Episode 150: Mariners' Trade Deadline Wrap-Up, Did They Do Enough?

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[00:01:25] Welcome to episode number 150 of the Marine Layer Podcast. We'll recap the Mariners' trade deadline. Did they do enough? We'll compare them to other contenders in Major League Baseball and then give them a grade.

[00:01:55] Twitter and YouTube shorts at Marine Layer Pod. Let's get it rolling.

[00:02:11] And we welcome you to this episode of the Marine Layer Podcast, part of the Just Baseball Podcast Network.

[00:02:17] Recording post-deadline on Tuesday evening, July 30th.

[00:02:23] Lyle, if I were to ask you, what's the vibe level for you watching Randy Arrozarena in a Mariners uniform? What is it?

[00:02:34] It's high, but it can't be an A-plus because I'm bogged down by the fact that the deadline has passed and no Kyle Tucker. F!

[00:02:43] Hmm. How many times did you go training for that hike?

[00:02:47] I told you zero. I was doing no training for it. I was going to just do it, just show up and do it.

[00:02:53] Well, maybe he would have liked a little pre-effort and he would have made more of an effort to demand a trade.

[00:02:59] Well, I would have liked some pre-effort to know he was going to demand a trade before I started hiking.

[00:03:04] That's what I wanted.

[00:03:05] You got to read into those feelings. You got a sense.

[00:03:08] Okay, I want people to know that with the deadline ending, we put a video out today on Twitter and on our Instagram stories,

[00:03:16] that unfortunately our Kyle Tucker campaign has failed.

[00:03:20] That being said, as I said in the video, it's not permanently failed. I just said it's failed.

[00:03:25] This offseason, oh, we'll be back. We'll be back with a vengeance.

[00:03:30] An absolute vengeance.

[00:03:32] Like, we've learned a lot in the last few months over our Kyle Tucker campaign.

[00:03:36] Now all we can do is recoup and get better for the offseason,

[00:03:41] and we're going to come in guns blazing come November.

[00:03:45] But, to your Randy question, yeah, it's pretty sick.

[00:03:49] It's pretty sick he's in a Mariners uniform.

[00:03:50] He fits in so seamlessly, it seems like.

[00:03:53] Like, I was going to say last Astros point, based on what Dana Brown has done trade-wise in his Astros tenure,

[00:04:00] it could have left the door open.

[00:04:02] He made another banger of a trade this deadline for Kikuchi.

[00:04:06] One that all Mariner fans celebrated.

[00:04:09] The only time the Astros will swing a trade at the deadline,

[00:04:12] and Mariner fans will jump up and down in excitement.

[00:04:15] Dude, the book's out on him on whether he's a good GM or not.

[00:04:20] He has made some really questionable trades and some awful signings.

[00:04:25] Think about this.

[00:04:26] They have, what, nearly $130 million invested in Josh Hader and Rafael Montero combined?

[00:04:32] Like, how does that look?

[00:04:34] You signed Jose Abreu, and then all these trades?

[00:04:37] There's a lot of signings that have been made that I'm looking at,

[00:04:41] and I'm like, what were they doing?

[00:04:43] Remember when they basically gutted their whole analytics department?

[00:04:48] Because Jeff Bagwell didn't like it?

[00:04:50] Yeah.

[00:04:51] Like, they're not there anymore.

[00:04:53] This is this new regime that doesn't seem like it's what it used to be.

[00:04:58] I can tell it's not there.

[00:05:00] Because I don't think they would approve these trades.

[00:05:02] No way.

[00:05:03] Which is why I also think it might be a little tougher to judge Dana Brown as a GM,

[00:05:07] because how much influence does ownership and Bagwell have on that sort of situation?

[00:05:13] I would say I would be pretty frustrated.

[00:05:15] But as a Mariner fan, I think it looks great.

[00:05:18] For two months of Yusei Kikuchi, who has an ERA of almost seven in the last month?

[00:05:24] Are you kidding me?

[00:05:25] There is nobody I trust more down the stretch than Yusei Kikuchi.

[00:05:28] Man, if I were to think of a term for Yusei Kikuchi down the stretch,

[00:05:34] bulldog.

[00:05:35] No.

[00:05:36] I mean, he was a bulldog when he got yanked out of the rotation at the end of 2021

[00:05:40] when the Mariners went to a four-man rotation

[00:05:43] and even called up Matt Brash just in case.

[00:05:45] Remember all that?

[00:05:46] They said that's the bulldog that Yusei Kikuchi is.

[00:05:52] Got to be licking the lips next time the Mariners face him.

[00:05:56] Is he going to get yanked out of the Houston rotation?

[00:05:58] Because that's a worse rotation than the Mariners rolled out in 2021.

[00:06:02] But, you know, he's going to be a free agent just like he was going to be after 21.

[00:06:07] Mm-hmm.

[00:06:08] Yeah, he is.

[00:06:11] How are your vibes watching Randy play in a Mariner uniform?

[00:06:14] Well, the offense is fixed.

[00:06:16] Yeah.

[00:06:16] Have you seen all these runs?

[00:06:18] Ten more runs tonight?

[00:06:19] Are you kidding me?

[00:06:20] Just the aura around Randy Rosarena has fixed the offense.

[00:06:27] Yeah, I got to say, galaxy brain idea, Jerry.

[00:06:30] Galaxy brain.

[00:06:31] He knew that Randy Rosarena and his just wonderful cleat collection,

[00:06:38] stepping on the field in a Mariners uniform,

[00:06:41] or actually, you know what?

[00:06:42] Doesn't even have to be on the field.

[00:06:45] All he needs to be is acquired in a trade,

[00:06:48] and the Mariners offense will suddenly turn back into the 2001 form.

[00:06:54] 22 runs against, yeah, the worst team maybe of all time

[00:06:58] in the Chicago White Sox over the weekend.

[00:07:00] I get it.

[00:07:01] I get it.

[00:07:03] But they actually kind of looked good against Garrett Crochet.

[00:07:06] That's a real starter.

[00:07:07] Real starter.

[00:07:09] They looked competent against.

[00:07:10] Scored runs.

[00:07:12] Chased him out of the game.

[00:07:13] And then against the Red Sox, you know,

[00:07:16] they're one bad Logan Gilbert missed call away from potentially having

[00:07:20] two good offensive games and two wins.

[00:07:24] It is a small sample size, but, you know,

[00:07:27] I'm going to cherry pick that because that's what we do.

[00:07:29] You say Garrett Crochet is a real starter.

[00:07:31] So is Eric Fetty.

[00:07:32] They got to him too.

[00:07:34] Like, I know the White Sox aren't a good team,

[00:07:36] but they faced two very good starters.

[00:07:38] A guy that's had some success in Drew Thorpe.

[00:07:40] Got to all three of them.

[00:07:43] Okay, God.

[00:07:44] Get Robo-Ump's up to the big leagues right now

[00:07:47] and the challenge system.

[00:07:48] Good Lord.

[00:07:50] But anyway, the Mariners offense is hitting right now.

[00:07:53] They're really, really hitting.

[00:07:55] You got Demo today.

[00:07:56] Almost had a grand slam.

[00:07:58] Yeah, he was pretty good.

[00:08:00] He was.

[00:08:00] Yeah.

[00:08:01] You know, it was almost an anniversary grand slam.

[00:08:04] Pretty close.

[00:08:05] Do you remember the last time he hit a grand slam?

[00:08:07] Remember what happened after?

[00:08:08] Is the last time he hit a grand slam the day before the Graveman trade

[00:08:13] on the big comeback against the Azra?

[00:08:14] That's his last grand slam?

[00:08:15] Speaking of the trade deadline.

[00:08:17] Huh.

[00:08:18] How about that?

[00:08:18] Think of the difference in vibes.

[00:08:20] 2021, Demo hits a dramatic grand slam.

[00:08:24] Vibes are killed the next day.

[00:08:26] 2024, vibes are already high.

[00:08:29] And Demo could have hit a grand slam to make him even higher.

[00:08:33] Vibes?

[00:08:34] Remember or not, same regime?

[00:08:36] Vibes were high.

[00:08:36] I'm pretty sure vibes were pretty low until the last week.

[00:08:40] Well, today, when he swung the bat and the ball almost left the yard,

[00:08:46] the vibes were okay.

[00:08:48] What's the Astros score, by the way, Lyle?

[00:08:49] Are the Mariners going to be in first place tonight?

[00:08:51] It was 5-1 the last time I saw.

[00:08:53] That game might be over by now.

[00:08:55] Is it over?

[00:08:57] 6-2.

[00:08:59] 6-2, yeah.

[00:09:00] The Mariners are in first place.

[00:09:02] Yeah, are the vibes high, Lyle?

[00:09:04] Are the vibes high, Lyle?

[00:09:06] They're high.

[00:09:07] They're high.

[00:09:08] But a week ago, they were not when they scored three total runs against the Angels.

[00:09:14] Well, it's like Ryan Divish says, we're all day-to-day.

[00:09:17] Our vibes are day-to-day as well.

[00:09:19] Yeah.

[00:09:20] Yeah, they are.

[00:09:21] Also, last thing, and then we can start to get into some of the actual trade deadline stuff.

[00:09:26] Can we talk about Andres Munoz saying to Divish in the clubhouse in Boston?

[00:09:29] He says right to him, you need to relax and be happy.

[00:09:35] That's impossible.

[00:09:37] Yeah.

[00:09:38] Yeah, it is.

[00:09:39] I mean, could not think of two more polar opposite people than Andres Munoz, who I always say, not just one of baseball's nicest people, just maybe one of the world's nicest people.

[00:09:50] And then Ryan Divish, who basically, you know, how would you even describe Divish?

[00:09:59] Like the opposite of Andres Munoz.

[00:10:01] That's how I put it.

[00:10:04] So Divish is grouchy.

[00:10:07] Certainly is grouchy.

[00:10:08] Yeah, he's a curmudgeon.

[00:10:09] He's a self-appointed curmudgeon.

