Game 47, Mariners at Nationals
Sam Gaviglio vs. Tanner Roark, 4:05pm
It was really great for a while to see the replacement M’s – Gamel, Bergman, etc. – tread water while the first-stringers were out injured, but there were always two problems looming. First, they simply weren’t as good, and that level of performance wasn’t sustainable, and second, treading water wasn’t closing the gap that needed to be closed. Now that the pendulum’s lurched back the other way and each replacement starter gives up 4 HRs per game or whatever, we at least have clarity. The M’s aren’t catching the Astros. The M’s probably aren’t catching whoever loses the AL East, and may not catch either the Angels or Rangers. They’re up against it now.
Hence all of the discussion on the radio, on twitter, and elsewhere about the wisdom of a big sell-off. It’s true: the M’s have more to sell now than they have in the past. However, most of what they have to sell either won’t net a huge return (Nelson Cruz) or doesn’t help the M’s get better down the road (Jean Segura). If the M’s were 20-26 and had Drew Smyly healthy and effective, that’s one thing. But the single best trade chip they have is Segura, whose track record of success is much longer than Haniger’s, say, and plays a premium position. But selling a great 27-year old for 2 20-year old prospects who might one day become great 27-year olds doesn’t really help. Of course there’s a level of offer that you might feel comfortable pulling the trigger on, but I doubt the M’s are going to be blown away. They can’t fall into the trap of deciding that because the needs right now are greater at pitcher than in the infield that it’s necessary to trade their valuable IF for a pitcher.
I’m still in the camp that the M’s don’t have much to sell, because selling their aging core who are all locked into long term contracts (except Cruz, who makes up for that by being the oldest) doesn’t really help. If the M’s kick in money to get a better prospect, they are paying to deduct wins from the current and maybe 2018 teams for very little gain. It’s true that 2017 and 2018 wins may not be worth a ton, a team with the payroll that the M’s can afford should not simply light near-term wins on fire for the sake of lowering the current payroll. The M’s never really did a tear-down rebuild, and at this point, with hindsight, it’s easy to say that they should’ve. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that what’s best for this team, right now, is strip everything and turn things over to Dan Vogelbach or whatever.
1: Segura, SS
2: Seager, 3B
3: Cano, 2B
4: Valencia, 1B
5: Gamel, RF
6: Heredia, LF
7: Zunino, C
8: Dyson, CF
9: Gaviglio, P
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Well this is going swimmingly!
Done before Memorial Day. This sucks.