Where The Fuck Has Brock Rodden Been All My Life?!

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So, it turns out Colt Emerson wasn’t actually demoted. Well, he would’ve been, but at the last minute, he let the team in on an injury he had been dealing with in secret, so now he’s on the 10-Day IL, with a verbal slap on that wrist, I’m sure. Might that explain his struggles? Only time will tell.

In his place, the Mariners called up Brock Rodden, a switch-hitting middle infielder to play short stop. I’ll be the first to admit, I wasn’t super familiar with him, other than seeing him with the Rainiers one time in person. In that game, he filled up the stat sheet with 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI, and a walk; seems pretty apropos.

In 3 games this past weekend, Brock Rodden has a higher WAR than Colt Emerson. Quick, someone sign him to $100 million deal!

What an incredible debut! His family is apparently from Oklahoma, so it was a hop and a skip down to Houston. They got to see – in his very first game – his first hit and RBI (a ground rule double, to tie the game at 5-5), and later on a sac fly to give the team a little extra innings insurance. It’s not his fault Andres Munoz blew it in the bottom of the 10th!

Rodden came back for more on Saturday, with another double, a walk, RBI, and run scored in a 10-5 romp by the Mariners. And, for good measure, on Sunday he went 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored in a vitally important 3-2 victory for the M’s to take the series. Should’ve been a sweep, but what are you gonna do?

All told, that’s 3 for 10 with two doubles, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored, and 3 walks (with 6 strikeouts, but that’s neither here nor there). Is that good? I’ve never watched baseball before in my life; is that any good?

This guy seems like the breath of fresh air we’ve been desperately yearning for, for quite some time.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say he’s not going to continue running out a 43% strikeout rate; that should start to hopefully normalize pretty soon here, to the 23% rate he was running in AAA throughout this season. Not that I’m complaining, because results are results! The Mariners could use 8 more Brock Roddens on this team!

As for this series, what can I say? George Kirby didn’t have it, but the offense picked him up, and the bullpen was nails until we got to Munoz. He gave up a few bleeders, and then the blast did him in. Just one of those years, I guess.

We bounced back with a strong Hancock start (7 innings, 2 runs, 8 strikeouts) and a huge offensive game. Cole Young had 3 hits including a 3-run blast; Donovan had 3 hits and 3 RBI, Canzone, Julio, Naylor, and Robles each had 2 hits.

Then, on Sunday, Woo had a quality road start (6 innings, 2 runs), and the bullpen (including Munoz) made it stick. Randy and Cal each had homers, and Canzone had an RBI single to limp over the finish line.

The downside, obviously, is that we didn’t get the sweep we needed to suck me back into this season. The plus side is that we picked up a game; so now we’re only 4 games back in the A.L. West. We’re 2.5 games behind the third wild card team, with half the fucking league in between us. And, as a cherry on top, tomorrow we go to Milwaukee to play the Brewers.

But, with Brock Rodden, anything is possible. ALL HAIL BROCK RODDEN! SLAYER OF KINGS! MOUNTER OF WOMEN! WARRIOR SWITCH HITTING GOD!

The Mariners Demoted Colt Emerson

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I’m usually more than happy to bash the organization when things go wrong, but I don’t blame the Mariners for this one. I blame the Mariners for losing another 2 out of 3, this time to the Yankees in New York, but not for Colt Emerson.

I thought he was called up at the right time, I thought he was given plenty of leash to prove himself, and with things never turning around, this is the right time to send him on his way.

He’s had 69 games. 221 ABs. And, in that time, he slashed .190/.246/.335. That’s a 66 OPS+ (league average is 100). -0.1 WAR (with defense, presumably, doing the heavy lifting).

The big thing, though, is that he’s running out a 34.4% strikeout rate. Of all of his plate appearances, he’s striking out over a third of the time! That’s rough.

The natural reaction is to compare him to Cole Young last year. Young struggled, he was largely benched for the stretch run, and he bounced back this year to be one of the team’s best hitters. That’s all true, but there’s little differences around the margins that leads to Emerson getting sent back down (while Young got to stay up).

For starters, we still had Polanco who could slide in and play an everyday (or almost-everyday) second base role. We also had the trade deadline fill in with veteran help with Geno and Naylor. That didn’t really happen this year, to afford the Mariners to let Colt ride the pine. J.P. will probably be back soon – and I’m assuming we’re doing this now with that in mind – but that still leaves us scrambling in the short term to figure out what we want to do with the left side of the infield. Especially when you know Donovan can’t play everyday.

Another difference is that while Young was bad, he wasn’t THIS bad.

In 77 games (223 ABs), Young slashed .211/.302/.305. He had a 77 OPS+. He had a 0.4 WAR (also with defense doing the heavy lifting). And his strikeout rate was only 18.3%.

That’s INCREDIBLE! Anyone striking out less than 20% of the time is doing something truly remarkable. He also supplemented that with a walk rate of 10.9%, while Emerson’s is at 6.2.

So, there’s something wrong with Emerson. Something wrong with his swing, something wrong with his eyes, because his swing decisions aren’t the best. He needs to go down to Tacoma and figure this out. Maybe it’s in time for the end of the regular season, or maybe it’s in preparation for 2027. But, this version of Colt Emerson isn’t going to bring us the value we thought we were getting when he signed his $95 million contract.

I’ll also say this: maybe getting him off of THIS team isn’t the worst thing in the world. The 2026 Mariners, flushing their season down the toilet this month, isn’t necessarily the best environment for a young player trying to get his footing. There’s already a ton of pressure on Colt as a rookie making an incredible amount of money. But, the additional pressure of feeling like you’re part of the reason why this team isn’t achieving its goals has to be damn near overwhelming.

The thing is, we’ve seen some real sparks. 8 homers and 6 doubles in his time here is nothing to sneeze at! There’s pop in that bat. He just needs to find his barrels again.

I hope it is another Cole Young situation, where Emerson comes back in Year 2 and dominates. I really want to see those two in the middle infield for this team for a good, long time. But for now, it’s the best for everyone involved that Emerson goes to rehab for a while (a.k.a. the AAA level). Gets himself clean. So, he can come back stronger next year, when hopefully it will matter more.

Is Dan Wilson The Worst Manager/Head Coach With A Winning Record In Seattle Sports History?

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There have been lots of bad managers and head coaches in Seattle sports history. Tyrone Willingham comes immediately to mind. The post-Nate McMillan coaches for the Sonics weren’t given much to work with. Every manager for the Mariners save four has a losing record! And the Jim Mora Jr. Seahawks were only eclipsed by a dreadful job done by Tom Flores.