[00:10:11] Now, I do feel like he's got a bit of a soft side to him.

[00:10:15] He's got some humor that'll come out of him.

[00:10:17] It's almost like he wants to smile and crack a joke, but sometimes he just won't let himself.

[00:10:23] I think that's a pretty decent description of that.

[00:10:26] That's how he acts to us.

[00:10:28] But here's what I want to know.

[00:10:30] Was that unprompted by Munoz?

[00:10:32] Did Munoz walk by him and say that?

[00:10:34] Or was this taken out of context in a conversation?

[00:10:37] I think we're going to have to do some investigative journalism this weekend at the ballpark.

[00:10:42] We're going to have to ask Divish, ask Daniel Kramer, who tweeted it, maybe ask Munoz himself.

[00:10:48] I think we're going to have to ask around a little bit.

[00:10:50] Yeah, I guess we'll see.

[00:10:52] I would laugh really hard if that was totally unprompted.

[00:10:56] Divish is standing there in the clubhouse tweeting something, and Munoz walks by and says that.

[00:11:00] If I was standing next to Ryan, I would fall on the floor.

[00:11:04] I probably would, too.

[00:11:06] Well, we're going to find out.

[00:11:07] If we find out, we can report back.

[00:11:10] So, we need to dive into Justin Turner.

[00:11:13] We need to dive into Jimmy Garcia and a little bit on JT Chargois as well.

[00:11:18] But can we just acknowledge here at the start, Lyle, just the sort of difference of attitude of this deadline,

[00:11:28] now that it's concluded, just what the feeling was this deadline as opposed to past deadlines under Jerry DiPoto.

[00:11:41] And I'm talking pre this core as well.

[00:11:44] In what they could acquire, what the aggressiveness level was, we saw more, I would say, energy and focus and attentiveness and aggressiveness at this deadline than we've ever seen with this regime.

[00:12:03] It took nine years, but this felt like the only deadline they'd have where they were absolutely swinging for the fences.

[00:12:13] So, the Luis Castillo trade is still, I would say, the biggest trade they have swung.

[00:12:20] Half because of the extension, half because of the kind of player they acquired and how he's performed since.

[00:12:26] But remember after that, they didn't really do much after that trade for Luis Castillo.

[00:12:34] They needed another bat, but they didn't go get one.

[00:12:37] Meanwhile, we're sitting here today, and you and I have half a mind that they're going to go out and acquire Yandy Diaz.

[00:12:42] And it sounded like they were willing to put together a package necessary to get Yandy Diaz.

[00:12:47] Within reason, because it sounded like the price for Yandy Diaz shot up today to three to four players.

[00:12:55] Note that Randy cost three minor leaguers, but for Yandy they were going to charge way more.

[00:13:01] And Jerry DiPoto said, no, that's not the price for Yandy Diaz, so we're not going to pay it.

[00:13:06] But just to think the sort of attitude of this deadline is just so significantly different than any other deadline we've seen.

[00:13:14] Is that a fair takeaway from this?

[00:13:16] Yeah, I was going to say, didn't do much after the Luis Castillo trade.

[00:13:20] That's the nice way to put it.

[00:13:21] They followed up the Castillo trade, which was great, by the way.

[00:13:24] But they followed that up by signing or trading for Jake Lamb, Kurt Casale, and Matt Boyd.

[00:13:32] They didn't go swing to get other real bats.

[00:13:34] Like, that was their headliner.

[00:13:36] And there wasn't a whole lot after that.

[00:13:38] What they did at this deadline is a lot different.

[00:13:42] They went and got their headliner early in Randy.

[00:13:45] Kind of like how they got Luis first back in 2022.

[00:13:48] And then they got supplemental pieces that are a lot more impactful than what they've done in years past.

[00:13:53] And to tie this all in, too, you're talking about how with this core, this has been a deadline that was so different.

[00:14:02] Which is true.

[00:14:03] Like, compared to what it looked like before the core was here.

[00:14:06] I don't even think you have to dial it back that far.

[00:14:08] Look at last year.

[00:14:10] Remember how mad people were after last year's deadline?

[00:14:12] The Seawall trade, okay.

[00:14:14] You said that a reliever with a year and a half of club control who was starting to not pitch as great maybe wasn't worth it.

[00:14:21] And you could get some real pieces back for him.

[00:14:22] Which they did.

[00:14:23] They got a pretty good haul back for Paul Seawald.

[00:14:25] But it was what happened after that that was worse.

[00:14:28] Like, they still could have gone and gotten Tommy Pham.

[00:14:30] Or they still could have gone and gotten some rental bats and some guys to help the offense last year.

[00:14:34] But remember what happened last year?

[00:14:36] They're out listening to offers on Teoscar Hernandez right until the clock hit zero.

[00:14:41] And they're listening to offers on Ty France.

[00:14:44] And, like, they weren't adding.

[00:14:45] It was a very buy and sell slash unaggressive deadline last year despite being in playoff contention.

[00:14:55] It wasn't like that this year.

[00:14:57] They are competing for a division.

[00:14:59] It's not just a wild card spot.

[00:15:00] They're competing for a division.

[00:15:02] And as we've talked about in previous episodes, jobs may or may not be on the line here.

[00:15:06] So they said, look, it's time to have a purpose.

[00:15:09] That's what I call this deadline is they had purpose.

[00:15:12] They had intention.

[00:15:13] And they executed it to the best that they absolutely could given what the rest of the league would give them in terms of what was available.

[00:15:21] Yeah.

[00:15:22] They were aggressive and they executed for the most part.

[00:15:26] And people had every right to compare last year's deadline to the 2021 deadline where the Mariners were also right in playoff contention, playing extremely well, had just beaten the Astros.

[00:15:36] And then they essentially kicked the clubhouse in the nuts with the Graveman trade and kill every vibe.

[00:15:43] This couldn't have been any more different than any of those.

[00:15:46] And is that because jobs could be on the line?

[00:15:49] Yeah.

[00:15:50] Yeah.

[00:15:51] Every I think most of what you and I talked about about missing the playoffs is still for the most part in play.

[00:15:58] Even after this deadline had happened, we did.

[00:16:01] We talked about that before any trade had been made.

[00:16:04] Well, trades have been made.

[00:16:06] And there were they were sincerely made with a purpose.

[00:16:08] And the purpose was to go out there and make the playoffs.

[00:16:14] And in 2021, I'm going to be honest.

[00:16:16] Again, people had a right to be mad.

[00:16:18] But that roster was so much more flawed than this roster is now.

[00:16:23] Is this roster perfect?

[00:16:24] No, we know everything we need to know about what the offense was pre trade deadline.

[00:16:29] But that 2021 roster had its real concerns like that was not a World Series roster.

[00:16:36] This roster with the right additions can be with this rotation, especially.

[00:16:41] And they took notice of that.

[00:16:42] They understood that there was a lot of discourse starting to happen after that angel sweep where people are like, you just stay on pat.

[00:16:49] Do you just kind of sell some pieces off, even though the Mariners didn't have that much to sell?

[00:16:53] No, no, they didn't.

[00:16:55] They went and made this roster significantly better than where it was a week ago and have put them in a real spot to win the AOS to have a chance to win the AOS.

[00:17:06] So if you want some perspective, just think about it this way.

[00:17:09] And then we'll get into Justin Turner here.

[00:17:12] The Rays were the biggest seller at this deadline.

[00:17:15] They are one game back, the Mariners.

[00:17:19] One, which is also, by the way, I think it's absolute horseshit.

[00:17:23] Excuse my language that people were labeling them as a winner.

[00:17:25] No, they're not.

[00:17:27] Yeah, no, they're not a winner.

[00:17:29] No, you gave up two and almost three star baths because you're trying to penny pinch.

[00:17:35] You are not a winner by trading Isak Paredes with.

[00:17:39] Does he have two and a half or three and a half years of club control?

[00:17:42] He has a lot.

[00:17:42] He actually might have more than Randy.

[00:17:44] I'm going to say three and a half on Paredes.

[00:17:46] Again, he has a lot and two and a half years of Randy Rosarena because you don't want to pay them in arbitration.

[00:17:52] And Eflin.

[00:17:53] And Zach Eflin.

[00:17:54] No, they're not a winner for that.

[00:17:56] And then, you know, those are the guys they actually traded.

[00:17:59] But they talked about trading Yandy Diaz.

[00:18:02] They talked about trading Pete Fairbanks.

[00:18:04] They could have traded Brandon Lau.

[00:18:06] They traded Jason Adam.

[00:18:07] Oh, they traded Jason Adam.

[00:18:09] Yeah.

[00:18:09] I don't think you get to be rewarded for this.

[00:18:11] No, you should be a team that's contending.

[00:18:14] You had a real core.

[00:18:14] And now you're basically starting from square one again.

[00:18:17] Yeah.

[00:18:18] Nope.

[00:18:19] No.

[00:18:20] Thumbs down in the chat.

[00:18:22] Now.

[00:18:23] For the Tampa Bay Rays.

[00:18:24] However.

[00:18:24] Thumbs up for the Mariners because.

[00:18:26] Thumbs up for the Mariners.

[00:18:27] Thumbs down for the Tampa Bay Rays.

[00:18:29] Yeah.

[00:18:29] Yes.

[00:18:30] I agree.

[00:18:31] At Kroger Pharmacy, CARE is making it easy to get vaccinated.

[00:18:34] CARE is helping you stay protected from flu, COVID, and RSV.

[00:18:38] Seasonal vaccines are available seven days a week with evening hours.

[00:18:41] CARE is giving you a shot at staying healthy this season.

[00:18:44] Walk in whenever is best and get multiple vaccines in one visit at your local Kroger Pharmacy.

[00:18:50] So come and get the protection you need while protecting those around you.

[00:18:53] Kroger Health.

[00:18:54] A world of care is in store.

[00:18:56] Visit kroger.com slash vaccines for more.

[00:18:58] Restrictions and exclusions apply.

[00:18:59] See site for details.

