Post-Op August

 

An inside look at T-Mobile's medical facility post-deadline. 

By Stevil, 1 August, 2025

The deadline has passed and Seattle is arguably better. How much better? Fans may be disappointed that there wasn't a leverage arm added, myself included, or that they added just one reliever. The focus had to be the pitching, it wasn't, and it wasn't likely enough. Getting Ferguson should help, but they're still going to be throwing several volatile arms at opponents and T-Mobile's medical facilities offer no patches to ensure sterilization. I mean, stabilization. T-Mobile is infamous for the former.  

Can Geno and Naylor help Seattle blast their way to and through the postseason? What can they do about the bullpen now? What should they do? Better yet (roll with this), what would HVHHH do? 

Seattle can do a little internal shuffling. We'll touch on that in a moment. What they can't do is expect miracles from players who have bleak vital signs. Electroshock therapy would be another idea, but perhaps rejuvenating the team the old fashioned way should be considered: plunking and walking opponent's stars, or picking fights to ensure their suspensions.

Kidding, but something has to give and a shake-up in their pitching strategy might do the trick, but that's more likely to happen after (if) they reach the postseason, in which they could feasibly use a starter for late relief and run with a four-man rotation. For now, watch for waiver claims as other teams DFA pitchers to make room for additions.

Speaking of additions, the additions of Geno and Naylor breathe life into a deflated fan base who have inhaled more than their fair share of hot air. Equally as important, it could jumpstart the team and mark the beginning of something spec....spectator-worthy. That has value. Time will tell how much that proves to be.

That's a wrap on the deadline. Here are some of the most common, and predictable, questions from the Paulistanos, Paulistas, one Carioca and one Mineiro...

Q: Did the Mariners do enough? 

A: In my opinion, no. Their number one need was a leverage arm and they didn't get that. Make no mistake, this team is better, but I really worry about the pitching--especially if Miller doesn't return, or returns and isn't productive. They may need to bring back Hancock as Evans is likely on an innings limit. 

It scares me that they spent on rentals and may still have trouble getting into the playoffs. But, I don't think it's fair to criticize the front office without knowing what the price tags were for targeted relievers. We know the Minnesota arms were ridiculously expensive. In fact, we know that they had shifted to pitching after the Naylor acquisition, so it appears they shifted back to Geno. 

That said, they really couldn't find an upgrade over Legumina? Sewald was acquired for a PTBNL or cash considerations!

Q: What more can they do now? 

A: Like I suggested in the post, which wasn't up at the time of this question, they can look for odd-men-out on waivers. It wouldn't surprise me if we see Troy Taylor back up at some point. He's been a lot better this month for Tacoma. If he can get back to 2024 form, that would be huge for Seattle. Robles should help in September. He's about to start a rehab assignment. Raley's a bigger question mark right now, but they don't need both Raley and Robles. 

Regarding pitching prospects that can help, I really don't know. Hobbs? Burgos was the only one who had my attention since June and he was sent to Arizona. 

Q: Why do you want Evans out of the rotation? He's been good!

A: It's not that I don't like him. He threw 107 innings last year. He's already at 105.2 this season. They need Miller back and they need him to be good. 

Q: Why was Williamson optioned in favor of Mastrobuoni!? (Edited for clarity)

A: I know some people thought Suárez should be the DH, but that never seemed likely. If Geno became the DH, a good bat, like Polanco, would have to sit and the upgrade in the lineup would be minimal. Williamson should be playing every day and he can do that in Tacoma. It's better to have Mastrobuoni sitting and he's more versatile. Geno's defense is perfectly fine, anyway. If they had kept Williamson, he likely would have only faced LHPs, but then more responsibility would be on Moore's shoulder as the fourth outfielder, backup shortstop and third baseman (presumably). I wondered if Taylor might have came up, but I perfectly understand them bringing back Mastro. 

Q: Why is Moore still on the team? He's been terrible.

A: I know Mariner World is full of experts that have all the definitive answers, and that sometimes influences fans as far away as Brasil. But sometimes they miss a key factor or three. 

Moore is their backup shortstop for JP. He can play every position on the field and he isn't used, nor needed, much at the plate. The positional flexibility alone is reason enough, but he's also the lone infielder on the bench with some pop. 

His PAs have looked better recently, and before anyone talks hits and strikeouts, I'd point out a quality PA isn't just the ultimate result. Making the pitchers work, driving the ball hard--even if foul--are all signs of value or a potential turnaround, regardless of how insignificant that may seem to the fans with zero front office or MLB organizational experience. 

Some moves puzzle me, too. That isn't one of them. Sometimes other reasons, such as hidden health or injury issues, attitude, or even family issues influence the decisions we see. If there's a takeaway from this, it's that there's a lot more going on than what we see. 

What really gets me is why--all season long--the players seemingly taking the most heat have been the bench bats that play infrequently. Brilliant. 

Q: What was the biggest surprise for you?

A: The fact that they ended up with less pitchers on the 40 than they had at the beginning of the month. They DFA'd Snider and traded Burgos. They added just Ferguson, so the depth took a hit. 

Other than that, looking at what they paid collectively for what they got, they didn't cough up as much as I would have expected for Geno, Naylor and Ferguson. Keyword: collectively. 

Oh, Houston getting Correa back was a surprise...an unpleasant surprise. 

Q: How do these moves affect the offseason?

A: I can't answer that. But I will say that I'd be thrilled if they can bring back Geno and Naylor, somehow. One potential positive is that Seattle increased their payroll to make these deadline deals happen. Have the complaints of the fans had an impact on ownership and will we see payroll increased moving forward? I certainly hope so. 

Q: What concerns you the most now?

A: The same things that concerned me the most before the deadline: the pitching and the bench. Worth noting, this lineup might be the best we've seen in the Dipoto-era. I love that. But they have trouble getting innings out of their number five starter and obviously have question marks in the bullpen, and asking more of them wouldn't be ideal. 

Other teams got better, as expected. I like (hate) what Detroit, Houston, Tampa and Texas did. I'm a little puzzled by some of New York's acquisitions, but they're still dangerous. Toronto didn't do much, but they addressed their biggest need (IMO) and they were already the best in the AL. 

I'll address more questions in the comments as they come. We're planning a watch party tonight, so there should be something to discuss that hasn't come up yet.