But, these guys are the worst of the worst. What about the guys who failed upwards? The guys who succeeded in spite of their own bungling? Where does Dan Wilson rank among the managers or head coaches with winning records? That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

If you give a bad manager enough time, he’ll show you what he’s worth. If Dan Wilson is given another decade, I’m certain he will finish with a losing record when it’s all said and done. But, it’s looking increasing likely – if it doesn’t happen in the next month – he’ll be fired at the end of the season. Or he’ll quit, because who has time for this nonsense? The point is, I don’t even think he’s bad enough to lead this team to a record so poor that it would end his Mariners managerial career with a sub-.500 record.

So, how do we figure this out? Well, thankfully, I have a handy-dandy list of all the managers and head coaches right here! And, I try to update it at the end of every season.

You’ll see, for starters, that we can remove the Kraken from this exercise, because none of their head coaches have winning records. Same goes for the Seattle Pilots (which is good, because I wasn’t even alive that year anyway). The Huskies – especially Husky Football – have A LOT of coaches with winning records, because it’s so easy in college, with non-conference schedules what they are.

The pro teams are pretty minimal, though. So, let’s start with the Seahawks and work our way down. First, I’ll list the Seahawks coaches with winning records:

  • Mike Macdonald
  • Pete Carroll
  • Mike McCormack
  • Chuck Knox
  • Mike Holmgren

I mean, this one is easy. Macdonald, Carroll, Knox, and Holmgren are all legitimately great coaches, so it’s McCormack by default. He went 4-3 in relief of Jack Patera in 1982, and I don’t know anything about him, so I don’t feel like sitting here, researching him, and trying to besmirch his name.

Let’s go to the Mariners next, as we see this is an even shorter list:

  • Dan Wilson
  • Lou Piniella
  • Scott Servais
  • Lloyd McClendon

I’m gonna tell you right off the bat, I think Scott Servais would manage circles around Dan Wilson, so he’s not going to qualify! Sweet Lou is obviously the gold standard for this organization, so he’s out. I would like to point out that Bob Melvin had the bad luck of taking over for Sweet Lou and getting saddled with that 2004 team where all the veterans shit the bed at once; he would go on to manage other teams and have tremendous success, and it’s just a shame we gave up on him so fast (he’s probably the best manager/head coach we’ve ever had with a losing record). Regardless, looks like a 2-man race between Wilson and McClendon here, so let’s move on to the Sonics before we get in the weeds:

  • George Karl
  • Lenny Wilkens
  • Nate McMillan
  • Paul Westphal

I should point out that K.C. Jones and Bob Kloppenburg don’t qualify for this list because they finished with exactly .500 records, and we’re only counting coaches with winning records. Anyway, Wilkens is obviously the G.O.A.T., and Karl ranks up there among my favorite head coaches of all time. There wasn’t a lot of achievement with Mac-10’s Supersonics teams in his coaching tenure, but I think he did a lot with a little. I think he got the most out of his guys, and the organization was at fault for not getting us over the hump. I won’t extend that courtesy to Westphal, who I feel very much deserves to be in the discussion of worst head coaches with winning records. Let’s get into Husky Football:

  • Marques Tuiasosopo
  • Gil Dobie
  • Kalen DeBoer
  • James Knight
  • A.S. Jeffs
  • Don James
  • Enoch Bagshaw
  • Chris Petersen
  • Rick Neuheisel
  • Oliver Cutts
  • Claude J. Hunt
  • Jim Lambright
  • James Phelan
  • Ralph Nichols
  • Victor M. Place
  • Jedd Fisch
  • Ralph Welch
  • Jim Owens
  • Steve Sarkisian
  • Jimmy Lake

That’s a lot, right? For starters, I’m not inclined to include coaches who were on the interim label, or just here for one season. That knocks out Tui, obviously, and guys like Jeffs, Cutts, or Hunt (who was hired in two non-consecutive seasons for one year apiece). Then, there’s obviously a bunch of greats listed: James, Dobie, Bagshaw, and I’d throw Petersen and DeBoer in that camp. I don’t know enough about Owens, but he was here forever, so he seems legit. Same goes for Phelan. I like Neuheisel a lot and think he got a raw deal the way he was fired. Lambright got a raw deal for the sanctions he suffered, as well as trying to follow the Dawgfather. And while Sark’s winning record was no great shakes, the team he took over was one of the worst in the nation, so he gets a pass.

I could be talked into a Ralph Welch argument, but the guy coached in the 1940s, so what do I know about him? He never won a conference title; he had a top 3 finish in 3 out of 6 years; he made a single Rose Bowl and got shut out by USC 29-0 (this was in the old Pacific Coast Conference days, where the Trojans weren’t our conference-mates). I feel like with this being the 40’s – and the Huskies having a pretty great football reputation dating back to the beginning of the 20th century – we probably should’ve been better than we were, but I’m going to also give Welch a pass, because I think the obvious answer is Jimmy Lake.

That being said, let’s see how the 2026 Huskies do, with elevated expectations for one Jedd Fisch, as this figures to be his last year here before he moves on to a bigger job. Anyway, on to Husky Basketball:

  • Hec Edmundson
  • Tippy Dye
  • Marv Harshman
  • Lorenzo Romar
  • Art McLarney
  • Tex Winter
  • John Grayson
  • Mike Hopkins

There’s no real debate here. The top 5 guys are all legends. The answer is probably either Winter or Grayson, but clearly the 60’s were a down decade for this school, basketball-wise, and either way I don’t know a damn thing about those guys. Winter came here from a great career at Kansas State and was the inventor of the Triangle Offense … so I’m gonna say he WASN’T the worst, and the program had other issues going on during his tenure. John Grayson doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. He took over for Tippy Dye, who was a fucking stud, and that’s a hard act to follow. Grayson was just the wrong hire, not much else to say.

Mike Hopkins is a tough argument here, but I’m still going to make it. Yes, he won Pac-12 Coach of the Year two years in a row, and yes, he has the last NCAA Tournament appearance for our beloved Huskies. But, I’m still throwing him under the bus, I don’t care. For starters, his only two truly great seasons – the aforementioned COY seasons – were the first two years after Romar was fired. The only thing Hopkins ever did right was hang onto Romar’s guys. He rode those guys to an NIT appearance, followed by the Big Dance, and then once those guys graduated, it was a fucking WASTELAND. He brought over the Syracuse zone defensive scheme, but couldn’t find anyone to run it (again, after Romar’s guys left). He won those COY awards and finagled his way into a contract extension, only to suck for five long, terrible years. How do you parlay a Tourney appearance into not being able to re-stock this team for half a decade?! Truly breathtaking amount of incompetence. The only reason Hop has a winning Husky record is because of Romar; that’s all there is to it.