[00:19:01] Wünschst du dir jemanden, der dich versteht wie kein anderer?

[00:19:04] Jemand, der deine Wünsche wahr werden lässt und mit dir das schönste Abenteuer deines Lebens erleben möchte?

[00:19:10] Die Commerce-Plattform Shopify revolutioniert Millionen von Unternehmen weltweit.

[00:19:16] Mit Shopify richtest du im Nu deinen Online-Shop ein.

[00:19:20] Ganz ohne Programmier- oder Designkenntnisse.

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[00:19:28] kannst du über Instagram, Ebay und Co. werben und verkaufen.

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[00:19:56] Let's get into a couple of these guys that we haven't got to touch on.

[00:19:59] So in case you missed, somehow, missed us talking about Randy,

[00:20:03] we talked about him in our emergency episode that we released on Friday.

[00:20:08] You guys can go listen to that if you have not already.

[00:20:11] We broke him down there.

[00:20:12] Let's start off with Justin Turner, the second bat the Mariners added at this deadline.

[00:20:18] So here's the couple things that Justin Turner's going to bring.

[00:20:21] So he's going to play first base slash DH, which is where he's played in his first game playing tonight in a Mariners uniform.

[00:20:28] He played first base.

[00:20:29] He's going to make a lot of contact.

[00:20:31] He's not going to hit the ball incredibly hard.

[00:20:33] He walks a decent amount.

[00:20:35] And he's on a stretch since June 1st where he's nearly reaching base 40% of the time.

[00:20:43] It's not slug, but reaching base, hitting for batting average, saying that, hitting for batting average, reaching base,

[00:20:52] and more importantly, just not getting out, which is very important.

[00:20:57] And in the perspective of the Mariners trade deadline, he is essentially the third bat they were aiming for.

[00:21:04] This was the level of bat I think you were aiming for as your third edition at this trade deadline.

[00:21:10] And he comes pretty cheap for the trade package they gave up for him.

[00:21:16] How would it sound to Mariners fans if a week ago, when they were in the middle of scoring three runs across three games in total against the Angels,

[00:21:24] I were to tell you that by the end of the trade deadline, you were going to acquire two bats that from June and on have a WRC plus above 130.

[00:21:32] Each of them.

[00:21:34] Well, that is what Randy Rosarena and Justin Turner are.

[00:21:36] He's reaching base at nearly a 400 clip since June 1st.

[00:21:40] And he also has a WRC plus of 134.

[00:21:44] That is really good.

[00:21:46] Now, Randy's is even higher because he's been just scorched earth hot since June.

[00:21:51] But Justin Turner, while he's not going to hit for a lot of power,

[00:21:55] because at 39 years old, his power is basically gone.

[00:21:58] And a lot of his expected numbers and his peripherals will show that if you look at his savant page.

[00:22:02] That does not mean he's not impactful.

[00:22:04] And that does not mean he's not going to provide value because he is.

[00:22:07] He still gets on base.

[00:22:09] He does not strike out.

[00:22:11] Oh, my goodness.

[00:22:12] Could you when you saw Justin Turner's page and you saw that he only strikes out 17 percent of the time for the year?

[00:22:20] Like, could you even comprehend that at all?

[00:22:24] Like, the Mariners have a hitter that's going to strike out under 20 percent of the time,

[00:22:28] but also walks a lot and also is still going to be effective with his bat.

[00:22:32] It's pretty crazy.

[00:22:34] Uh-huh.

[00:22:34] It's quite a balance.

[00:22:36] It's not a hitter we've seen on the Mariners roster this year.

[00:22:40] That's for sure.

[00:22:41] No.

[00:22:41] And in simpler terms, what he takes over at first base in the Thai France role is he adds about 15 percent of value

[00:22:48] with the bat more than Thai France did.

[00:22:50] And that's important.

[00:22:51] And that's ultimately the significant part if we're going to nitpick, you know, what he does well here,

[00:22:56] what he does well there.

[00:22:57] Overall, offensive production-wise, it's about a 15 percent upgrade from Thai France, which is what you want.

[00:23:03] Now, here's what you hope for Justin Turner.

[00:23:06] Since he's 39 and he's played, as of yesterday, he played 90 out of the first 106 games the Blue Jays played.

[00:23:13] So let's make that 91 out of 107 games as of tonight's game that he's played.

[00:23:20] That is a lot of games for a 39-year-old if he's honest.

[00:23:24] Even DH-ing, you know, that will certainly wear on some guys.

[00:23:28] Not every guy will age gracefully into the season.

[00:23:31] And you hope that he doesn't endure a cold streak like he did in May.

[00:23:36] So he got off to a really hot start this season in April.

[00:23:39] He had a 150 WRC+, where he actually slugged decently amount.

[00:23:43] He had four of his six home runs that month.

[00:23:45] But then he got to May.

[00:23:47] He had a 7 WRC+.

[00:23:51] 7.

[00:23:52] Now he bounced back in June, 167, reached base 46% of the time.

[00:23:56] That's pretty good.

[00:23:57] But what he's shown is that he can be streaky in his older age.

[00:24:03] And it doesn't help, again, some of these fly balls that his younger self would put over the fence

[00:24:09] are now being caught for outs.

[00:24:11] So he's got to be more consistent with line drives, hitting the ball in the right hole in the infield, etc.

[00:24:16] And, you know, we've kind of seen that with the little bit more of streakiness that he has as a hitter.

[00:24:22] But, again, Mariners don't have many hitters that have put up a 150 or a 167 WRC+, in a month.

[00:24:29] So, however it comes, you've got to take it.

[00:24:32] And here's the good news, too.

[00:24:34] You're asking for two months of this.

[00:24:36] You're not asking for Justin Turner to have two and a half good years in Seattle at 39 years old.

[00:24:42] You are asking for two months.

[00:24:44] Can you be a 105 WRC+, hitter?

[00:24:47] Can you be slightly above league average for us?

[00:24:50] Can you continue to walk?

[00:24:51] Can you not strike out?

[00:24:53] Can you put the ball in play?

[00:24:54] Something that is going to be such a breath of fresh air for this lineup.

[00:24:57] Can you do that for two months and potentially the postseason?

[00:25:01] And that's all we're asking for.

[00:25:03] Justin Turner may retire at the end of this year.

[00:25:05] He's going to be 40 next year.

[00:25:06] We don't know.

[00:25:07] I wouldn't be shocked if this is his last run.

[00:25:10] So they are asking for two months.

[00:25:12] That is not a crazy ask to say, for two months, can you be slightly above league average?

[00:25:18] And I think he can be.

[00:25:19] Yeah, he's streaky, but I think he can be.

[00:25:21] What I like about his hitting profile is he hasn't really let his age affect his approach.

[00:25:27] It's affecting the results he's had hitting the baseball, but it has not affected the approach he's had at the plate.

[00:25:33] He's had seasons in his career once he got to L.A.

[00:25:36] He was a slow starter with the Mets, got to Los Angeles in 2013.

[00:25:41] 13 or 14 he broke out.

[00:25:44] One of those years.

[00:25:45] And then it was just all systems go from there.

[00:25:49] Consistency.

[00:25:49] He would be a guy at his peak who would strike out as much as he would walk.

[00:25:53] And that would be the approach that has essentially carried him through his career with some semi-decent power.

[00:25:58] But overall, the approach at the plate has just been so unbelievable.

[00:26:01] And the control of the strike zone has been that good that that has carried him.

[00:26:05] And the control of the strike zone, even though he is not hitting the ball with as much authority,

[00:26:13] and pitchers continue to probably be a little bit more aggressive with him because of that,

[00:26:18] hasn't affected his approach at the plate at all.

[00:26:20] And, you know, with some guys like Mitch Garver on your own roster who's seeing some struggles,

[00:26:27] adjustments in a new environment, and adjustments with aging,

[00:26:32] not that his approach has changed a little bit because he hasn't been hitting breaking balls as much,

[00:26:38] for example, as we've highlighted.

[00:26:39] But Turner, on the macro level, hasn't really let that affect his approach all that much.

[00:26:45] And frankly, that's what the Mariners need.

[00:26:47] Because what they need is someone who does what he does.

[00:26:50] Doesn't whiff, walks at an above-average rate, strikes out at a below-average rate,

[00:26:56] and is a great clubhouse guy, too.

[00:26:59] Fantastic clubhouse guy.

[00:27:00] We can't wait to get him on the mic.

[00:27:01] He's going to be good.

[00:27:03] We've heard nothing but great things about him.

[00:27:05] So we have a couple friends from ASU that are huge Dodgers fans

[00:27:09] and loved him to death when he was in L.A.

[00:27:11] By the way, did you say 2014, by the way?

[00:27:13] Because I just confirmed it.

[00:27:14] That's when he broke out.

[00:27:15] Yeah, it was 13 or 14.

[00:27:16] So no, I just looked.

[00:27:18] He got to L.A. in 14, and that's when he broke out.

[00:27:21] So anyway, they love Justin Turner and his time there.

[00:27:24] And then we have a friend who's in the Boston area, too.

[00:27:28] And she was talking about the same thing.

[00:27:30] That she's like, you guys are going to love Justin Turner.

[00:27:33] He's awesome.

[00:27:34] So I think that's a pretty – I mean, those are just a couple of people that we're hearing it from.

[00:27:39] And if we're hearing it from people kind of from afar, I think that's probably going to say some pretty good things about who he is as a guy and what he's going to do in that clubhouse, which will be great.

[00:27:49] All the help you can get.

[00:27:50] And he's great in the postseason.

[00:27:52] Justin Turner is really, really good in the postseason.

[00:27:55] And that's been a trend, too, with the guys they've acquired is Randy and Turner both have really good postseason success.

[00:28:03] Now, Randy's like historic.

[00:28:05] But Turner has a career 830 OPS in the postseason.

[00:28:08] And he's destroyed the Astros and Rangers this year.

[00:28:12] Right?

[00:28:12] A friend of the show, Jason Stark, highlighted this.

