The comfort of rooting for a baseball team like the New York Yankees or Philadelphia Phillies is that even when they putter out of the playoffs in humiliating fashion, as they did this season, fans can still grasp a general idea of what next year will look like. The baseball postseason is always a crapshoot, but this is what distinguishes a Cinderella run from a window of contention. A core is built for the next few years, ownership has the motivation to bolster that core with trades or free-agent signings, and fans have the luxury of declaring "GG go next."
After the Seattle Mariners were eliminated in the ALCS by the Toronto Blue Jays, thanks in part to some dodgy bullpen management, they were in limbo. This was a good team that bought at the trade deadline and entered the playoffs with the goal of a World Series, and in theory should have become bona fide contenders. But the Mariners have a penny-pinching ownership that has historically precluded the prospect of a future. Magic and Etsy witches can only carry you so far. Trade acquisitions Eugenio Suárez, who in spite of his delightful bob and helix piercing was not so successful, and Josh Naylor, who because of his Wario-esque mien was successful and much beloved, were on expiring deals. Are we out of the 54-percent trenches yet?
Following the team's postseason elimination a few weeks ago, Mariners chairman John Stanton went old-school with a full-page ad in the Seattle Times to declare that those days are over. "The Northwest deserves a World Series," the message read. "I know we are going to get there. This is the beginning of a special era of Mariners Baseball. There is work to do to take that final step. That work starts now." And, miracle of all miracles, Stanton seems to be putting his money where his mouth is.
On Sunday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that Naylor and the Mariners have agreed to a five-year contract, pending a physical. Naylor, a.k.a. Jim or Jimmy, would fill the first-base position for the Mariners, which has otherwise been a glaring black hole. After being traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Naylor slashed .299/.341/.490 with Seattle, even as he adjusted to his new team's ballpark. Like many others, I was most bewitched by his tortoise-style basestealing maneuvers, which fit in so well with the Mariners' absurd charm. Despite being one of the slowest runners in all of baseball, Naylor stole 19 bases in 54 games, bringing his season total up to 30. The man has third-percentile sprint speed!
At its length, the deal would be a rarity: Naylor is the first free-agent first baseman since Freddie Freeman to sign for more than four years, and in spite of his many assets, he is obviously not Freddie Freeman. The monetary value of the contract has yet to be confirmed, but unless you are John Stanton, the ultimate efficiency of the deal in five years matters far less than the fact that it exists in the first place. The Seattle Mariners' window is now, and somehow, they made the first big free-agent signing of the offseason to bolster their core of home-grown players. Abysmal starting pitching and poor offensive depth was ultimately what killed the Mariners' playoff run. The former can be attributed to sample size, injury, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but Victor Robles should probably not be your No. 1 right fielder; Suárez or no Suárez, the Mariners would like more offense out of their infield. There is still work to be done, but perhaps we can start thinking about 55 percent, or maybe even 56 percent.
That said, if the past two years have taught me anything, it's that the Mariners will lead you in and out and in and out of optimism. Every promising sign has to be met with a healthy amount of skepticism, lest you be the chump who fell for it again. But the more the Mariners act in a way unlike their organization's recent history, the better. I will gladly fall for it again and again.
