw fan-favorite and bullpen anchor, Paul Sewald, moved for three players, two of which were immediately added to the active roster with the hope that they can help both now and in the future. More on that in a minute.

To our surprise, and probably to the surprise of many, Teo stuck around. He was never going to net much in return, but his 48 wRC+ in July may have made moving him without cash involved all but impossible. So be it. He's not a QO candidate at the moment, so this wasn't about draft pick compensation, and an extension might be even less likely. But Seattle's 2024 outfield, barring an offseason trade, appears to be set with Kelenic, Julio, Marlowe, and Canzone. That should surprise some people, not because of the specific names, but because they have names so suddenly.  

That's not the biggest surprise, though. It's the fact that Seattle won 65% of their games in July and are still alive in the wild card race that's the real surprise. This may or may not prove to be sustainable, but any stretch of success is and will be welcomed. 

This recent success is largely due to Suárez awaking from his coma, Julio having his best month this season (by far), and the emergence of Cade Marlowe, who had ridden an incredible hitting streak right up until the day Kelenic fractured his foot, and has done nothing short of impress since his call-up.

The Mariners needed a spark and they got one. They might get a further boost with the return of Sam Haggerty, who has posted video game numbers over his last 12 games, 59 PAs (1.554 OPS; 252 wRC+) in Tacoma. The question is, how would he fit? Would Seattle option Caballero? Perhaps they'll stall until September and see if health dictates roster moves before then. Second base is still the shakiest position despite Wong's release. Ty France had a tough July  overall, but he's been considerably better the last week and a half. 

Marco hasn't begun a throwing program, so it's probably safe to assume his return this season is unlikely. The pitching is still their strength, even with the blow to the bullpen. We've believed Hancock would eventually replace Woo in the rotation, but Jerry seems bent on keeping him up for the duration, so we might see a 6-man rotation in September, rather than an extra reliever. It's fair to wonder how many of these young relievers are going to have the gas to get through another couple of months. 

If anyone's curious, we're still not very optimistic. Even if the team somehow sneaks into the playoffs, they're not a serious World Series contender. But as some will say, it's better to be lucky than good, and we would love to be surprised. 

That's all for now.