So, for the purposes of this exercise, here’s my top five worst managers/head coaches with winning records in Seattle sports history:

  • Dan Wilson
  • Lloyd McClendon
  • Paul Westphal
  • Jimmy Lake
  • Mike Hopkins

Now, how do we rank these guys? I’m still kinda mystified by the whole Jimmy Lake saga. He got saddled with the 2020 COVID season, in which we finished 3-1, but was otherwise a total disaster. We took the North Division, but couldn’t play in the Pac-12 Championship Game due to the team getting COVID. Is that his fault? It certainly shows a lack of institutional control, which would go on to spiral down the toilet the following season, as he physically assaulted a member of the team and was fired for cause. That was the only reason he ended up with a winning record, as those Huskies would lose their final three games.

Lake seemed like such a sure thing, though! Prized defensive coordinator and recruiter for many years. But, he also saddled himself with one of the worst offensive coordinators I’ve ever seen in John Donovan. That was a really hard time to be a Husky fan, but it led to the hiring of DeBoer, so that’s something.

Paul Westphal had the misfortune of following George Karl, AND his first season here was the lockout-shortened season, with an overweight and alcoholic Vin Baker in the thick of it. Still, it’s pretty damning to be a 61-win team in Karl’s final year, and fall all the way to .500 the next season. He wasted two prime Gary Payton years, and all we had to show for it was one playoff appearance (a first round exit to Utah). He was fired 15 games into the 2000/2001 season, with Nate McMillan taking over and turning things around.

Westphal’s whole thing was offense, but the Gary Payton Supersonics were a defense-first team. He was a square peg in a round hole.

Then, there’s Lloyd. Look, you can ask around, and many people will tell you he’s one of the worst managers the Mariners have ever had, regardless of record. Old school to a fault, sort of trying to be the next generation’s Lou Piniella, but obviously without any of the skill. He was here for two seasons, one of them (2014) had the team finish 12 games over .500, which just barely covered his 2015, when we were 10 games under .500.

The thing with Lloyd is that we have a much longer track record, because he managed the Pirates in the early 2000’s for five seasons, then a short stint as interim manager of the Tigers in 2020. Considering the teams he managed for – eternally cheap Pirates, the bumbling Jack Zduriencik Mariners, and the COVID Tigers – it’s hard to totally blame him for the lack of success. And he definitely overachieved with that 2014 squad, getting to within a game of a wild card spot.

If you compare that to Dan, he had a winning record in his short managerial stint in 2024, then he took the 2025 team to the ALCS, before falling off a cliff in 2026. But, whereas Lloyd’s 2014 team overachieved, I would say Dan’s 2025 team simply achieved. I would say Lloyd’s 2015 team achieved as well, while Dan’s 2026 team underachieved.

Or, let’s look at it another way: would the 2026 Mariners be better with Lloyd McClendon?

Maybe not Lloyd of today (age 67), but of 10 years ago? Without knowing a whole lot about either of their styles behind the scenes, I’ll say this: Dan Wilson was hired to provide a change in environment from Scott Servais. To hand over the keys to the castle to the players a little more, and give them more of a voice and authority to govern themselves. He’s a “players coach” to a fault, saying less than nothing to the press after games and in interviews. I think that style has its place, BUT, when things aren’t working, I think you need a heavy hand to come in and steer the ship.

I think these players deserve to be criticized. And I think it’s on the manager to provide a little tough love from time to time. Otherwise, you get what you have now, which isn’t so much a lack of caring, but sort of a sad sack, woe is me from the players who are struggling. Dan won’t say boo, so now it’s on the players to denigrate themselves, or live in some sort of fantasy land where everything is fine and things will work themselves out in the end. Yes, there’s a lack of focus – that has led to ample mistakes, both in the field and on the bases – but again, it’s not for lack of caring or checking out; it’s because so many players are down on themselves and this team’s situation. They need to be shaken awake. And, maybe more importantly, they need a little bit of a lightning rod.

I think Lloyd could be that lightning rod. He might piss you off with what he says to the media. He might piss the whole team off. But, that’s better than the team being in this depressive funk.

And yeah, his old school thinking was abysmal when it came to bullpen decisions and whatnot, but are we loving Dan’s logic when it comes to this part of the game?

I was ready – at the start of this exercise – to say Lloyd was definitively worse than Dan as a manager, but I think I’m going the other way!

Now that we’ve discussed everyone, let’s rank them, 1-5. 1 being the very worst manager/head coach with a winning record; 5 being the least-worst:

  1. Mike Hopkins
  2. Dan Wilson
  3. Lloyd McClendon
  4. Jimmy Lake
  5. Paul Westphal

I’ll start with the bottom and work my way up. Westphal lands fifth mostly because of his tenure with the Suns. He led them to two first place finishes and an NBA Finals appearance (though, it took a Herculean effort by the refs to rip that appearance away from the Sonics). You could definitely say he underachieved with the Suns, but I dunno. Seems okay to me.

Without question, Lake’s tenure was a disaster, but I would be curious to see if he ever gets another head coaching gig. He’s rehabbing his coaching image by working in the NFL (smartly, he’s with the Rams now), and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that an older and wiser Jimmy Lake has a more successful second head coaching stint.

Lloyd comes in third for all the reasons I talked about above; I just believe he would do a better job than Dan.

Dan feels more like a team ambassador than a manager. He’s got nothing to say, ever, except for positive platitudes. He’s boring, but pleasant. He was a successful player during a fun time in the organization’s history. But, he looks fucking miserable as the head of this clubhouse. This looks like torture to him! I think behind closed doors, there might be things he wants to say, but it’s like Jerry Dipoto One Wish Willowed him into being obsessed with the direction of this organization.

In the end, the worst head coach/manager in Seattle sports history with a winning record is decidedly Mike Hopkins. You know what it boils down to, for me? When I think of these names in a vacuum, who makes me the angriest? It’s Mike Hopkins.

He had SEVEN years here! Two with great success – again, with Romar’s guys – and five on his own. And those five seasons were some of the most pathetic, mediocre ballclubs I’ve ever seen. He had a system, and continuously failed to recruit to it! You know what you need! Stop trying to just recruit who you think is best and go out and get the kinds of players who fit your scheme!

