Mariner's Season Update

A disappointing two weeks find the Mariners in last place in the American League West. After a promising 4-4 start to the season, the Mariners have lost thirteen of the last sixteen games. Like in the previous year, pitching has been the issue. The team is currently allowing six runs per game, which ranks twenty-seventh out of thirty teams. Only the last-place Red Sox and Giants allow more runs per game. The next three series against the Dodgers, Rangers, and Padres will determine if the Mariners stay relevant past August in the AL West.

The trade deadline this year is August 31st. The Mariners should look to be active no matter what their record. Expect to see long time Mariner Kyle Seager discussed in trade rumors. Seager is the Mariner’s highest-paid player and could be traded in exchange for a pitcher. One possibility is Minnesota, whose third baseman Josh Donaldson is currently on the ten-day Injured List (IL) with a calf injury. The Atlanta Braves are another potential trading partner. Atlanta’s third basemen are twenty-ninth in the league in production, so Seager would be a huge upgrade for them.

Trading with teams will be more difficult with minor league games canceled this year. Either you are trading for players that your scouts haven’t seen all year or are hoping to trade with a team that has a surplus of pitching at the major league level. The player draft later in the year will have the same problems. I’d expect more college players to be drafted in the early rounds because teams will have more data on them then on the high schoolers.

On a positive note, Kyle Lewis continues his breakout season. He leads the team with thirty hits, five home runs, and a .949 on-base plus slugging (OPS). Lewishas also begun to lower his strikeout rate which is a very good sign in a young player. Dylan Moore has also played well in recent weeks, including a three-hit game against the Dodgers. He is second on the team with a .941 OPS and leads the team with five stolen bases.

Catcher Tom Murphy is still on the ten-day IL with a foot injury and has not played in a single game this season. Kendall Graveman is still on the ten-day IL with neck issues. Pitchers Justin Dunn and Yusei Kikuchi, who are listed as day to day, will likely make their next scheduled starts. Justin Dunn was injured in the ribs after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Corey Seager, Kyle’s brother.