[00:28:15] He's been to the plate 32 times against the Astros and Rangers this year and has reached base 17 times.

[00:28:21] We'll take it.

[00:28:22] We'll take it.

[00:28:23] Yeah, we'll take it.

[00:28:25] So here's the last thought I have on Justin Turner.

[00:28:27] He is essentially – so he's older than Ty France.

[00:28:29] But he's pretty much just with slightly less power what the Mariners wanted from Ty France this year and what they want from the idea of Ty France as a baseball player.

[00:28:40] Yeah.

[00:28:41] And now they're acquiring it at the trade deadline instead.

[00:28:44] And if you can get that for two months from Turner and then some of the postseason, too, that's great.

[00:28:48] That's all you can ask for.

[00:28:50] Then come the offseason, you can figure out a long-term solution at first base going forward.

[00:28:54] But you have got your solution here in 2024 for the guy that you expect to be very productive at the first base spot, which is great.

[00:29:02] There's a couple other guys we're going to get to here, a couple of relievers.

[00:29:05] Before that, let's take a pause here.

[00:29:07] We're going to talk to you guys about our friends at Pagotch's Pub 85.

[00:29:10] Well, there's a bunch of new Mariners in town.

[00:29:12] You guys probably want to go see them, don't you, in person?

[00:29:14] You should.

[00:29:15] But if there's games you can't make it to in person or the team's on the road, head over there.

[00:29:19] Head over to Pub 85.

[00:29:21] Have a great time with your friends.

[00:29:22] There's great drinks.

[00:29:23] There's great food.

[00:29:23] There's games in the place.

[00:29:24] There's pool and darts.

[00:29:25] And there's more than 20 TVs.

[00:29:27] So you're not going to have a problem watching the Mariners if you go over there for a night with your friends.

[00:29:32] If you go during happy hour, there's great specials on drinks, Monday through Friday, 2 to 6 p.m.

[00:29:37] Drinks are $3 and $4.

[00:29:39] So go check that out all over at Pagotch's Pub 85 in Kirkland.

[00:29:44] Well, along with the rest of the offense, there was another area of this team that everybody knew needed some improvement.

[00:29:51] The bullpen.

[00:29:52] And they did it.

[00:29:53] They went and got two bullpen arms to bolster this bullpen.

[00:29:56] And one guy stands above the other.

[00:29:59] Let's start with Jimmy Garcia.

[00:30:00] What an addition they got.

[00:30:03] For, by the way, a cost that makes them look like bandits compared to what the rest of the league had to pay for bullpen arms.

[00:30:11] Yeah, I can't believe this.

[00:30:13] I really like seeing what some of these other prices are.

[00:30:16] Jonathan Classe and Jacob Sharp for Jimmy Garcia, who's going to be a free agent.

[00:30:21] But I don't care.

[00:30:24] This might be the best bullpen arm on the market.

[00:30:27] I think they got the best one.

[00:30:29] Doing some digging on this.

[00:30:31] I don't know who else is matching it.

[00:30:32] Like, he quietly...

[00:30:34] I mean, I knew he was having a good season.

[00:30:37] This dude has a strikeout minus walk percentage of 30.

[00:30:42] That means he is striking out 30% more batters than he's walking.

[00:30:46] On a percentage basis.

[00:30:47] 36% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate.

[00:30:51] Like, what?

[00:30:52] Like, he almost...

[00:30:53] He literally almost jumps past Andres Munoz.

[00:30:57] I think they've got their guy.

[00:30:59] They wanted that three-headed monster.

[00:31:00] And they unfortunately couldn't have it because they lost Matt Brash for the year.

[00:31:04] And Gregory Santos just recently got back on the field.

[00:31:08] They've got it now all of a sudden.

[00:31:10] They've really got it.

[00:31:11] And I think, honestly, because Santos is on such a schedule.

[00:31:15] Because they have to work him back from this injury carefully.

[00:31:18] You've got your 8-9.

[00:31:20] It's pretty clear.

[00:31:21] Jimmy Garcia is going to pitch the 8th most nights.

[00:31:23] And Munoz is going to pitch the 9th.

[00:31:24] Unless you want Munoz to face the heart of the order in the 8th.

[00:31:27] It's pretty good.

[00:31:29] They needed this guy.

[00:31:30] They needed another stud bullpen arm like this.

[00:31:33] And they've got it.

[00:31:35] Let's read off a couple things.

[00:31:38] Sort of backing up why...

[00:31:41] How much of a breakout that's been for him.

[00:31:43] He's thrown about half as many innings as he did last year.

[00:31:46] Last year he set his career high in F4.

[00:31:49] This year he's .1.

[00:31:51] He's a tenth of a win above replacement away from tying that mark.

[00:31:54] In half as many innings.

[00:31:56] Half.

[00:31:57] Twice as good on the F4 scale.

[00:32:00] I mentioned the strikeout numbers.

[00:32:02] Lowest home run rate of his career.

[00:32:05] His fastball has taken an enormous leap this year.

[00:32:08] He's allowing just a .250 slugging percentage off that pitch.

[00:32:12] A true riding high four seam fastball that he throws at the top of the strike zone.

[00:32:18] It's also the pitch he throws the most.

[00:32:20] But here's the most interesting thing.

[00:32:22] I sent you a screenshot yesterday when I was poking around his Fangraphs page.

[00:32:26] Something looked off.

[00:32:28] Now...

[00:32:29] What exactly looked off about his page?

[00:32:32] I was looking at his stuff plus numbers.

[00:32:34] Which we'll dabble in every now and then depending on the picture.

[00:32:37] So I was curious.

[00:32:38] Well...

[00:32:39] Okay.

[00:32:39] So he's been significantly better this year.

[00:32:42] Than he has every other season of his career.

[00:32:45] He's had good seasons in his career.

[00:32:46] But not this good.

[00:32:47] And shout out to him because he's probably going to make a lot of money because of it.

[00:32:50] As a reliever.

[00:32:51] Seeing some of those contracts that relievers have gotten in the past few seasons.

[00:32:56] So sitting there and looking at his stuff plus.

[00:32:59] And if you look at his slider.

[00:33:00] Slider ones.

[00:33:01] It's like...

[00:33:02] It'll vary from the 80s to the 90s to the low 100s.

[00:33:07] Essentially.

[00:33:07] Which is anywhere from...

[00:33:09] So stuff plus again.

[00:33:11] It's like WRC plus.

[00:33:12] Except it rates the stuff.

[00:33:15] Not including location.

[00:33:17] How much the pitch is moving.

[00:33:18] What's the shape of it.

[00:33:19] Etc.

[00:33:19] Etc.

[00:33:21] And...

[00:33:21] Again.

[00:33:22] It was the 80s, 90s, and 100s.

[00:33:23] So slightly below average to slightly above average.

[00:33:26] Until this season.

[00:33:28] When his slider is...

[00:33:31] 188.

[00:33:33] It literally...

[00:33:35] It almost doubled in one season.

[00:33:38] Yeah.

[00:33:38] 88% above league average with that pitch.

[00:33:41] So what happened?

[00:33:42] Well, I think...

[00:33:44] It's because he stopped...

[00:33:46] For the most part throwing his bullet slider.

[00:33:49] And he switched to a sweeper this year.

[00:33:51] Which he throws almost exclusively to right-handers.

[00:33:54] He threw it, I think, three total times last year.

[00:33:57] And now has upped it to...

[00:33:59] Against righties throwing it 25% of the time this year.

[00:34:02] And I'm pretty sure that's the pitch that has a 188.

[00:34:05] And it's been so, so effective.

[00:34:08] Righties especially.

[00:34:10] Have...

[00:34:11] Have...

[00:34:11] Have really suffered because of this pitch.

[00:34:13] Because he's always been fine against righties.

[00:34:15] Because he's a righty in his career.

[00:34:17] But this year, Lyle, he's allowing a...

[00:34:19] A 125 slug against righties.

[00:34:23] They legitimately cannot do damage against him.

[00:34:26] And I think it's because of that pitch.

[00:34:28] And it's been remarkably effective.

[00:34:30] I was going to say...

[00:34:31] His career splits against righties and lefties aren't that drastic.

[00:34:35] Now, he is better against righties for his career.

[00:34:38] But...

[00:34:39] Nothing like this year.

[00:34:40] Talk about a step forward.

[00:34:42] Okay, you use slugging percentage.

[00:34:43] What I have down here is...

[00:34:45] Lefties are putting up a 794 OPS against them.

[00:34:48] So, like, they've hit them a little bit.

[00:34:50] It's not...

[00:34:50] It's not, like, drastic or anything.

[00:34:53] Righties have a 284 OPS...

[00:34:56] Against Jimmy Garcia this year.

[00:34:58] Righties don't hit him.

[00:35:00] Period.

[00:35:01] And when you talk about a revamped slider...

[00:35:04] Moving to a sweeper...

[00:35:05] That makes a lot of sense.

[00:35:08] Yeah.

[00:35:08] Wonder why the Mariners were like...

[00:35:09] Ooh.

[00:35:11] This could work.

[00:35:12] Mm-hmm.

[00:35:13] Looks right up our alley.

[00:35:15] So now you have quite the slider fastball duo...

[00:35:17] On the back end of your bullpen.

[00:35:19] But seriously, this pitch has legitimately jumped him...

[00:35:22] To, like, an Andres Munoz level reliever.

[00:35:24] Like, seriously.

[00:35:26] Like, you look at the stats across the board.

[00:35:28] Like, a 2-5-3 ERA.

[00:35:29] The X-ERA is lower.

[00:35:31] The FIP is right there as well.

[00:35:32] Like, his whip is .75.

[00:35:35] Doesn't walk batters.

[00:35:36] Strikes out 36%.

[00:35:37] Like, come on.

[00:35:40] For Jonathan Classe?

[00:35:42] Yeah.

[00:35:43] Gets chased.

[00:35:44] Gets swing and miss.

[00:35:45] Doesn't walk anybody.