There was a way to make this work. We SAW it work with Romar’s guys! But, you can’t half-ass it. You can’t bring in high school players who haven’t played a day of zone defense in their lives and make them learn all the intricacies in one offseason. Because, you’re going to fail, those players are going to leave in the transfer portal, and you’re going to have to start all the fuck over again!

If he would’ve just brought in guys who liked playing in zone, that would’ve solved half the battle right there. Make this a Defense First team, and worry about offense later. As it was, it’s not like we ever HAD an offense to speak of, but the fact that our defenses were always so atrocious – to the point that, by the end of his tenure, he had to all but completely abandon his zone scheme – is completely unforgivable.

Dan Wilson’s just a mild mannered waste of space. Mike Hopkins? He was actively terrible at his job. At every facet of his job. So, he wins this award. Put it with the two Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards you stole from Lorenzo Romar and go fuck yourself.

I’m Not Super Worried About The Running Back Position For The Seahawks

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If you go back through my latest Seahawks posts, I seem to be writing about the running back position quite a bit over the offseason, but I promise you, it’s not keeping me up at night. I know you were worried about what’s keeping me up at night, and I appreciate your concern.

What I have been this offseason is pretty okay with letting Kenneth Walker walk, and using the cost savings elsewhere. I was thrilled with the draft pick, I’m happy to have Holani back in the fold (nothing wrong with “serviceable”, coming from a serviceable Seattle sports blogger), I’m actually quite excited to see Wilson in real game action, and I’m quietly hopeful that Charbonnet is on the right track and will be able to provide some depth and leadership at this position at some point in the season.

I’ve also commented on how much the rest of the media landscape seems to be at odds with what the Seahawks have done at the running back position (the word “hypocritical” comes to mind, as these people never gave two shits about Walker until he won Super Bowl MVP). Here’s the problem with that, though: it’s a minefield. If the Seahawks start out with one or two early-season losses, then “Of course, it’s because KWIII isn’t there anymore and they can’t get anything going offensively!” If the Seahawks come out hot, it’s going to be crickets, because let’s face it, this team is always going to be a Running Back By Committee (when enough guys are healthy to have one), because that’s just how this team operates. So, we’re very unlikely to see – unless someone breaks off a huge run or two – a 100-yard runner early in the season. You might see some guys go 8 for 40 with a TD, and that doesn’t really move the needle in The NFL Discourse.

I think – again, when guys are healthy – you’re going to see a healthy dose of all three of Price, Holani, and Wilson. I think Price is going to be your early-down back between the 20’s, I think Holani will be more of a third down back, and I think Wilson will take on that Charbonnet role inside the 20, as a battering ram of sorts to vulture TDs from the other guys. You might also see Holani and Wilson take turns as the lead back on a drive here and there. And, even if Charbonnet is ahead of schedule with his injury, I still think he’ll be worked in slowly, and you won’t see him return to form until there’s a major injury, or we’re into the second half of the season. There just doesn’t seem to be any point in rushing him back.

I also, not for nothing, feel all four of our running backs are capable. We know what Charbonnet is from his first three years in the league, and what he can do when he’s given the keys to the car. Price, I do believe, will be electric with the ball. Holani, again, is serviceable, and I don’t see him as a considerable step down from Charbonnet at all. And, Wilson is a real wild card to me, because we haven’t seen him that much; but, what little we’ve seen gives me a lot of confidence.

Now, obviously, the Seahawks are a fucking wasteland in the fantasy football realm. I would also pump the brakes on Price winning Rookie of the Year. I just don’t think he’s going to get the workload to really qualify.

I don’t want to say there’s NO concern, though. It sounds like Price has missed much of the last week. It’s going to be a gargantuan bummer if his is a body type that isn’t going to be able to hack it at the NFL level. Is he slight of frame? Does he have some sort of internal issue that’s maybe not a huge medical concern, but leads to a regular array of soft tissue injuries? Is he going to be one of those unlucky guys who breaks a bone or tears a major ligament, and never really pans out?

When you take his injury concerns in conjunction with Charbonnet, that’s not nothing! As I’ve alluded to above, I’m not expecting a whole lot out of Charbs in the first half of the season. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t need him a whole lot before the BYE week. But, if Price goes down, does that accelerate his comeback? Does he push himself too hard and set himself back? If we’re down half of our running back room, then yeah, there’ll be a little reason to worry.

But, I’m perfectly fine if it’s just a backfield of Holani and Wilson. It’s new, it’s different, it’s unfamiliar, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.

You know what’s actually important? The offensive line. I know it’s dismissive, but I’m definitely in the camp that considers running back more of a plug n’ play position. That isn’t to say there aren’t difference-makers at the position; would I love to have someone like Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson? Absolutely! Those are real weapons! Price is someone who has that potential. But, for most of last year, the Seahawks didn’t have a true difference-maker. They had a platoon between Walker and Charbonnet carrying the ball almost evenly, and the Seahawks only lost 3 games all year. Imagine that! If it was still Walker and Charbonnet throughout the playoffs – and there was no running back Super Bowl MVP – the Seahawks would’ve won the Super Bowl all the same, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

I think the 2026 Seahawks are perfectly capable of continuing to win games hand over fist with the likes of Holani and Wilson. Or, to put it another way, if the Seahawks fail to live up to their potential, it won’t be because of the running back position.

The 50 Greatest Mariners Players List Is So Dumb

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I’m not so much interested in the “snubs”, though I don’t know how you leave Jeff Nelson off this list; there aren’t 50 better players in Mariners history than Jeff Nelson, I’m sorry. Marco Gonzales makes sense, as does Mike Schooler, Omar Vizquel, and Tino Martinez (it’s like the Mariners are trying to whitewash one of the worst trades in franchise history by gifting two amazing players to the Yankees for Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock, but that’s neither here nor there).

I just don’t think there are 50 players worth honoring with this franchise. When you have to include Bryan Woo, who is in only his fourth season (and two of his seasons to date haven’t been very good), I mean, what are we doing? Are we playing politics in hopes of eventually extending guys? That’s the only way it makes sense, is trying to make the current crop of starters happy by also including Kirby, Gilbert, and Luis Castillo (who is gone, but is one of their favorite guys).

I’m not saying that NONE of the current crop of guys deserves to be on the list, but it just looks so lame when you see they’ve only been up here since 2022 or some shit; that was like yesterday! 7 of the 50 are currently on the team; 8 played this year when you count Castillo. That feels like an inordinate amount of players for a Top 50 historical retrospective.

Which goes to show how pathetic this franchise has been.

