Design Flaws

 

The HVH Mariner Machine in design for 2027 runs on the steam of fans' anger from 2026.

By Stevil, 28 November, 2026.

Most fans would agree that the Mariners were a mess last season. Our offseason plan listed twelve new names for the active roster, plus several more for depth. When you have a mess, you clean it up, right? They talked about the need for a change of culture themselves, though they need more than just that. They need an overhaul. We know the positions that should be open for changes, but many of the individual areas of concern often get overlooked. Base running, weighted on base average, runs scored (no, really), outs above average and defensive runs saved, reliever pitch values (especially fastballs and sliders), holds and blown saves, leadership, focus, and enthusiasm, or even pride, are all worthy of discussion for improvement, if nothing else. 

Spitting out the rankings would be boring and no one would be surprised to learn that the team was in the bottom-third, to put it softly, in most of those areas...often closer to the bottom of that bottom-third. What can't be ranked might be the best known of the concerns. To be clear, I'm talking about the manager, coaches, and clubhouse energy and atmosphere.

There's no such thing as a perfect offseason plan by fans, regardless of their amateur status. It's pretty much impossible to find players that check all the boxes and are actually available. However, zeroing in on players that would address at least a couple of needs each could make a world of a difference and that's what we attempted to do, however ridiculous some ideas might seem. 

But how does the Mariner front office view things? One thing that baffled me was the seemingly lack of understanding of how to play to their foundational strength, which of course was the pitching. It still is. Will that be the focal point of what they do moving forward?

The determination, or stubbornness, to count on Young, Emerson, Montes, and Arroyo to contribute meaningfully was also surprising. Young arguably worked out, but that doesn't mean the plan was sound. They completely whiffed last offseason. The blue print was flawed. From the lack of leverage arms to the lopsided bench and lack of defensive concern. Even if Donovan had been healthy, how wise was it to ask him to handle third regularly--a position he hadn't played much at all in the majors? That same strategy backfired with Garver in 2023, signing him to a two-year deal to DH, which was a role he had never held full-time. I don't even need to mention the platoons. Have they finally learned, though?

In the coming days the Mariners will probably name their manager and they apparently aren't willing to wait to potentially interview personnel currently with the Rays and Brewers. Yeah, that's odd.  Will the moves that follow reflect a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses? Will they fill the holes with unripe prospects and unexciting names that represent a floor-over-ceiling approach, or will they look more towards the future, aiming higher by targeting younger players with experience or sky-high ceilings outside of the organization at the expense of limited-controlled pitching and/or prospects? 

A Daniel Kramer article from 5 October suggests there is no plan to overhaul the roster. If that proves to be the case, we're looking at extensive in-house gambling and a strong likeliness of more mediocrity. Not the direction I've hoped for, but one more year of the same general shortcomings we've become accustomed to seeing may lead to a change of direction at the top. Hopefully it won't come to that, but their strategy for success hasn't worked. Something has to give--soon.