A Grip on Sports: The Mariners seem to be stuck in traffic as the trade deadline inches closer
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Whether you move in life can be determined, in most part, by which way you are headed. That lesson was driven home for us once again Sunday. And we mean literally.
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• We’ll get to the metaphoric part in a minute but the literal is more fun. We left the Puget Sound yesterday morning, heading south to a family get-together. And drove past at least four miles-long traffic jams on northbound Interstate 5.
A long holiday weekend coming to a close was part of it, we’re sure. That we traveled through Tacoma, where traffic jams breed, was another. An accident. The usual Sunday crowd south of Portland heading home. Another one in Oregon for seemingly no reason. All the type that would have made us tear our hair out and our eyes tear up.
And all going the other way. The southbound crowd? A couple of slowdowns – we went through Tacoma, as if you needed any reminder – but no outright jam. We slipped down the interstate as if we were coated in butter.
Heck, even the rest areas were relatively empty. The other side? We’re not sure there was an available parking stall.
We realized we had picked the correct direction at the right time. And wondered, as the cruise control did its work, if the Mariners would be so lucky. Or, in their case, smart.
As Rick Rizz and Dave Sims lamented Luke Raley’s bad luck and another home loss, a question popped into our mind. Has a team ever become a trade deadline seller while in first place?
We asked the Google machine this morning. Often. The answers were not all that productive. Or informative. It seems rare but we’re not 100% sure.
Could the Mariners take that direction? After all, they may be in first place in the American League West, but their recent cold spell means they have dropped below the Holy Grail of winning 54% of their games.
Even though Raley’s ninth-inning shot to the left-center gap would have kept them north of that goal if it had not bounded over the fence and into the Seattle bullpen. After we wondered if the person who rakes that part of T-Mobile was fired before the 10th, we began to contemplate the direction Jerry Dipoto will take the rest of July.
The M’s president of baseball operations programs the team’s GPS. He knows those wanting to buy as the deadline approaches are hitting a bottleneck. There just isn’t enough available talent.
Maybe the Rangers, who won the World Series eight months ago, will open another lane for buyers. The Rays too. Heck, the Diamondbacks, who fell to Texas in the World Series, could dangle a couple folks.
But Trader Jerry is always working an angle. Looking for a bargain. And bargains are found by going against traffic, not being stuck in it.
Could you imagine the outrage if the man who brought in Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger and Luis Urias to improve the offense the past offseason took that route? If any of the starters or Cal Raleigh or J.P. Crawford or Ty France were dangled for prospects? OK, that last one wouldn’t cause a complaint. But there is no way that could happen, right?
Barring a continuation of the recent cold spell, no chance. It would case a revolt among the Mariner faithful. But a 6-12 record to finish the month? If that’s enough to keep the Astros at bay, we would be shocked – unless three of those wins come in the post-All-Star series at T-Mobile.
But it may be enough to convince Dipoto and his minions Seattle’s hope of grabbing a World Series title – the ultimate goal of every 54% winning team – is out of reach this year. But selling? That would be unacceptable to the masses.
At worst Dipoto might follow a route he has traveled at points during his career. Buy and sell. Do a series of U-turns that may be enough placate the fans while trying to fine-tune the 2025 roster.
That runs the risk, of course, of losing the clubhouse – a prospect that looms with any scenario except going all in. The comments at the end of last season made that abundantly clear.
The M’s brain trust must decide this week which direction to take. Put the pedal to the metal. Trust there won’t be a traffic jam. Or a crash.
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WSU: Not sure how invested Cougar fans are in reading about Matt Chazanow’s return to the Tar Heel state – and we used that term just to troll NC State fans – but we have a story to pass along. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman this morning really delved into Jedd Fisch and his decision to abandon Arizona for Washington. … Again, we were under the impression recruiting stories never stop. They don’t. At least in Seattle. … There is one more Oregonian football numbers story than usual this morning. No. 55 for Oregon is available. We linked No. 55 for Oregon State yesterday. … The car crash that killed former Duck cornerback Khyree Jackson and two of his high school buddies is still under investigation. … Finally, on such a light news day, we thought we would pass along a media mailbag on The Athletic. It does highlight one positive aspect of realignment and consolidation of TV contracts. Start times can be set earlier if only one network owns a conference.
Preps: Instead of putting an Anton Watson link into the Gonzaga University section today, we decided to celebrate his Gonzaga Prep roots and include it in the high school department. The link is to an interview with our buddy Theo Lawson. … Mt. Spokane graduate Drew Rasmussen might be injured but that doesn’t mean he isn’t helping the Rays improve.
Mariners: Before we delve into Sunday’s disappointing, and frustrating, 5-4 10-inning defeat, we want to share the news Julio Rodriguez is OK. The MRI on his right quad was clean. … The M’s psyche? That’s a little battered after leaving 15 runners on base and losing their third consecutive series. One piece of good news, though. Logan Gilbert is an All-Star. … What was Harry Ford doing in the outfield for a couple Double-A games this weekend? He is tired of being a designated hitter. Wants to increase his value. Improve his resume.
Kraken: We linked this story on a draft pick’s past when it ran in the Times recently. It is available now on the S-R site.
Storm: Nneka Ogwumike’s double-double led Seattle past Chicago 84-71 in the second game of a two-game set at Climate Pledge Arena.
Reign: The long winless streak continued, as Seattle was only able to earn a draw with last-place Utah.
Seahawks: The Hawks MVP this season may well just be Devon Witherspoon. Our old friend Mike Sando thinks so.
Wimbledon: Sunday was a bad day for American women as Madison Keys had to withdraw due to injury one game from a fourth-round win and world No. 2 Coco Gauff lost. That Gauff was upset by another American, Emma Navarro, did ease the pain a bit. … An icon of American tennis, Chris Evert, is back in the booth after winning another key point against cancer.
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• Our biggest worry as the deadline looms? Dipoto’s inability over the years to identify hitters. Not just recent acquisitions, but also his history. Does Josh Hamilton ring a bell? That track record is something we may delve into as the trade deadline looms. Until later …