It’s also weird that guys who were here for, like, three years are on the list. I keep coming back to teams with REAL historical value, like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, whathaveyou. Do their Top 50 players lists have schlubs like Dave Valle? Don’t get me wrong, I love Valle as an announcer, but the dude has a Mariners OPS of .682 and he played in the fucking Kingdome! What are we DOING?!

Here’s the list of players I would honor. Just know that I’m one of THOSE fans who didn’t start following the team until they started winning in 1995, so I don’t have a great grasp of players who came before:

  1. Ken Griffey Jr.
  2. Ichiro
  3. Edgar Martinez
  4. Randy Johnson
  5. Felix Hernandez
  6. Jay Buhner
  7. Bret Boone
  8. John Olerud
  9. Jamie Moyer
  10. Mike Cameron
  11. Alvin Davis
  12. Nelson Cruz
  13. Robinson Cano
  14. Kyle Seager
  15. Freddy Garcia
  16. Raul Ibanez
  17. Hisashi Iwakuma
  18. Mark Langston
  19. Harold Reynolds
  20. Alex Rodriguez
  21. Kaz Sasaki
  22. Arthur Rhodes
  23. Jeff Nelson
  24. Dan Wilson
  25. Adrian Beltre

That’s like 24 guys from their list, plus Jeff Nelson, and honestly that starts feeling like scraping the bottom of the barrel. I mean, do we actually remember what it was like with Beltre? Yeah, great defense and all that, but we were sold a bill of goods! He had a career year before we signed him, then he was mediocre at the plate in a Mariners uniform, then he went onto Boston and Texas and had a great career!

But, regardless, you know who I’m NOT honoring? Anyone on the current team. Joel Pineiro. Anyone who was here for a short time, and only had a couple of good seasons. I love Guti and Haniger, but they were healthy for like 30 days in aggregate. You might be able to talk me into some of the old-timers I overlooked, but you know who you won’t talk me into? J.J. Putz, who had like two good seasons out of six here.

I’m not saying these guys aren’t Top 50 Mariners. I’m just saying there aren’t 50 Mariners worth honoring.

I don’t even want to look at the Top 50 Yankees, because I feel like 90% of them are in the Hall of Fame. We’re gonna be lucky to scrape 10% through.

I dunno. Maybe I’m extra salty because the 2026 Mariners have been such a colossal fucking disappointment. Maybe I’m bitter because I’ve been following the team for 32 of these 50 seasons, and there’s nothing at all to show for it.

I have to believe that there are teams out there who’ve been in existence for less than 50 years, who have a better collection of Top 50 lists than us. Maybe you’ll tell me I’m wrong. Maybe you’ll tell me it takes 100+ years – like the Yankees and whatnot – to finally fill out a proper Top 50. Maybe.

All I know is that this one is a joke. And, joke’s on us, because it’s been 50 years and we’re STILL no closer to the World Series than we were when all of this started.

Maybe the next 50 years will be better. We’ll see how much of it I’m doomed to witness.

It’s A Wrap On The 2026 Seattle Mariners

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I know people like to say, “Oh, it’s over,” or “This team is cooked” prematurely, but I don’t know how you can come to a different conclusion here.

The Mariners – over 50th Anniversary Weekend, in front of most of the best legends in franchise history – just got swept by the Tampa Bay Rays. No amount of good fan mojo – not even my presence for the second week in a row in a suite, of all places – was enough to push this team toward winning a single game.

That drops us to 56-63, seven games under .500, on today, August 10th. There’s an off-day, then the Road Trip From Hell: at Yankees, Astros, and Brewers. We will not win more than 3 games this entire trip. And, really, based on the wild card situation (fucked as shit), and the fact that we’re now 4 games out of first in the A.L. West, it would take nothing short of a 9-game sweep for this season to be turned around in time.

And, honestly, go look at yourself in the mirror right now: what have you seen from this team, this year, that would lead you to believe in a miracle like that? Everyone is so lifeless, so punchless, it’s pathetic. Seemingly, only one hitter at a time is allowed to be hot (this week, it’s Josh Naylor), while everyone else is ice fucking cold. Sure, some of it’s injuries, but a lot of it is this is just how guys are.

Josh Naylor is going to end up near career norms when the season’s done. So is Arozarena, so is Julio. Yeah, we got a little power surge from Canzone, but now he’s in a cold spell again, and we’ll see where he ends up. This version of Cole Young is very nice, and a welcome addition, but obviously it’s not enough to counter-balance the total decimation of Cal.

Obviously, Cal is dealing with injuries. He’s strong enough to play through them – they’re not bad enough to need surgery or anything – but it’s hampering his ability to be anything close to a valuable contributor to this team. Cal is decidedly NOT going to finish the season anywhere close to career norms. While 2025 was a wild swing in the positive direction, 2026 is an equal and opposite swing in the negative direction; somewhere in the middle, resides Cal. Maybe we’ll see THAT version of him in 2027 (if there is a 2027).

There are so many players to choose from, it’s difficult to pinpoint an over-arching, non-Cal reason for this team’s failure. I think what jumps out to me, though, is the lack of any real (happy) surprises. Remember last year, when Jorge Polanco was brought back and everyone collectively groaned? And then, he came out of the gates red hot, and ended the regular season with 26 homers? He was probably the 4th or 5th most-important player for us last year, and he was more or less an afterthought of a signing.

Remember when Ben Williamson was called up and gave us some competent Major League third base play? Sure, there was the usual slop we got from fringe roster players, but Polanco and Williamson gave us some real production! And, we’re just getting none of that this year. Colt Emerson is worse than Ben Williamson was. Obviously, Refsnyder and Donovan have been flops. Guys like Weston Wilson and Patrick Wisdom are so bad, other teams are intentionally bringing out left-handed pitchers just to keep them in the lineup. Not one single fringe player popped for this team.

Then, it leads me to think about how this roster was constructed. We were all SO SURE that this team was going to be great; how did we not see this coming? How did WE – as long-suffering Mariners fans – get so hoodwinked?

I mean, again, who could’ve predicted Cal going in the tank like this? But, again, it’s more than him. I think the problem lies in the lack of power around him (and when he’s part of that power problem, it’s all the worse).

Josh Naylor was never a Power Guy. He has a season-high of 31 in 2024, but he’s usually in the 15-20 range (he has 10 now, and enough time to get there when it’s all said and done). Randy is kind of a middling Power Guy; he had a career year in 2025 with 27, but he too is usually around 20 (he has 14 now, and enough time to get around that mark by season’s end). Julio is usually good for 25-32; right now, he’s at 18 (again, probably close enough to hit his regular mark). It’s nice to see 20+ from Canzone, and approaching 20 from Young. But, even IF Cal just got back to 30 this year (which he won’t; he has only 12 now, and would only crack 20 if he immediately turned into the version of himself from a year ago), there’s still a significant power source missing. We’re still missing those 26 bombs from Polanco, as it were.

