M's Outgrow Leonydas
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Q. How can such an improbably nice, handsome, and all-around great guy be so mean?
A. Lady, they ain't athletes. And they ain't really even people. They're baseball players. Besides that, Leonys Martin will land on his feet. Better than Dr. D will, no doubt.
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Q. OK then. What did you have against him in the first place?
A. Nothing other than his being Carlos Peguero minus the home runs. Well, and plus the glove. But I was okay with cutting him Sunday, and I'd have been okay with cutting him the day after the Texas deal, and I'd have been okay with cutting him any day in between. For nothing in return. It's called "addition by subtraction."
You're behind on the scoreboard, you get "traffic" going on the bases, Leonys advances to the plate ... and the opposing pitching coach trots out to the mound. Not to strategize; just to utterly savor the moment. Dr. D had tired of the anti-rally killshots a long time ago; judging by the fact that he dropped a STARTER off a plank in the middle of Safeco Field into the maw of the Sarlaac, Jerry Dipoto had also tired of it.
It's just a DFA. I could be reading too much it. But the rally deaths are past tense and I'm likin' it.
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Q. Should the M's have anticipated this need to shed Martin?
A. Yes, in December of 2015.
We kid. Jerry Dipoto felt that in order to not have a Jack Zduriencik Unusuable Roster, he needed whatever glove outfielder he found within arm's reach. SSI can grok it.
But man alive! Especially the idea that Leonys Martin might be able to hit LHP's with good stuff. :: shudder :: It wasn't just the 50 at-bats this year. He was terrible in Arizona. From Aug. 28 onward in 2016 his OPS was .591. It was a death spiral, man.
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Q. Does it bother you that we didn't trade Martin and ? for, say, Craig Kimbrel?
A. IMMANUEL KANT / MONTY PYTHON MEANING OF LIFE DEPT: You know that Dr. D respects the Denizens. And this is a inkblot test. There are guys who would rather get an extra +100 chips by not being bluffed out of them; there are other guys who would rather get the extra +100 chips by making a bold move to sweep a pot. It really IS more a personality thing than anything else.
We sympathize with a man who would rather make +2 good moves and -0 blunders, than a man who would rather make +4 (or +5) good moves and -2 blunders. Me? I'm just a guy who would rather die aggressively, than not. Jerry Dipoto is the same way.
In rotisserie I just don't care that much if I have to cut Felix Hernandez for nothing, not if it means I get Chris Sale in profit. Some guys think more in terms of efficiency, and that WOULD bother them. :: shrug :: I'm a shiny-new-object kind of guy. :- ) Hey, you want to guarantee me that Taylor Motter is Mike Schmidt starting 10 games ago and for the next 1,000 games? I'll be only too happy to cut Kyle Seager if you can offer me that in return. Never think about him again.
Well y'know, Kyle
...
Not sure what Martin was worth in January; it's a good Q. Will be mildly surprised if he's even claimed off waivers just 50 at-bats later, and if so, could it have been much?
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Q. Your point?
A. In February the Mariners did not know that Mitch Haniger was great. They merely suspected it. The difference is large.
In February the Mariners did not know that Taylor Motter was going to need at-bats, and someplace other than in Jean Segura's, Kyle Seager's or Robinson Cano's spots.
And in February the Mariners did not know that Guillermo Heredia was going to be swinging the bat well on April 21-24 ... wait.
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Q. So you will concede the move is a little shrill?
A. Yes, on two counts: (1) I bet you that if Guillermo Heredia didn't happen to be swinging it good, and we mean during this specific week, that the decision woulda been deferred. If true, that's disconcerting, no?
(2) Who in the world cuts a starter? Because he's hitting .1xx in April? Last time you saw it? Honestly, gimme a name.
But the move is both shrill AND sound. I wouldn't strongly expect the M's to bring him back if he passes waivers.
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Q. Maybe Zoom is right about a hairtrigger-tense Martin and a shouting match in the hallway.
A. Certainly would be very typical. Martin had unexpected success last year, defining "success" as a .300 OBP and hi .300's SLG. Brimming with .690 OPS confidence, he defied the M's, went home and retooled his own swing against their warnings. If he's then hairtrigger tense and some Brad Pitt snaps at him in the hallway and Martin doesn't back down... "well, NOW I will." Easy to imagine.
But the real point is this --- > Mitch Haniger.
And Dyson. And Heredia. And Tank O'Neill. And Ben Gamel looked really good and Ben Gamel deserves a fair, 300-AB shot. And Taylor Motter. And even Danny Valencia and Nelson Cruz wanting OF time. Sometimes you just outgrow a need. The idea that the Mariners might have outgrown a need they had only a month ago, it speaks to the dynamics of Jerry Dipoto's roster. He drew a face card or two. He ditched the 9's.
Or not,
Dr D