Seattle Mariners did the right thing, finally
Mariners Fallout
So, where does all of this leave the Seattle Mariners? What is the damage done by these words? Make no mistake words have meaning. There isn’t a crystal ball that we can use to see the future. Time will let everyone know. M’s fans should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
The best is that in time and through actions (words are cute and cheap, actions speak louder), these events don’t dissuade any free agents from joining what is otherwise a good organization. Current players will want to re-sign with the Seattle Mariners when their contracts are up. Or these events in late February don’t impact the players in the regular season. Finally, that the blatant service time manipulation comments don’t come with too big of a punishment.
The worst being any remaining free agent turns the Mariners down. Kelenic, Trammell, Raleigh, and Rodriguez leave at the first opportunity they get. That Mather’s words haunt the players during the season and beyond; possibly, forcing the Mariners into overspending on every free agent to get them to play in Seattle. The loss of draft picks as a penalty. All of Dipoto’s hard work to build up the franchise could be undone in literally 45 minutes.
Mariners fans around the world should expect the fallout to be somewhere in the middle of these outcomes. Some free agents and current players may forever be turned off. Current M’s players may take longer to get going in the year because of these unfortunate words.
Consequently, some players may brush this off and say it’s only one man’s view, thoughts, and opinions and doesn’t represent everyone within the organization. Stanton’s actions will tell if the apologetic words used are genuine or just nice, pretty words meant to patronize.