Think about that, Cal had SIXTY last year, Julio had 32, Randy had 27; career power years, all around. And we STILL needed 26 from Polanco to win the division and advance to Game 7 of the ALCS. Even if the idea was to spread the power around throughout the lineup, I’m not sure that works. I think it’s better to have a higher number of homers from fewer guys, than a lower number from more guys. Because it’s so hard for certain guys to get hot. It almost feels like a mistake when someone like Young hits a homer; you can’t count on him to do that regularly. Your boppers, though, you’re supposed to be able to count on them. 5-6 homers a month, like clockwork, maybe more if they get some mistakes to hit.

And what did we do with Polanco’s spot? We traded for Brendan Donovan, which we ALL agreed was the best thing for this team. But, he’s not a power guy. Ever. And based on his 5 errors in 28 games, he’s not a third baseman either.

That might actually be the single most damaging thing the Mariners did in the offseaon. We traded resources for a guy who had almost never played third base, to plug him in there right away. His versatility was touted, but has it ever been utilized? Not even a little; he’s played 28 games at third, and 1 at DH. That versatility was only necessary if other guys failed. If Cole Young was bad, then he probably would’ve shifted over to second. Or, if right field was a disaster, he could’ve slotted in there. And that’s saying nothing of the fact that he’s been hurt for most of the season. Even if he was healthy, where would he have played? Colt Emerson was always going to be called up this year. J.P. Crawford – when healthy – was always going to have a home somewhere. And, I’m sorry, but if the plan was to DH Donovan, then that’s asinine! He has a career HIGH of 14 homers.

Why am I harping so much on homers? Because you can’t hit doubles in T-Mobile Park, let alone triples. And because this team, consistently, every fucking year, is at or near the bottom of the league in batting average. Doesn’t matter who we bring in. Donovan was a guy regularly hitting in the .270s and .280s; he’s at .258 right now. Naylor was a guy regularly hitting in the .290s; in his first full season in Seattle, he’s hitting .263 (and that’s after a considerable hot streak). Refsnyder, Garver, Taylor Ward (who still hasn’t walked, in spite of leading the league in walks before he got here), all sub-.200. Even our home grown prospects, they can barely scrape .260.

There’s no Small Ball with this organization. It’s boom or bust. In 2025, big boom! In 2026, bust all around.

And, what’s worse is the fact that we can’t even count on our defense to pick up any of the slack. The defense has been ATROCIOUS this season. We can’t even SAVE enough runs to counter the runs we’re not hitting in!

I’m sure there’s also a post to write about the pitching staff, but I don’t have it in me right now. Yeah, Luis Castillo was a problem, but for the most part, he was a problem every 6 games. Yeah, the other starters have had their blow-ups at times (especially on the road), but Woo has your worst ERA right now, and 4.31 isn’t terrible. He can come back from that. And yeah, the bullpen has had its downs, but all the main guys have an ERA in the 3’s. Have you seen what Munoz has done lately? He’s been pretty solid.

If you want to boil this down to the pitching staff, look no further than the loss of Matt Brash. He’s the key to making this team work, and with him on the shelf (in 2024, and now 2026), the Mariners have gone to shit.

So, you can stop looking for meaning in a win here or there. You can stop wondering if a 9th inning rally, or a Dan Wilson ejection, is going to turn this season around. It’s not. This is a bad, flawed team. It won’t be going to the playoffs.

But, if it does, you have me to thank. At the game yesterday, I picked up a little pocket schedule on my way out. Pretty late in the season, but I am going to go through and X out all the losses like I usually do. Will this be the catalyst to turning things around? Maybe.

And, if it is, I promise to get one by Game 1 next year. Sometimes, the superstitious shit is the most important shit.

I’m So Ready To Be Done With Garver & Refsnyder

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With the influx of new players from the trade deadline, the Mariners announced both Rob Refsnyder and Mitch Garver would be released, with Jhonny Pereda taking over as backup catcher. Down in L.A., I attended the last game by Luis Castillo in a Mariners uniform, then this past Saturday I attended the last game by Garver in a Mariners uniform. “The Kiss Of Death” is what they call me!

I’m incredibly happy to see Garver gone. He was a worthless signing originally, under his 2-year deal. We got a little bit of value out of him as a backup catcher, and an infrequent masher of left-handed pitching. Then, he came back almost as an afterthought this year, under a more-appropriate backup catcher type of contract, and what can I say? He was worse than he was last year. He improved his WAR in spite of drops in slugging and OPS, so I guess he improved his defense? Fat lot of good that did us.

With Pereda doing some real damage in the very short time he was here while Cal was on the IL, it was obvious that the Mariners made the wrong move here. Now, they’re righting that wrong, and I couldn’t be happier.

As for Refsnyder, would you look at that! I was there for HIS last game in a Mariners uniform too! Weird, useless tenure for Refsnyder; he went about three weeks before he got his first hit, and things never really normalized from there. He got saddled with a phantom IL stint at the end of June, came back in late July and immediately hit a homer against the Dodgers, then three hitless appearances later and he’s out the door.

We’re talking about two guys here whose ONLY jobs, really, were to hit left-handed pitching, and neither one of them did it.

  • Refsnyder vs. Lefties: .147/.222/.284
  • Garver vs. Lefties: .222/.344/.315

And, don’t get me wrong, both of those guys were CONSIDERABLY worse against righties.

So, yeah, they had to go. Part of me didn’t believe that either WOULD go, but I’ve been conditioned by 30+ years to expect the worst from this organization. Honestly? It feels great! It always feels great to shed dead weight. Other players will suck for this team between now and the end of time, but they won’t be THESE players. It’s all I can ask for.

***

In case you thought the deadline would lead to instant good vibes and mojo … think again. Shedding the above-referenced dead weight was about all the good that happened this week, as the Mariners lost two out of three to the Tigers.

In the two losses, the Mariners were shut out by a combined 19-0. The win in the middle was 4-2, which in retrospect feels pretty lucky.

Hope you weren’t clinging to a positive run differential for a silver lining! Because that shit gone! Bring on the Fun(?) Differential!

With no Castillo to kick around, there’s a vacuum for Worst Pitcher On The Team, and boy did we have some contenders THIS week! Emerson Hancock wasn’t so hot; he went 6 innings, givng up 4 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits and 2 walks, with 6 strikeouts. Not to be outdone, part of the return package for Castillo – Seranthony Dominguez – gave up a whopping 4 runs in 0.2 innings. That was the 8-0 loss on Tuesday.

