Seattle Mariners: Ripple Effects of the Jarred Kelenic Situation
Joe Swenson
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Caught in the middle
It’s the fans who are caught in the middle because some fans understand the Mariners’ situation. Seattle management is required to reveal their hand, and Dipoto has done that. Kelenic is expected to begin the season at AAA. Not because of service time manipulation, but because of the facts – 21 games played above A ball. That’s Hardly enough time to assess whether or not he’s ready to be part of a big-league lineup.
But other fans believe that Kelenic is a necessary piece to help the Mariner’s contend this year. Having the wonder kid for an entire season will ensure the Mariners have a better shot to end the longest playoff drought in North American sports. Kelenic has to be the answer.
No facts actually support this yet. But fans are so willing to be on this side of “I told you so” that they are willing to express this with the backing of their social media muscles.
There is another fan caught in the middle. That fan is annoyed about Kelenic’s selfishness and that he’s gone public. Although it’s not completely on, Kelenic, Kevin Mather, opened this door by revealing that an offer was turned down.
Still, the fan that hated Alex Rodriguez Seattle departure for a quarter-of-a-billion dollar payout in Texas is the same fan that hates Jarred Kelenic. Unfortunately, there’s no way that Kelenic or his agent could know this fan exists, but they do. These people feel that Kelenic will leave the Mariners at some point in the next six seasons because he’s not a team player.
.@JKelenic_1019 in the cage… I missed the one he launched over the right field fence but the swing is still as pretty pic.twitter.com/T81TgGcvnl
— Jen Mueller (@JenTalksSports) February 25, 2021
Conclusion
I will never tell a fan how to be a fan or how to react, but I will ensure that they have all of the information. The ripple effect of Kevin Mather’s irresponsible words is that Jarred Kelenic’s agent feels that they have leverage over the team now. For Schofield and Kelenic, this is a business move.
Jarred Kelenic hasn’t had a chance to fall in love with the team, gel with his teammates, or anything else that has to do with being part of the Seattle Mariners. Could there be some fallout in the dugout, possibly, but highly unlikely? The Major Leaguers are part of the Player’s Association and understand more than the kids that it’s a business.
Kelenic’s own words may come back to haunt him though, “The player’s reaction was like someone farted in church.” (in regards to Dipoto addressing the team).
Sadly a matter that wasn’t that complicated before Mather’s comments is now very complicated. It’s the loyal fans who suffer. It seems that at every possible turn, the fans are the ones who suffer. The part that really stings is that we all know the rhetoric that follows the fallout from a disgraced team leader, and it feels hollow and pathetically short of what is needed.
These are just the ripple effects for the Seattle Mariners organization. Mather opened up a huge can of worms for Major League Baseball as they negotiate the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
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Joe Swenson is a Writer, Director, Producer for Broken Arts Entertainment www.brokenartsentertainment.com. He is also one of the hosts of the YouTube Sports show “In The Clutch” featured here Joe’s InTheClutch – YouTube.