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I'm rooting for the Ms to actually act on their threat to build their own network. The Astros have their own network, the Angels are rolling in dough, and the Rangers have a huge TV deal themselves.
Joining the contract game itself may not be enough. The Ms need to dominate that realm. The potential for a network for the Mariners is even higher than that of the Angels (they have a huge market and get good ratings even when losing).
The Ms would need to figure out how to get other programming and it would require a huge investment, but its doable.