If you thought that was bad, get a load of Bryce Miller, who almost didn’t make it out of the first inning! He gave up his 4 runs in the first two innings of the game, then somehow managed to gut out three more (scoreless) innings to make it somewhat respectable. But still, that’s in no way, shape, or form “keeping us in the game”. Then, Cole Wilcox gave up 4 runs (3 earned) in 0.2 innings, before leaving with oblique tightness. And, for good measure – since we were losing by so much – Victor Robles gave up 3 runs in an inning of work at the end. There’s your 11-0 loss on Thursday afternoon.

It was Wednesday night’s 4-2 victory that was the talk of the week. Bryan Woo went 7 shutout innings. Without his best stuff, he gave up only 3 hits and a walk, while striking out 5. But, he had excellent defense behind him – including MULTIPLE great plays by Arozarena of all people – to keep the Tigers off the board. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers intentionally walked Canzone to get to Julio, who walloped a ball out to right for a 3-0 lead.

At some point in the game – after Cal had already taken a foul tip off the ol’ ball bag – he was hit in the gut by a left-handed reliever. It wasn’t intentional, but it looked painful, and he took his base. Then, when Gabe Speier took over in the 8th inning, after getting two outs, he threw back-to-back inside pitches on a right-handed hitter, nailing him in the leg the second time. This brought out Tigers manager (and colossal whiny bitch) A.J. Hinch to complain, followed shortly by the rest of the dugouts and bullpens. The hitter – instead of just taking his base – decided to have a conversation with Cal for some reason, as if he ordered the hit.

I mean, make no mistake, it WAS on purpose. That much was clear. Speier did it twice in a row, and there wasn’t any “aw shucks” moment after the pitch made contact. He just stood there, staring ahead. And, after the fray dispersed, and the umps had a little meeting, Speier was thrown out of the game. Again, no argument from the pitcher, who 100% did it on purpose. Not that I mind; it’s about time someone on this team stuck up for the hitters that are constantly getting nailed by other teams. This brought Dan Wilson out of the dugout to argue, which got him kicked out. In the end, Speier was suspended 3 games (under appeal at the moment), and Wilson was suspended 1 game (which took place yesterday). In case you were wondering how the Mariners would be WITHOUT Dan Wilson as a manager, it was an 11-0 defeat.

Maybe not so God-awful now, huh?!

Of course, I’m kidding. Anyway, Bazardo relieved Speier and immediately gave up a 2-run homer to make the game 3-2. So, Bazardo is clearly broken again – even worse than he was when he first got here – and that’s NOT GREAT. Thankfully, Colt Emerson bashed a solo homer to right off of a lefty in the bottom of the 8th, and Munoz got the save.

We all thought … may-be. Would THAT be the game that turned things around for this Mariners team? Then, 11-0 happened, so clearly not.

In case you were wondering, we’re heading into the hardest stretch of the season. Starting with that Tigers series (which we lost 2-1), we host the Rays this weekend (first in the East), then we go on the road to play the Yankees (second in the East), Astros (first in the West), and Brewers (best record in baseball). Then, we host the Cubs and Phillies (both in the N.L. Wild Card at the moment), followed by a trip to Toronto (in the hunt) and Boston (the very hottest team in baseball over the last month-plus).

That’s 27 games between this past Tuesday and September 2nd. And we’re already third in the West, and there’s five teams between us and the third Wild Card spot. So, it’s not like we can afford to lose a ton of ground in the next month!

But, you know what? It’s football season. That’s all that matters. Here’s hoping the stink of the Mariners didn’t get all over the Seahawks and Huskies.

The Kade Anderson Era Is Almost Upon Us

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It feels like we were THIS CLOSE to the Kade Anderson Era starting this week. Obviously, there are barriers to his getting called up to the Majors. One of those hurdles was cleared with the trade of Luis Castillo last weekend. The only other thing that needed to happen was a trade of either Kirby or Hancock, and it would’ve been go time!

Kade Anderson has been the best pitcher in minor league baseball in 2026, which is his first year in pro ball after being drafted in the first round in 2025. He was already ahead of the curve by starting out in AA, skipping all of the lower levels. And, frankly, after about a month into the season, he had conquered that level with flying colors.

I still don’t totally understand why he was never elevated to AAA; it seems like a no-brainer. The AA level – in that league – is notoriously pitcher-friendly, whereas the PCL is notoriously hitter-friendly. So, why not call him up to where the hitters are better – where you might occasionally see some big leaguers (or Quad-A’ers) – and see if he can master that level too. If he could dominate in the PCL, it would be clear he could dominate anywhere!

The downside, I guess, is that if he gets hit around, that lowers his confidence. But, at some point, being stuck at a level where you’re a man among boys feels like growth stunting at its finest. And now, it seems like he’s destined to make the leap from AA to the Majors? What’s THAT going to do to his confidence if he gets hit around up here?

Another notion that I’ve heard bandied about is they wanted Kade and Ryan Sloan to develop together as long as possible. In that sense, Kade is like a pace horse for Sloan, who has the potential to really bloom (even if it’ll take him a year longer to develop). There’s also probably something to be said for giving Kade the confidence-level of knowing he’s not going to have to bounce around across the country; you stay in AA, then when we’re ready for you, you come to Seattle. That, of course, assumes the organization has been clear in its communication with him, which I haven’t known them to be the best at through the years.

Regardless, the interesting wrinkle to this whole thing is the fact that the Mariners didn’t trade Kirby or Hancock. And, when you factor in Kade’s rookie status, there’s an innings limit we have to contend with. There’s also, not for nothing, incentive for the Mariners to wait until after August 15th. That preserves Kade’s rookie status for 2027, and assuming he becomes the kind of starter we all think he’ll become, the Mariners should be in line for an extra draft pick down the road. You’re not going to throw that opportunity away by bringing him up two weeks early.

With the innings cap, that means Kade will almost certainly – barring injury – get called up to be a bullpen arm. That certainly accounts for the Mariners not making more of a push to trade for another reliever at the deadline. There’s also an outside chance that Sloan comes up and joins Kade in the bullpen in August or September. So that’s neat!

What we’re headed for, ultimately, is the Mariners – in the offseason – trading another starter (again, either Kirby or Hancock, most likely). Assuming Kade stays healthy and on track, he’s earned a spot in this rotation for 2027. And I can’t wait. I don’t think it will be long from there before we see him at or near the top of our rotation. The sky really is the limit with this kid!

