Seattle Mariners: The Expendables 2023
Ed Stein
|
It’s been a disappointing first half of 2023 for the Seattle Mariners. Several players on the roster are, quite frankly, expendable at this point.
Fans of the action movie franchise The Expendables are excited about the September release of movie number 4. Once again, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), and Toll Road (Randy Couture) are in action. They even have 50-Cent and Megan Fox along for the ride.
Excitement for an exciting September from Seattle Mariners fans is almost nonexistent. The team is in fourth place in the West, two games under .500, and has three teams between them and the final AL Wild Card spot.
It’s obvious this product is far from the back-to-back 90-game winners from the past two seasons. For M’s fans, The Expendables refers to about 20% of the roster who don’t produce.
Seattle Mariners Expendables
Kolten Wong
In theory, Kolten Wong was a good offseason pickup by Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto. When Seattle traded for him last winter, no one would have thought he’d have a .164 batting average and .459 OPS approaching the midpoint of the 2023 season.
Yet those are his totals. He’s been supplanted at second base by rookie Jose Caballero. At this point, Wong is $8M of wasted space on the roster. He’s not good enough right now to be traded and too expensive to cut.
AJ Pollock
Put AJ Pollock in the same boat as Wong. He came in to be the right-handed half of a leftfield platoon with Jarred Kelenic.
Instead, the Mariners have $7M tied up in a 35-year-old outfielder batting .159. That’s the very definition of expendable.
Chris Flexen
Former baseball executive Branch Rickey said he’d rather trade a player a year too early than a year too late. That perfectly applies to the Mariners Chris Flexen situation.
Last season and over the winter, Flexen had real trade value. His 7.71 ERA this season makes him useless to the Seattle Mariners and every other MLB team.
Mike Ford
Mike Ford cuts an imposing figure at 6 feet, 220 pounds, with a square jaw and big biceps. When he connects, Mike Ford beats a baseball into submission with his power.
The problem with this former Ivy Leaguer from Princeton doesn’t make contact enough to justify keeping him on the team. Someone who strikes out twice as often as he gets hits can go.
Sure, his 6 home runs in 46 at-bats are very impressive. Looking deeper, the dingers count for 75% of all Ford’s hits, they only accounted for 8 RBI, and he struck out 17 times.
Marco Gonzales
The Mariners can only wish that Marco Gonzales is still the pitcher he was two years ago. A combination of injuries, ineffectiveness, and young prospects have rendered the Seattle Mariners one-time staff ace expendable. Pitchers age out; it happens.
He led the Majors in losses last year (15), and despite a 4-1 record before going on the injured list, Gonzales’ 5.22 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. Another MLB saying is being a left-handed pitcher means never saying goodbye. If his forearm strain heals, he could still be useful to a contender down the stretch.
Bonus Expendables
These guys aren’t on the Seattle Mariners active roster. However, if the M’s are cleaning house, they might as well part with this trio too.
Taylor Trammell
Taylor Trammell has proved himself to be the quintessential Quad-A player. He can produce in the minors, but aside from rare occasions, his bat goes silent when promoted to The Show.
Unfortunately, the Seattle Mariners don’t have the luxury of keeping Trammell as a pinch runner/ defensive outfield replacement. Maybe at the trade deadline, another team will.
Darren McCaughan
There’s no shame in giving a journeyman a chance to prove himself. Darren McCaughan couldn’t pull it off. Not everyone can be turned around like M’s closer, Paul Sewald.
This 27-year-old’s spot on the 40-man roster would be more useful if used on someone who could contribute this season or next.
Juan Then
Watching Juan Then‘s fall down Seattle’s prospect list the past few seasons was very telling. The higher he advanced in the M’s player development system, the more he was exposed.
His nine appearances in Majors this year proved he doesn’t have the goods. Since he’s only 23, maybe a fresh start somewhere else would help his career.
Who do you think is expendable on the Seattle Mariners roster?