Seattle Sports Insider

Buying Hard Into 2020-22

I had never bought much into the "wait for 2021" shtick that Dipoto has on the marquee, until Sherminator put it this way:

So you have Mitch for 4 years, but you're wasting 1, maybe two of them. Which by definition means that he is worth less to us than to someone else, someone competetive. For us he's worth .25 cents on the dollar next year, .75 in year two, and 1.00 in years three and four. So if he's worth 75% to us what he is to LAD, why not flip him for an easy profit?

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Cleaning House

WHAT

Is Mitch Haniger gone too? Here's an article from Sodo Mojo that discusses the state of affairs. The idea isn't that they're so accurate it's as if they have an "In The Know" connection; the idea is that Haniger is available at all.

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Amazing Video from 1934

At Bill James Online, a reader sent in to Hey Bill and posted this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRS6YppAFcg. It has 13 minutes' worth of the NYY ballgame and the video quality looks to me circa 1955.

(I had thought the first TV broadcast was of Hitler, ergo the late 30's, so have no idea who was recording this, how, etc. Maybe a Denizen can enlighten?)

At 12:20 is some footage of the Babe and the spry Lou Gehrig.

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Bob....er..Jerry the Builder

Cody Gearin: Two tumbs up! He throw 60+ times a year, misses enough bats to get 8+ K's, doesn't give up a lot of hits and keeps it in the park. OK, he walks folks.....he isn't Mariano. But Gearin is a quality MLB reliever coming to a team rather short of them. This might not be a terrific signing, but it is a solid pickup, all the same.

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Looking Some More at Harper

Well, four days without SSI content means you get something from me to keep things somewhat going.

Let's look a bit harder at Bryce Harper as a potential Mariner.

Obviously, the Ms have not seemed to be a logical destination for him. New York, Philly, L.A., Chicago.... all of these have seemed more probable.

But think for a minute about something Harper and Boras know, that we might consider....

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Five Lefties?

Q. Felix as Closer?

A. It's worth a try. He's got one pitch, a curve, which is what Tom Gordon had. Why not give "Tom Gordon?" a whirl? ... after he gets detonated in April, of course.

Q. Is it possible to run five lefties? Four? Can you go with even three?

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You Say Stop ... And I Say Go Go Go, Oh-oh No

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Yusei Kikuchi 4 yrs Guaranteed

So it sounds like the Mariners and free agent pitcher Yusei Kikuchi have agreed to a 4 year deal. Sounds like an AMAZING contract, too: 3 years guaranteed with mutual options represented as a fourth year player option or, if the team exercises their end instead, a fourth-seventh year team option.

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Some More Discussion Points

It's been 3 days since anything was posted, so here's another attempt at a discussion-starter.

The Ms may be done with trades now, except for Edwin Encarnacion. Where he goes, and what the Ms can get for him will obviously have a bearing on what FA signings they make. But let's try to guess what signings might make a difference for 2019.

First Need -- an experienced Catcher

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Some Thoughts

So, here's what I think may happen.

First, I think the Ms will soon trade Edward Encarnacion, probably to the Rays, for more prospects. Hopefully Colin Poche will be one, and he will become the closer apparent. Any others will become immediate chips for the next move.

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