The Seattle Mariners are coming off their best season in 15 years, but they may not be looking to build off of that as they decide what they want to do with their roster this winter.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported on Tuesday that the Mariners are considering a total rebuild this offseason, which means they would be open to trading any and all of their star players if the return is deemed worthy.
Sources: The Mariners are considering a full-fledged teardown this winter. If trade market is strong, they’ve told teams they’re willing to move just about anyone. And if that happens, they have indicated they’re willing to wait a few years to build a competitive team again.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 6, 2018
Now, blowing things up in Seattle is subject to return. Jean Segura’s no-trade would need to be worked around. Return for Mitch Hanover, James Paxton and Edwin Diaz would need to be massive. But Mariners are in that awful no-man’s land where they’re good but not good enough.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 6, 2018
The Mariners won 89 games this season, but that was only good enough for third in the AL West. They finished 14 games behind the division-winning Houston Astros and were eight wins short of even clinching a wild card spot.
Seattle has plenty of players that would draw interest on the trade market, most notably shortstop Jean Segura, outfielder Mitch Haniger, and pitchers James Paxton and Edwin Diaz. Segura and Haniger, both of whom were acquired in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks two years ago, had outstanding seasons at the plate. Haniger was 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA as a starter, and Diaz led all of baseball with 57 saves and posted a 1.96 ERA.
While the Mariners showed some signs of improvement this year, they have not been to the playoffs since 2001. Winning around 90 games a year simply isn’t going to cut it, and we know how much a front office executive they recently extended loves to pull off trades. If Seattle can retool its farm system in hopes of dethroning the Astros in a few years, it may make sense to go that route.
