Seattle Mariners: Rumors More Fiction Than Fact
By Todd Pheifer
Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Stop me if you have heard this one. The Seattle Mariners are interested in acquiring relevant players. I know what you are thinking. Crazy, right?
The names continue to accumulate as we absorb the latest articles, whispers and tweets. Jacoby Ellsbury. Matt Kemp. Carlos Beltran. Shin-Soo Choo. Matt Garza. Nelson Cruz. Dexter Fowler. Billy Butler. Brian Wilson.
Should I go on? Did I miss anyone? If I did, I’m sure there will be a new name tomorrow.
We get excited because the names are recognizable and we think back to their best year, which always seems to be around 2009. Realistically there are red flags with a lot of these players, but what if they had a resurgence in Seattle? What if a star came to the Pacific Northwest and brought back the excitement of the mid-90s? Ah, nostalgia. Where have you gone, Ken Griffey Jr.? We miss you.
Before we get carried away, we have to hit the brakes and think about words.
The Mariners are allegedly “interested” in a lot of these players. You have to love that word. We also hear the word “exploring,” or we hear that Seattle is “in” on certain players.
Forgive me if I am a bit hesitant to get excited just yet.
After all, I am “interested” in a lot of things. A Mediterranean cruise, for example. I have never been up in a hot air balloon. Going on a summer road trip to all the ballparks around the country sounds like a lot of fun.
Should I go on? Probably not.
What do these excursions have in common? They might happen someday, but they certainly aren’t happening today and they are unlikely to happen in the near future.
The same could be said about our illustrious Seattle Mariners. They may indeed be interested in exploring all sorts of exciting transactions but we have seen this trailer before. The actual movie is never quite as good as the preview.
You hate to be cynical as a fan, but it would not be a great shock if none of these deals actually came to fruition. A more likely scenario is that Seattle goes into 2014 with their existing lineup, a couple of new farm hands and an affordable veteran or two on one-year deals.
Exciting, I know. And, strangely familiar.
Now, perhaps this will be the year when things change. Maybe Jack Zduriencik and the leadership group are sick of waiting for the youngsters to grow up. If the Mariners get aggressive and start scratching out big checks, I will be happy to admit that I was wrong. At this point, I just don’t see that happening.
Rumors are certainly entertaining, but in the end the story may be the same.