Mariners: The Trade Deadline is Upon us
By Ben Renner
Trolling for Mariners Trade Deadline news this morning I was disappointed to not find anything yet. General Manager Jerry Dipoto has today to make a deal that will push the Mariners into the 2017 playoffs.
The Mariners are treading water in the American League playoff race. So far, their trades haven’t done enough to push them into the playoffs this season. General Manager Jerry Dipoto has another day–today–to work out a deal, but there’s no guarantee any move he makes will be a power move for this season.
The Mariners added David Phelps, Marco Gonzales, and Erasmo Ramirez this month, trading away prospect Tyler O’Neill and reliever Steve Cishek in the process. Ramirez, Gonzales, and Phelps are controllable under contract next year and beyond.
My thought process is that Dipoto is stockpiling for next season. The Houston Astros are running away with the division, and in spite of a recent George Springer injury, they are still loaded and will presumably add another starting pitcher or two today to solidify their grip on the AL West and the playoffs.
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I’m not ready to give up on this season yet. With two Wild Card spots available, Seattle could get hot and weasel their way into a playoff game. Crazier things have happened. But it’s possible that Dipoto is already planning for the future.
Phelps is a useful bullpen piece for this season, but it remains to be seen if Ramirez and Gonzales will contribute to the Mariners rotation during the stretch run.
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The roster churn continues. Yesterday we saw Leonys Martin make his triumphant return to Safeco Field with a home run in the Mariners’ 9-1 stomping of the New York Mets. If Scott Servais can put together a winning lineup from here on out, the Mariners might not need reinforcements, but it’s difficult to say if what he has will be enough, or what he can expect in new players.