Seattle Mariners Trade Rumors: What Exactly is the Plan?
By Todd Pheifer
Do the Seattle Mariners have a plan when it comes to the trade deadline? You have to wonder if there is a definitive strategy.
It is hard to know which rumors actually mean anything as we wind down to the deadline, but there was this little gem from Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports:
Right now, Matt Kemp is a backup plan for the Mariners. But their interest is very real. Idea would be to transition him to DH eventually.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2014
Backup plan? Correct me if I am wrong, but for there to be a backup plan doesn’t there have to be a primary plan?
Are David Price and Ben Zobrist the primary plan? Or might it be thrilling options like Marlon Byrd or Josh Willingham? There was a little sarcasm in that last sentence, just in case you didn’t pick that up.
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For now, let’s focus on the “backup” plan. One has to hope that in this case the word backup means that there are several plans ahead of this one.
Now, if the Dodgers want to pick up a fairly large portion of the remaining deal, that is something to consider. Say…90% of it. Also, if the Dodgers just want to relieve the logjam in the outfield and are willing to accept a lesser package of prospects to get a deal done, that is also something to consider.
I wouldn’t count on either aspect of that scenario playing out. But, you never know.
If reports are true, Kemp still wants to play in the outfield. He doesn’t want to platoon at DH with an American League team that is desperate for someone to come in and play like they did three years ago. Yes, the Mariners may be dreaming that Kemp will bring a time machine that takes him back to 2011.
Could Kemp help the Mariners? Maybe, but even at 29 he may be on the decline…at $20 million a year. Ouch.
It would be really interesting to hear whether the Mariners actually have a plan and how Matt Kemp fits in. We are only days away from the dramatic climax…unless the deadline just turns into a non-event.