[00:35:46] Doesn't get hit hard.

[00:35:47] How much more can you ask for out of a reliever?

[00:35:50] Like, I think he's better than Carlos Sestepes.

[00:35:52] I think he's better than Jason Adams.

[00:35:54] I think he's better than...

[00:35:55] There was some other big-name reliever that got traded.

[00:35:58] Tanner Scott.

[00:35:59] Tanner Scott.

[00:35:59] Who walks everybody these days.

[00:36:03] They gave up minimal prospect return to maybe get the best reliever.

[00:36:09] Which, again...

[00:36:10] Jerry's usually pretty good about this.

[00:36:12] He's not usually behind the eight ball with trades when he wants to make a trade.

[00:36:16] We see him all the time in the offseason.

[00:36:18] Get out in front of it first.

[00:36:20] And he did that at this deadline.

[00:36:22] He got the first big bat off the board.

[00:36:24] He got the first big reliever off the board.

[00:36:28] And they...

[00:36:29] Look.

[00:36:29] They gave up real prospects for Randy Rosarena.

[00:36:32] But it wasn't anybody in their top ten.

[00:36:34] And they really didn't have to give up a whole lot for Jimmy Garcia.

[00:36:37] Even though he's a rental.

[00:36:39] They didn't have to give up a lot for him.

[00:36:42] Jonathan Glossier might be a big leaguer.

[00:36:44] Big league quality player eventually.

[00:36:46] I don't think he really showed that this year.

[00:36:48] Really struggled at the plate.

[00:36:49] He's still got some work to do in the field.

[00:36:51] He probably needs a lot more time in AAA.

[00:36:53] Jacob Sharp was someone...

[00:36:55] What is it?

[00:36:56] Undrafted.

[00:36:57] So...

[00:36:58] That's not a whole lot of capital.

[00:37:00] Really, that you had to give up for that.

[00:37:01] And the impact he will make on this bullpen is enormous.

[00:37:06] Because the Mariners thought Gregory Santos was going to step right in and do exactly what

[00:37:10] Jimmy Garcia's been doing this season.

[00:37:12] And he hasn't done that.

[00:37:13] He looks shaky.

[00:37:15] His stuff has been all over the place.

[00:37:17] And they haven't really been able to fully rely on him coming back from injury.

[00:37:22] So that's why this addition is ever that more important.

[00:37:27] 100%.

[00:37:27] Also, I don't know if we mentioned it in the last segment.

[00:37:29] But we're talking about the prospects that went back.

[00:37:31] It was RJ Shrek that went back for Justin Turner.

[00:37:34] So again, didn't have to give up that much for another rental.

[00:37:36] But yeah.

[00:37:37] Like this is all...

[00:37:38] This is all to say the Mariners at this deadline got a lot of impactful pieces.

[00:37:44] And they didn't have to give up any of their blue chip prospects.

[00:37:48] Or not even just the blue chip prospects.

[00:37:49] Even the guys slightly below that.

[00:37:52] They kept everybody intact.

[00:37:54] So this is a topic for another podcast episode.

[00:37:57] Or maybe for Brock and Salk on Friday.

[00:37:59] Which by the way...

[00:38:00] If those of you who don't already know...

[00:38:02] We are hosting Brock and Salk on Friday again.

[00:38:04] We can't wait.

[00:38:05] It's 6 to 10 a.m.

[00:38:06] On Seattle Sports.

[00:38:07] We might talk about this a little bit more.

[00:38:09] But they still have all the ammo in the world...

[00:38:12] To make a big swing of a trade this offseason.

[00:38:16] Where they have all their prospects in line.

[00:38:18] Paired with a couple more high-end draft picks now too.

[00:38:21] To do it.

[00:38:23] So pretty good deadline.

[00:38:25] And they have all their prospects intact.

[00:38:28] But that's not even just a Mariner thing.

[00:38:29] There were zero top 100 prospects traded.

[00:38:32] I know.

[00:38:33] Just maybe another...

[00:38:34] A completely separate conversation to have about teams and how they operate.

[00:38:40] But anyways, let's get to the last player the Mariners acquired here at the deadline.

[00:38:45] A familiar face.

[00:38:46] JT Chargois.

[00:38:47] He went in the Diego Castillo trade in 2021 to Tampa Bay.

[00:38:52] And now he's back.

[00:38:53] You know, I always remembered him as the guy who was always first out of the bullpen.

[00:38:57] He'd be the...

[00:38:57] Because he's not Matt Brash.

[00:38:59] But he sort of occupied in 2021 the Matt Brash role.

[00:39:03] Of any time there was a lead, he was first out of the bullpen.

[00:39:07] I don't exactly know how they're going to use him this time.

[00:39:09] Because I'm going to be honest.

[00:39:10] You can look and see he has a 1-6-2 ERA.

[00:39:14] His FIP is 5-3-2.

[00:39:17] So he's got some regression coming to him.

[00:39:21] Now I will say...

[00:39:23] As with most things, there will be some correction.

[00:39:25] He's only thrown 16 innings this year.

[00:39:27] The strikeout rate and the walk rate are probably not really where you want to see him.

[00:39:31] He's struck out 17% of the batters.

[00:39:33] Which is very low for a reliever.

[00:39:35] And he's walked 10%.

[00:39:36] Which is very high for a reliever.

[00:39:40] So...

[00:39:40] Yeah.

[00:39:41] I think that's how I would describe that.

[00:39:43] This acquisition.

[00:39:44] Yeah.

[00:39:46] Listen, I have a little bit to say on it in addition to that.

[00:39:50] Is...

[00:39:50] You essentially need this guy to be a good low leverage reliever.

[00:39:53] I don't think they're asking JT Chargois to throw in the same role that he was throwing.

[00:39:57] In 2021.

[00:39:59] They're not asking him to be Matt Brash.

[00:40:00] They're not asking him to be Jimmy Garcia.

[00:40:03] He's...

[00:40:03] He's gonna be the 6th, 7th, 8th guy out of the bullpen.

[00:40:07] And you just need him to throw some quality innings.

[00:40:09] He doesn't have to be...

[00:40:11] He doesn't have to be your top end guy.

[00:40:14] Essentially, he has to be better than Ryan Stanek.

[00:40:16] That's what they're asking him to do.

[00:40:19] And...

[00:40:19] Look, some of this is gonna correct itself.

[00:40:22] But...

[00:40:24] Let's say this about JT Chargois.

[00:40:26] Number one, the Mariners certainly know how to get the best out of him.

[00:40:28] Considering for the half a season he was in Seattle before he got traded.

[00:40:32] You're talking about a guy that had a 3 ERA and 31 appearances.

[00:40:36] He had a whip that was under 1.

[00:40:38] And he's got a really good slider.

[00:40:41] He's a 2-pitch guy.

[00:40:43] We didn't even mention that, actually, about Jimmy Garcia.

[00:40:45] What's unique about him?

[00:40:46] He has, like, 6 pitches as a reliever, which is crazy.

[00:40:49] But...

[00:40:49] Chargois is more of a normal reliever.

[00:40:51] Has 2 pitches.

[00:40:52] Sinker, slider.

[00:40:53] Sinker's been pretty good by run value.

[00:40:55] It's about 3.

[00:40:56] Slider is a little bit lesser on the run value.

[00:40:58] But you actually look at the results opponents have gotten against that pitch.

[00:41:03] They haven't done much.

[00:41:05] They've hit 179 against it.

[00:41:07] They've slugged about 286 against it.

[00:41:10] And he hasn't thrown it a ton right now.

[00:41:11] What do we see a lot of these Mariners do as right-handed relievers when they get into town?

[00:41:15] A lot of times their slider usage goes way up.

[00:41:18] And I think Adam Jude tweeted this today, too.

[00:41:19] He said, don't be shocked if Chargois' slider usage goes up now that he's in Seattle.

[00:41:26] So, yes, his expected numbers look really bad right now compared to where his ERA is at.

[00:41:31] We also, I think, know to give the Mariners the benefit of the doubt when they decide to pinpoint a reliever that they want to acquire

[00:41:40] and say, okay, we'll trust you.

[00:41:42] Because you usually get the best out of these guys.

[00:41:45] JT Chargois is probably not going to end the year with a 1-6 ERA.

[00:41:47] I also think he can be a good 6th or 7th guy out of the bullpen.

[00:41:51] Interesting you used the word trust because you mentioned Ryan Stanek.

[00:41:55] And can he be better than Ryan Stanek?

[00:41:57] I don't know.

[00:41:58] It's all like these next two months are really all that matters in that sense because Stanek was only under contract for this season with the Mariners.

[00:42:06] And, well, now he's a Met.

[00:42:08] I think one of the main reasons they moved on from Stanek is for that very reason.

[00:42:12] I don't know if they trusted him when they put him in the game.

[00:42:14] It didn't seem like that.

[00:42:16] His velo was down the last couple of times.

[00:42:18] His command continued to be erratic.

[00:42:21] And maybe they got a deal they couldn't turn down with the Mets and feel like they can get similar, I'd say, similar production for cheaper for JT Chargois.

[00:42:29] I don't exactly know what his contract is, but Stanek was making more money than Chargois.

[00:42:34] Well, I can't tell you the exact details of his contract.

[00:42:37] I want to say, actually, now that you say it, I think he makes a little over a million bucks this year.

[00:42:41] It's not a lot.

[00:42:42] It's less than Stanek.

[00:42:43] And Chargois is under club control for next year, too.

[00:42:46] So you get that.

[00:42:48] Right.

[00:42:49] Interesting with the Stanek thing, though, I thought.

[00:42:52] I was a little surprised.

[00:42:55] A little, but honestly, look at where the bullpen shaped up all of a sudden.

[00:42:59] Once they got Jimmy Garcia, was he not kind of the odd man out?

[00:43:03] Was he not the guy that was probably trusted the least?

[00:43:06] At that point, he probably was.

[00:43:09] I thought his stuff was going to get him by.

