Seattle Mariners: The M’s demoted the wrong two players

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May 4, 2022
Seattle Mariners
Justus Sheffield, Seattle Mariners.

The Seattle Mariners cut their roster from 28 to 26 by sending Donovan Walton and Justus Sheffield to Triple-A. They demoted the wrong two players.

On Monday, Major League teams had to cut their rosters from 28 to 26 players. The Seattle Mariners demoted utility man Donovan Walton and pitcher Justus Sheffield. Those were the wrong two guys.

  • Out: Donovan Walton

  • Should have been: Jarred Kelenic or Stuart Fairchild

Why the Seattle Mariners sent Donovan Walton to Tacoma is understandable. He’s a light-hitting utility player on a team that already has the ultimate utility guy, Dylan Moore. He should have stayed on the team, allowing Moore to play more often.

Some M’s fans see the name Stuart Fairchild and say, “who? And why him? ” With Mitch Haniger injured, the Mariners brought up another outfielder.

Taylor Trammell would have been their choice, but he has a hamstring injury. To add someone like Steven Sousa or Billy Hamilton would require waiving a player from the 40-man roster. That left Fairchild and Alberto Rodriguez as the only options, and Rodriguez isn’t ready.

Yesterday, our Chris Phillips wrote a great article on how the Seattle Mariners can protect Jarred Kelenic and build his confidence back after a rocky start to 2022. They have to do something about his .127 batting average

The other option might work better. That would be demoting Kelenic to Tacoma and letting him figure it out in a low-stress environment. The M’s sent him down last year after he struggled early, and he came back a better hitter. Besides, Moore, Walton. and Adam Frazier can all play in the outfield.

  • Out: Justus Sheffield

  • Should have been: Matthew Festa or Matt Brash

Let’s give Justus Sheffield a little credit. Last year was a complete disaster for the one-time highly touted prospect. He was demoted and, except for a handful of appearances in late September, spent the second half of 2021 at Tacoma.

He appeared in 4 games this season, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings, with a WHIP of 0.64. Sending him down leaves the Mariners with only one left-handed reliever, Anthony Misiewicz.

Last season, Mariners’ pitching coach Pete Woodworth did a great job with journeymen relievers Drew Steckenrider, Paul Sewald, and Casey Sadler. Not every project works and Matthew Festa is a good example. There is a reason why Festa hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2019. He lacks control and tends to throw meatballs, trying to get strikes when he falls behind.

Here’s a backhanded compliment for Matt Brash. As a pitcher, Brash is the full six pack. He has wicked velocity and his pitch movement is filthy. Unfortunately, he’s missing that plastic thing that holds the cans together. In other words, Brash has great stuff but can’t control his pitches, and he’s pressing, which makes it work.

He only has 102.1 innings in the minors. That’s not enough, as evidenced by his current 7.65 ERA. Let Brash figure it out in Triple-A and come back to the Seattle Mariners later in the season.

Who do you think the Seattle Mariners should have cut on Monday? Let us know in the comments section below.

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