Seattle Mariners: Excitement, Downers and a limited Window of Opportunity
Joe Swenson
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This Window Won’t Stay Open Forever
The Mariners are in a situation where they have one of the best farm systems in the league. Just like San Diego did over the last several months, a transaction happy GM can go all-in at any time with veterans and gut the farm.
The pandemic could cause Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto to make knee-jerk decisions. If the season doesn’t start as successfully as planned or worse, poor productivity from any of the young players could lead to changes.
As a Seattle fan, it is understandable not to trust management with the development of younger players. They’ve suffered through Michael Pineda, Dustin Ackley, Alex Jackson, DJ Peterson, Mike Zunino, Phillippe Aumont, and John Mayberry Jr. All prospects that we expected to be something for the Mariners but fell short or were moved for veterans. Let’s be honest, Seattle has an atrocious track record when it comes to the development of talent since 2000.
Temper the Sense of Urgency to Win Now
The sense of urgency to get these prospects up and try them out at the big league level must be tempered. A winning-culture with the nucleus of youth that we’ll see in 2021 must be developed. It’s one thing for super-prospects Kelenic and Rodriguez to say they are excited to get to the big leagues and help the team win. But winning isn’t on their shoulders alone; it’s on everyone’s shoulders.
Twenty years is a very long time to go without making the playoffs. That pressure on management has to be unbearable. There will be a trickledown of that pressure to the players as well. It’s what the fans want, and the days of settling for “give us something to be excited about” are wearing away.
While some might think that the window of opportunity is just opening up, it could be closing just as fast. The pandemic might force among other things a condensed season, limited spring training for non-roster invitees, and curtailing the lower minor leagues. The Mariners can’t afford that, or they’re going to be in a rebuild pattern for a very long time.
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Joe Swenson is a lifelong Seattle sports fan, author, award-winning playwright, director, and producer at BrokenArtsEntertainment.com.