[00:43:13] Yeah, but I guess that only takes you so far.

[00:43:16] When it got to the point, again, like you said, his command was all over the place.

[00:43:19] He was giving up some very, very key home runs in crucial situations.

[00:43:24] I guess they decided that it just wasn't going to work and it wasn't going to turn around in the final two months.

[00:43:29] So once Jimmy Garcia got here, they said, OK, for now, we'd still rather have both.

[00:43:33] Awesome both and guys like that.

[00:43:35] Both has had some good outings this year.

[00:43:37] And as a lot of his expected numbers are good.

[00:43:40] They must have said Stanek's the odd man out here.

[00:43:42] That makes sense.

[00:43:44] And it's disappointing looking back at the beginning of the season.

[00:43:47] Like the stuff had all the upside in the world, but unfortunately it didn't work out.

[00:43:51] And he has not been great when he's gone over to New York.

[00:43:54] You see, he's already got a review from Frank the Tank.

[00:43:57] He's got two.

[00:43:58] Two already.

[00:43:59] In both of his appearances.

[00:44:01] Yeah.

[00:44:02] It's not a good thing.

[00:44:03] No, no.

[00:44:04] Oh, yeah.

[00:44:04] It's not a positive Frank the Tank review for in case in case that wasn't clear.

[00:44:08] She's coming from such a positive influencer.

[00:44:13] Oh, God.

[00:44:15] Is there any.

[00:44:15] All right.

[00:44:15] Is there anything else to hit on with any of these three acquisitions before we get to the bigger picture here?

[00:44:22] I don't think so.

[00:44:24] Like overall, like that's they got what they needed.

[00:44:28] Yeah.

[00:44:29] Yes, they did.

[00:44:30] And we'll talk about bigger picture here in these next two segments.

[00:44:32] One of them, which being did they do enough?

[00:44:36] That's the first big picture segment here.

[00:44:38] Did they do enough?

[00:44:40] So this is going to relate a little bit to my grades.

[00:44:42] I'll save my grades to when we get there.

[00:44:46] Did they do as much as they possibly could have?

[00:44:49] No, they didn't.

[00:44:50] Because we've been saying for weeks they need three bats.

[00:44:54] Last I checked, Lyle, we went to ASU.

[00:44:56] Math's really not our strong suit, but I count two bats.

[00:45:02] And you could still make a case that there should be three.

[00:45:05] I still think there should be three.

[00:45:07] I'd feel a lot more confident in the sustainability of the lineup if there was a third bat in there.

[00:45:13] Was a third bat available?

[00:45:16] You know, that's to be debated.

[00:45:17] But if we're just looking at it from a need sense, did they get absolutely everyone they needed?

[00:45:24] No, they did not.

[00:45:25] Did they make a significant impact into what they needed?

[00:45:28] Yeah, they did.

[00:45:29] Both those things can be true.

[00:45:31] I have a similar answer.

[00:45:33] Did the Mariners do enough at the trade deadline?

[00:45:35] No.

[00:45:36] But that's more reflective about what the market was set at rather than what Jerry DiPoto and Justin Hollander were or were not able to do.

[00:45:44] Let's make something clear.

[00:45:46] You cannot, as a fan or somebody that's evaluating a team's trade deadline, be mad about who a team did or did not acquire if they were not moved, period.

[00:45:57] For example, if the Astros had gotten Yandy Diaz, a guy that was very much floated out until the very end of this trade deadline, until the end was being rumored to be linked to the Mariners, to being linked to the Yankees, and to being linked to the Astros.

[00:46:13] If Yandy Diaz had gotten traded to the Astros, people would have had very much a right to be upset because the Mariners have a better farm system than the Astros.

[00:46:20] You don't want to let the Astros level up against you, especially with a position that you needed.

[00:46:25] But guess what?

[00:46:27] Yandy Diaz didn't get traded at all.

[00:46:28] He went nowhere.

[00:46:30] So you can't be mad at the Mariners for that.

[00:46:33] Nobody traded for him.

[00:46:35] So with that, right?

[00:46:37] Like, the two biggest bats that were moved at this deadline were Randy and it was Isak Paredes.

[00:46:41] The biggest name bats, none of them were moved.

[00:46:45] I don't know if you throw Yandy Diaz into that A-tier category or not.

[00:46:48] He was a batting champion last year.

[00:46:50] But if you don't, let's just look at these three guys.

[00:46:53] Vladdy, Robert, Rooker.

[00:46:55] None of them were moved.

[00:46:57] They clearly weren't available.

[00:46:59] Did the Mariners do enough?

[00:47:01] No.

[00:47:01] They needed more bats.

[00:47:04] But you could also say most of the contending teams that were trying to buy didn't do enough.

[00:47:09] And the reason for that was because the market didn't allow it.

[00:47:12] And all this could be hearsay and rumors and whispers and all this stuff.

[00:47:17] But it sounded like if those guys were available, at least two of those guys, you just, or sorry,

[00:47:23] one from the top tier, one from the next tier.

[00:47:25] Vlad in the top tier, Yandy in the next tier.

[00:47:27] If those guys were available, it sounded like the Mariners were willing to make everyone available to get those guys.

[00:47:33] If Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was available this trade deadline, it at least sounded like Colt Emerson or Felneen Selestin would have been on the table to acquire him.

[00:47:43] They would have had no hesitation giving up a blue chip prospect that everyone would hate to trade to get that guy.

[00:47:49] And it would be way more than that.

[00:47:51] The package would be significantly more than just a Colt Emerson to get them.

[00:47:54] It sounded like those guys were on the table to get Vladdy if he was around.

[00:48:01] I am going to guess it would have looked something like this.

[00:48:03] Now, let's say the Mariners tried to keep Emerson because that's their guy that they value the most.

[00:48:08] Let's just say that.

[00:48:09] We don't know the exact Mariners internal rankings, but let's just assume.

[00:48:13] So it would have been something like Felneen Selestin, like Harry Ford, Tyler Locklear probably, and maybe Michael Arroyo.

[00:48:20] It would have been a lot.

[00:48:21] They would have given up a really pretty penny to go get Vladdy.

[00:48:24] But you know what?

[00:48:25] It doesn't sound like they were hesitant to do it either.

[00:48:28] They would have given it up.

[00:48:29] They would have made the trade.

[00:48:31] That was pretty clear.

[00:48:32] They wanted Vladdy.

[00:48:33] And it sounded like they waited out on Vladdy for a while.

[00:48:36] But when they found out he is truly not available, that's when you saw them pivot to Justin Turner.

[00:48:41] They said, all right, this Vladdy thing is not going to happen.

[00:48:43] At least it's not going to happen right now.

[00:48:46] I bet you they circle back to it in the offseason.

[00:48:47] And we'll have plenty of time to talk about that.

[00:48:50] But they said we need a solution right now.

[00:48:54] They got one with Justin Turner.

[00:48:55] So yeah, to your point, we know the Mariners were in on Vladdy.

[00:48:59] We know they were in on Yandy.

[00:49:01] There weren't as many Rooker rumors out there.

[00:49:04] But I can almost guarantee you, had he been openly made available and the A's were actually willing to trade in division,

[00:49:10] Mariners would have been in on him too.

[00:49:12] You know another frustrating thing about this whole Yandy situation?

[00:49:15] If it was a year later and say the same contract, let's say everything is the exact same at this deadline,

[00:49:20] except the Mariners farm system is a year ahead of where they are right now.

[00:49:25] I think there's a significantly better chance they get a deal done.

[00:49:29] It sounded like the Rays, A, first of all, wanted three to four players, which is kind of insane for a first baseman.

[00:49:35] But alas.

[00:49:37] And then second, they wanted near big league ready guys, which the Mariners, all the Mariners best trade pieces are not big league ready.

[00:49:43] Unfortunately, the Rays wanted more big league ready people.

[00:49:45] So if the Mariners had more big league ready prospects or near big league ready prospects a year from now, which I think they will,

[00:49:53] there would have been a lot better chance of this actually happening.

[00:49:58] And then we could easily say A+.

[00:50:01] Randy Rosarena, Yandy Diaz, Justin Turner, and Jimmy Garcia at the trade deadline.

[00:50:07] That sounds like the best case scenario for me.

[00:50:10] Best reliever, best first baseman, best outfielder, and your DH.

[00:50:16] Yeah.

[00:50:17] Thumbs up.

[00:50:18] Right.

[00:50:19] Now, I don't know how the Rays were trying to demand that for Yandy while trading Randy for the return that they got.

[00:50:28] To be honest, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

[00:50:30] And maybe it's because Yandy was so good last year.

[00:50:33] But if we're talking about it, looking at 2024, again, they've been similar players this year by WRC+, Randy and Yandy.

[00:50:45] They have the same club control.

[00:50:47] I think they each have two and a half years.

[00:50:50] And Yandy doesn't play any defense, doesn't play a position of value, doesn't have a ton of power for a first baseman.

[00:50:57] Although I guess that doesn't matter since usually his WRC+, is high regardless.

[00:51:01] Still weird.

[00:51:02] Still weird that they almost tried to prop him up on a pedestal and try to get significantly more for him than they got for Randy.

[00:51:11] So, idea.

[00:51:14] Would Vladdy's supposed interest take away from the interest in Yandy and it was too little too late?

[00:51:22] It's possible, but I don't think that's the first time the Mariners had checked in on Yandy Diaz.

[00:51:28] We heard rumors about that in the offseason.

[00:51:30] Also, the Mariners and Rays trade so much that those farm systems know each other very well.

[00:51:36] Those front offices know each other very well.

[00:51:38] They know each other's systems well.

[00:51:40] I think had they been able to work out a deal, they would have worked out a deal.

[00:51:47] It's more about that the Rays were probably trying to ask for too much.

[00:51:50] The Mariners said we didn't want to give up what the price was.

[00:51:55] And I think they probably just didn't want to trade him, ultimately.

[00:51:59] If they were going to trade him, they wanted to get blown away.

[00:52:02] Right.