In the meantime, what a cool challenge and opportunity for him to come up in this environment – in a playoff push – and ride it out in the bullpen for a couple months. There hasn’t been a lot to hope for or look forward to with the M’s in 2026. It’s nice to have this ray of sunshine set to hit us in the near future.

The Mariners Won The Season Series Against The Twins

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Not to get lost in the shuffle of Trade Deadline Mania, the Seattle Mariners won kind of an important series over the weekend.

We took two out of three against the Minnesota Twins, giving us a 4-2 season series victory in the process. They are a team that’s contending with us for a possible wild card spot, so it’s nice to know we’ve done SOMETHING right in that regard.

On Friday, it was a miserable 5-3 loss, thanks to the combination of Bazardo and Ferrer totally sucking. Bazardo has been in a tailspin for a while now, so that’s certainly concerning! It’s also concerning – spoiler alert – that these guys will come up again later on in the same series! Bad news for Mariners fans, but good news for anyone who bet on the Twins to win!

On Saturday, we were treated to a 4-3 victory. Logan Gilbert went 7 innings, giving up all 3 runs. But, Speier and Munoz shut them out the final two innings, and we walked them off in the bottom of the 9th on a wild play. We had a runner on third with less than two outs, Cal hit a grounder to first that took him to the bag. He got the out at first base, but neglected the runner scoring from third until it was too late. Good news for Mariners fans; bad news for anyone who bet on the Mariners -1.5!

On Sunday, the game was a lot closer than it should’ve been. It should’ve been a 6-0 victory! But, Bazardo gave up a 2-run home run, Ferrer gave up a 3-run home run (that very same inning), and Munoz gave up a solo homer in the 9th to tie it at 6-6. Which means, not only did we blow an excellent George Kirby start (7 shutout innings), but we had to walk it off again, with Colt Emerson hitting the go-ahead RBI single. Good news for Mariners fans; bad news for anyone who went double-or-nothing on the Mariners -1.5!

Anyway, after all the hard news of late, it was nice to just win a series. Nothing fancy; no great meaning put on these games other than the games themselves. Just get the win and move on.

As far as American League wild card foes are concerned, we’ve won the season series against the Twins, Orioles, and Astros; we tied the White Sox; we lost to the Guardians and Rangers. We’ve still got a bunch of really huge series coming up against the Tigers this week, and the A.L. East later on.

I should also point out that the Astros have now officially taken over first place in the A.L. West. So, I don’t know what’s going on, but none of it is great.

The Mariners Got Down To Business At The Trade Deadline

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It was smart to separate the Luis Castillo deal from the rest of the Trade Deadline action on Monday; let him have the weekend to say goodbye and get some flowers from fans.

Bright and early on Monday, we were delivered the following news:

  • Mariners receive right-handed outfielder Taylor Ward
  • Orioles receive reliever Alex Hoppe and minor league relievers Brock Moore & Harrison Kreiling

Taylor Ward is a free agent after this year. He’s seen a huge dip in his power numbers so far, but has a great on-base percentage and therefore his WAR is still in line with recent career norms. Prior to the Orioles, he was an Angels product; this is his fifth year of being a regular at the MLB level. Looks like he was injured in 2023, but otherwise has averaged 2.3 to 3.5 WAR per season in that span. Right now, he’s at 2.4 but …

Ward’s career numbers playing in Seattle are pretty rough: .195/.236/.297 in 30 career games. Yikes. This isn’t any kind of season-saver, in all likelihood. You would THINK Ward is an improvement over Refsnyder, but I guess we’ll see.

Either way, it’s not like we gave up all that much. None of the players we got rid of were in our Top 30 prospects organizationally. And, we’re freed up to do whatever we need to do this offseason.

***

Next up … actually that’s it. The Mariners made one deal on Deadline Day. I really did think we had more in the chamber when I started writing this post (immediately after the Ward trade), but then crickets.

There was talk on Formerly Twitter about the Mariners still taking calls on Kirby or Hancock. There was previously talk about Arozarena, but that was quashed yesterday morning. Someone said if we wanted Mason Miller, we’d have to give up Kade Anderson; while tempting, that’s a no-go in my book.

I saw reliever after reliever after reliever switch teams, but no one else went to the Mariners. That was pretty tough to swallow. I know the thing about the 2026 Mariners is that their hitters need to improve, and their starters need to pitch a lot better than they’ve done; we’re not revamping the whole roster. But, there are serious holes in the bullpen, and we did nothing.

The Trade Deadline in total came to: Taylor Ward & Seranthony Dominguez, while giving up Luis Castillo.

I’m not counting Dominguez as bullpen help, because he just brings the numbers in line to where they’re supposed to be. Now that we don’t have the stupid fucking sixth starter, he gets to be that eighth bullpen arm. But, there are still AT LEAST two worthless arms in that ‘pen. And, everything I hear about Brash and Vargas and Criswell is that they’re slated to come back in either the back-half of August, or September. That sounds to me like they’re just done, but the Mariners won’t say they’re done because there’s the tiniest sliver of chances that they might return.

***

The other big news of the day was Luke Raley going on the IL. But, he’s not just going on the IL; he’s done for the season. He injured his elbow over time, tried to play through it, and probably made it worse (while sucking in the process). I can’t help but feel responsible; I promise to never praise anyone ever again.

I was wondering how Taylor Ward fits on this team, but it looks pretty clear now. He comes in for Raley. Refsnyder and Robles get to live another day, but neither one of them should feel like they’re playing significantly the rest of the way.

It does seem like Ward should just be our everyday left fielder going forward. I don’t know why this team has been so reluctant to move Arozarena to DH, but clearly it would be a benefit to all involved. Randy can get healthier, Julio wouldn’t have to cover so much of left field, we’d have better defense as a team; it’s win-win-win!

I know we’ll, at least through August, continue to have different lineups, and give guys rest days as needed. But, our lineup in September and through the playoffs should look something like this:

  1. Taylor Ward (LF)
  2. Cole Young (2B)
  3. Julio Rodriguez (CF)
  4. Dom Canzone (RF)
  5. Randy Arozarena (DH)
  6. Cal Raleigh (C)
  7. Josh Naylor (1B)
  8. Brendan Donovan (3B)
  9. Colt Emerson (SS)

I’m willing to flip-flop Cal and Dom, should Cal’s bat fully return. But, that’s pretty much the team that’s going to give us the best chance to win.

Now’s the time, boys. Less than two months, now. Let’s go on a run, let’s lock up a playoff spot, and let’s see what happens!