[00:52:02] But that's weird too because, again, you already traded Randy.

[00:52:05] You already traded Isak Paredes.

[00:52:06] What are you waiting for?

[00:52:08] Yeah, 30-something-year-old first baseman with a year and a half left on his deal.

[00:52:13] Sounds like a pretty logical trade target.

[00:52:16] Is it a year and a half?

[00:52:16] I thought it was two and a half.

[00:52:19] Randy's two and a half.

[00:52:20] I'm going to look while we're talking here.

[00:52:22] But point being, Yandy Diaz is going to be gone in the offseason, I'm pretty sure.

[00:52:27] He has, yeah, two and a half years of control.

[00:52:29] Oh, interesting.

[00:52:31] Wow.

[00:52:32] Yeah, yeah.

[00:52:33] Oh, and he's got a club option too.

[00:52:35] But that's what I mean by two and a half years.

[00:52:37] So he's got this year, he's got next year, and then he's got a club option for 12 million bucks, which is very cheap for how good he is in 2026.

[00:52:44] So two and a half years.

[00:52:46] Yeah.

[00:52:46] I will bet you he is gone this offseason.

[00:52:48] And again, this circles back to the Mariners too.

[00:52:51] If they want to find a first baseman this offseason, which they probably will have to with Turner being a free agent, also be 40.

[00:52:57] Tyler Lockler's not proven yet.

[00:53:00] They're probably circling back to Randy, or sorry, to Yandy and Vladdy both.

[00:53:04] I'd be shocked if they didn't.

[00:53:07] So let's move on to the next part of this.

[00:53:09] Let's get to our deadline grades.

[00:53:12] Lyle, how would you grade the Mariners deadline?

[00:53:16] Well, we kind of talked about the reasons and the why in terms of why everything happened the way it did.

[00:53:23] But if you just want to grade in a nutshell, I would say a B+.

[00:53:26] They had a very good deadline.

[00:53:28] Now, had they acquired one more real bat, it would have been an A.

[00:53:32] Maybe even an A+.

[00:53:34] For what they did, I give them a B+.

[00:53:37] Again, that's a very good deadline.

[00:53:39] But I don't think there's many teams out there that are getting A's for what they did at this deadline,

[00:53:42] and it's because guys were not available.

[00:53:46] Here's how I grade this deadline for the Mariners.

[00:53:48] I have two different ways I grade this deadline.

[00:53:52] The first way is in a vacuum.

[00:53:55] I give them a B+.

[00:53:58] So in a vacuum of what their roster is and what they needed, it was a B+.

[00:54:04] They could have done more.

[00:54:07] Even going out and, for example, getting Tommy Pham could have pushed this grade a little bit higher

[00:54:13] because, in theory, that adds that third bat that you needed that you did not get on this roster.

[00:54:19] That third bat could come back and cost the Mariners this season.

[00:54:23] That's to be determined.

[00:54:25] So because of that lack of third bat, that's going to keep this grade from being an A.

[00:54:30] So therefore, in a vacuum for what the Mariners needed, it's a B+.

[00:54:35] But relative to the rest of the league, I give them an A.

[00:54:40] Who added more impact this trade deadline than the Mariners did?

[00:54:45] Nobody.

[00:54:45] No contending teams, that's for sure.

[00:54:47] Again, who were the two biggest bats traded?

[00:54:49] Randy?

[00:54:50] Isak Paredes.

[00:54:52] Paredes went to a team that is not contending this year.

[00:54:55] Now, what the Cubs ended up doing was different than what we all thought they would do.

[00:54:59] We thought they said they were going to sell by Jed Hoyer's quotes.

[00:55:02] Instead, they were really saying, well, we just want to build for the future.

[00:55:05] But they did it in a way nobody expected by going and getting Isak Paredes, who has all this club control.

[00:55:10] So of the contending teams, nobody else traded for superstar bats.

[00:55:15] I'm not saying Randy's a superstar, but he is a star.

[00:55:17] That was the only high-level bat that was traded to a contending team.

[00:55:22] The Mariners got him.

[00:55:23] The Mariners also got a guy who has been an above-average hitter this year that plays a position of need for them in Justin Turner

[00:55:29] and has been above a 130 WRC-plus hitter since June 1st.

[00:55:33] Find me two other teams that acquired two bats that have been that good, even over that stretch of time,

[00:55:41] over the course of this trade deadline.

[00:55:43] It's not out there.

[00:55:45] And that's why the Mariners get an A when you compare them to everyone else.

[00:55:48] It's like a weighted grade.

[00:55:50] We use weighted stats on here, and this is a weighted grade.

[00:55:53] What did they do compared to everybody else?

[00:55:56] And I can confidently say they got the best bat, and they got the best reliever.

[00:56:01] Funny enough, Lyle, their two biggest positional needs going into the deadline were bats, multiple, multiple bats, and a reliever.

[00:56:09] And they got the best of each.

[00:56:10] So that checks out.

[00:56:13] Would the weighted stat we're using here be TD-plus, trade deadline-plus?

[00:56:18] Sure.

[00:56:19] You want to invent that?

[00:56:20] Sure.

[00:56:21] And they get a, well, what?

[00:56:23] In terms of WRC-plus, 120-ish is usually an all-star, so the Mariners get about a one.

[00:56:29] We'll give them a 134.

[00:56:31] So Justin Turner, since June 1st.

[00:56:34] Sure.

[00:56:35] Sure.

[00:56:35] Or if we want to play into the memes, we can give them a 154.

[00:56:39] That's pretty high.

[00:56:41] Well, 54% above average.

[00:56:44] Well, that's true.

[00:56:46] Yeah, I'd say around the 125 to 130 range in terms of trade deadline-plus.

[00:56:50] But yeah, they had a B-plus trade deadline in a vacuum compared to the rest of the league.

[00:56:55] I would say A.

[00:56:57] Now, the final segment here, which we'll spend a few minutes on, is how do the Seattle Mariners now compare to the rest of the American League contenders?

[00:57:09] So I'm looking at the contenders here.

[00:57:13] So the team that acquired the most players, I believe, was the Orioles.

[00:57:18] And outside of the Mariners, I would say the Orioles added the most impact.

[00:57:24] You know, Zach Eflin's a real starter.

[00:57:27] You know, they traded with the Phillies.

[00:57:29] They got Pache to play center.

[00:57:31] They got Trevor Rodgers.

[00:57:33] Like, they added a lot of volume to their roster.

[00:57:36] Eloy.

[00:57:37] Eloy, yep.

[00:57:39] They added Eloy.

[00:57:39] They added Gregory Soto as well.

[00:57:41] How's Soto doing this season?

[00:57:42] Is he doing well?

[00:57:43] I don't think so.

[00:57:44] Okay.

[00:57:45] Well, I remember he's had good seasons in the past, and he's got pretty electric stuff.

[00:57:49] So, like, the Orioles, you know, they added the most volume.

[00:57:53] I think outside of the Mariners, the best player that was added is either Zach Eflin of the Orioles or Jazz Chisholm of the Yankees.

[00:58:03] And both address a need.

[00:58:04] The Orioles needed a starter.

[00:58:06] They were in the Scoobal rumors for a while.

[00:58:09] They ended up getting Zach Eflin, which is still a very good starter.

[00:58:12] And the Yankees got Jazz Chisholm.

[00:58:14] Their lineup needed another bat, and they got a pretty good, malleable, athletic, multi-positional one.

[00:58:21] With a decent amount of upside.

[00:58:23] You know, that's kind of how I look at it.

[00:58:26] Do you have any instant takeaways from the rest of the league?

[00:58:28] I mean, I thought a lot of teams bought.

[00:58:30] A lot of teams did get better, but not as much better as the Mariners did.

[00:58:35] For sure.

[00:58:37] The Jazz Chisholm one still kind of hurts.

[00:58:39] Maybe it was never going to happen for the Mariners, but that would have been the third bat you could have acquired where we could have given him an A for this deadline, especially because he's versatile.

[00:58:47] But it is what it is.

[00:58:49] I guess the trade lined up better with the Yankees.

[00:58:51] In terms of the contenders, the Orioles are the best team in the American League.

[00:58:55] They might be the best team in baseball.

[00:58:56] So, I think it's fair to say that even after the Mariners doing what they did at this deadline, the Orioles are still ahead of them.

[00:59:03] They are definitively better than the Mariners, and it's going to take a really, really dominant performance from their starting pitching across a series to beat the Orioles in the playoffs.

[00:59:15] But, you look at everybody else.

[00:59:17] The Yankees entering today.

[00:59:20] Since June or 22 and 26, the Yankees have not been very good.

[00:59:24] That's been well documented.

[00:59:25] There's jokes going around right now that they have two bats on their whole team.

[00:59:29] Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.

[00:59:32] Two pretty good ones.

[00:59:33] Yeah.

[00:59:33] Two really good ones.

[00:59:35] Like, maybe the two best in the league.

[00:59:38] But, Luis Severino's out here making jokes that they only have two bats and essentially nobody else is doing anything.

[00:59:44] They haven't played that great since June.

[00:59:46] Garrett Cole isn't pitching well.

[00:59:47] Rotation has questions.

[00:59:49] Their bullpen's starting to crumble.

[00:59:51] Like, Clay Holmes has totally come back down to earth.

[00:59:55] You know, I don't see, like, the Yankees.

[00:59:57] Like, you could argue now the Mariners are better than the Yankees.

[01:00:00] Now, again, the Yankees have the two best players or the two are to match up easily.

[01:00:05] And, ultimately, that can be the difference in any single series of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto hitting three home runs in a game.

[01:00:11] But, yeah, I don't know if I'd feel that, like, the Yankees certainly got better.

[01:00:18] But I still think the Mariners have a better roster than the Yankees do.

[01:00:21] The other contenders, like, we see how the Mariners match up with the White Sox.

[01:00:25] The White Sox.

[01:00:26] They're not a contender.

[01:00:27] The Red Sox right now, they added volume.

[01:00:29] Not a whole lot of impact.

[01:00:30] I mean, one of their acquisitions at this deadline was James Paxton.

[01:00:34] Technically, even though he got DFA'd.

[01:00:35] And Paxton looked just like someone who got DFA'd today.

[01:00:39] So, like, the Red Sox are, like, they're fine.

[01:00:42] They're fine.

[01:00:42] You could, again, argue the Mariners have a better roster than they do.

[01:00:46] But the Red Sox have, at times, they played about, sorry, they played about even this year.

[01:00:50] They split the first series of the season.

[01:00:52] They split this series so far.

[01:00:54] Do you know what's beneficial?

[01:00:58] The AL Central teams in quite, I mean, just on-brand fashion, just refusing to add payroll to improve their teams.

[01:01:07] Refusing.

[01:01:08] The Twins only, just, like, as the deadline was running out, acquired Trevor Richards for their team.

[01:01:14] And they could, they said that...

[01:01:17] Well, they added Lane Thomas.

[01:01:21] Twins?

[01:01:21] Did I get that mixed up?

[01:01:23] Oh, sorry, sorry.

[01:01:24] You said the Twins.

[01:01:24] I thought you said the Guardians.

[01:01:26] My bad.

[01:01:26] No, I was going to get to the Guardians.

[01:01:27] Okay.

[01:01:28] Twins, my bad.

[01:01:29] So, the Twins, who, you know, I see a lot of people online saying the Twins do need to add something.

[01:01:33] But they legitimately could not add any payroll.

[01:01:35] In fact, they might have...

[01:01:37] There were...

[01:01:37] The idea was out there that they would have had to trade Max Kepler or could have made that an option to trade Max Kepler so they could go acquire somebody else to improve their team.

[01:01:47] I think that's just bonkers at a trade deadline.

[01:01:50] No, yeah, sorry, sorry.

[01:01:51] The payroll's still staying exactly the same.

[01:01:54] Exactly the same.

[01:01:55] And then the Guardians, you know, didn't have a great deadline either.

[01:01:59] No.

[01:02:00] So, Lane Thomas and Alex Cobb were the Guardians.

[01:02:02] Sure.

[01:02:03] Sure.

[01:02:03] And the Twins, if you want to look at what they could do in October...

[01:02:07] Again, like, the Twins have played solidly as of the last two months.

[01:02:11] They're 26 and 21 since June started, entering Tuesday here.

[01:02:15] But you want to look at the Twins compared to the Mariners.

[01:02:17] Twins have the better offense.

[01:02:19] Bullpens will be...

[01:02:21] Well, the Twins probably have the better bullpen.

[01:02:23] But then, they just don't have the rotation to take them through October.

[01:02:28] They just don't.

[01:02:29] Pablo Lopez has had a down year.

[01:02:31] You're relying on him, essentially, when he hasn't pitched that great.

[01:02:35] You're relying on Joe Ryan.

[01:02:37] You're relying on Bailey Ober.

[01:02:40] That's not a World Series AL pennant contending rotation.

[01:02:44] It's just not.

[01:02:45] And it certainly doesn't stack up with the Mariners rotation.

[01:02:48] Also, the Twins are going to have to go on the road, assuming they get the wild card.

[01:02:52] So, that's the Twins for you.

[01:02:54] They are not far and away better than the Mariners.

[01:02:57] They probably match up fairly evenly.

[01:03:00] Maybe the Mariners are a little bit better if they were to play in a playoff series.

[01:03:03] Also, should we mention that aside from last year, the Twins essentially never win playoff series.

[01:03:09] Ever.

[01:03:10] So, that's the Twins.

[01:03:12] And the Guardians, look, they have been awesome in the regular season.

[01:03:15] But how many times have we seen this same old story with the Guardians, where they win somewhere in the mid-90s to even 100 games in the regular season?

[01:03:23] And then we just see they have a roster that is systematically flawed for the postseason, and it just doesn't hold up.

[01:03:30] The way I'm looking at the Guardians right now, it's kind of the same as the Twins.

[01:03:35] Good offense.

[01:03:36] They're really pesky.

[01:03:37] We've seen it firsthand.

[01:03:39] Their bullpen's pretty good.

[01:03:42] But you look at their rotation.

[01:03:44] Shane Bieber's out for the year.

[01:03:46] Tristan McKenzie's look like a shell of himself.

[01:03:49] Who are they relying on in the postseason, even with the addition of Alex Cobb?

[01:03:53] Their number two starter right now is Ben Lively, who's got like a 3-4 ERA.

[01:03:59] All of his expected say he's supposed to be way worse than that.

[01:04:02] He gets hit hard.

[01:04:03] None of his peripherals are good if you look at his savant page, for the most part.

[01:04:06] And then you're essentially relying on a second-year pitcher in Tanner Bybee to carry you?

[01:04:13] I don't think the Guardians have the rotation to make it through the postseason.

[01:04:16] I don't.

[01:04:17] Like, this is why it's so important for the Mariners to get in.

[01:04:21] Look at how we're comparing their rotation to the rest of the American leagues.

[01:04:25] It does not hold a candle.

[01:04:28] Even the Orioles.

[01:04:29] The Orioles are a better team than the Mariners.

[01:04:31] Fact.

[01:04:32] They are a better team.

[01:04:33] They're not a better rotation, that's for sure.

[01:04:35] Even with adding Eflin and Trevor Rodgers, who are back-end guys.

[01:04:39] The Mariners have that to everybody else in the league.

[01:04:42] And certainly the American League.

[01:04:44] So this is why it's so important that their offense can be 12th or 14th in the league.

[01:04:50] So for the next two months, if the Mariners can be the 12th to 14th best offense in baseball,

[01:04:55] I will look at them and say, they can do this come October.

[01:04:59] You know what the most important thing about the rest of the American League contenders and how it relates to the Mariners?

[01:05:07] I think the American League West teams added less than everyone else, almost.

[01:05:14] Outside of Twins.

[01:05:16] Right.

[01:05:18] I'm not convinced the Astros are better with Yusei Kikuchi.

[01:05:21] No.

[01:05:21] We ragged on him at the beginning of the show, but that dude has not shown anything.

[01:05:26] That he's got it down the stretch.

[01:05:28] Mm-hmm.

[01:05:29] At all.

[01:05:30] And, you know, Caleb Ferguson.

[01:05:33] Yeah.

[01:05:34] Rangers didn't get that much better.

[01:05:35] They added Carson Kelly and Andrew Chafin.

[01:05:37] Yeah.

[01:05:39] Now, compare that to Randy Rosarena and everyone else the Mariners got, while the Mariners sit today, July 30th in first place by game.

[01:05:50] Sounds like all you need to do is play up to expectation, and you should be just fine.

[01:05:56] I agree.

[01:05:57] You want to talk about the last team here for just a second if we're looking at the playoff field and the Royals.

[01:06:02] If you want to call the Royals a contender, I mean, they're 22 and 25 since June started entering today.

[01:06:07] They're going to have to play away from home in the first round, which we know they are abysmal away from Kauffman Stadium.

[01:06:13] Like, they're probably toast.

[01:06:15] Now, their offense is actually kind of similar to the Mariners.

[01:06:19] Now, they have one guy that carries it a lot of the time, and Bobby, but you look aside from Bobby Wood Jr., it's not much of an offense.

[01:06:27] They've got some pitchers.

[01:06:28] Seth Lugo's been good.

[01:06:29] They've got guys in that rotation who have pitched really well.

[01:06:33] Brady Singer.

[01:06:35] But, like, they are not definitively better than the Mariners by any stretch.

[01:06:40] And their bullpen sucks.

[01:06:42] It's like bottom three in the league.

[01:06:46] And the other thing about the Royals, like, you mentioned their bat away from home.

[01:06:49] Like, if you want a clear picture of the difference between the Royals at home and on the road, go look at Bobby Wood Jr.'s home road splits.

[01:06:58] Yeah.

[01:06:59] I mean, it is astronomical.

[01:07:02] Right.

[01:07:03] It is not even close.

[01:07:05] He's, if you want an idea, he's hitting 400 at home.

[01:07:09] I'm dead serious.

[01:07:10] He's hitting 400 at home.

[01:07:12] Yeah.

[01:07:12] And he's hitting almost, he hit almost 500 this month, by the way.

[01:07:15] Shout out to him.

[01:07:16] He's going to have one of the most insane months I've ever seen.

[01:07:19] But, regardless, away from home, Royals, yeah.

[01:07:22] If the Royals had to come to T-Mobile Park, you'd feel pretty good about it.

[01:07:25] Yeah.

[01:07:25] Like, they traded for Lucas Ersig today from the A's, but Lucas Ersig is not fixing their entire bullpen.

[01:07:31] So, again, they have three starters that they could legitimately try and ride through the postseason that have been very good.

[01:07:37] Seth Lugo, Brady Singer, Cole Reagans.

[01:07:39] Now, those guys don't have any postseason experience.

[01:07:41] Or, like, maybe Lugo does.

[01:07:43] Reagans and Singer for sure do not.

[01:07:46] But, you would ride those guys and then have to rely on a bottom three bullpen and an offense that's essentially one bat.

[01:07:53] And you'd have to play away from your home ballpark where you've thrived.

[01:07:56] That doesn't feel like a recipe for success either.

[01:07:59] So, this is us saying, like, we've said it a million times this season.

[01:08:04] We're going to say it for the million and first time.

[01:08:07] Get into the field.

[01:08:09] And this rotation can take you to the fall classic.

[01:08:12] If you can just be a 12-14 offense in the league.

[01:08:18] If from August 1st until the end of the year, again, the Mariners are somewhere in the 12-14 range by WRC Plus as a team.

[01:08:26] I'm going to feel pretty good about what they could do in October.

[01:08:29] Yeah, I'm with you on that.

[01:08:31] The field, it's...

[01:08:32] This is about as favorable of a field as we've seen in the American League.

[01:08:37] I mean, it is not one slam dunk team.

[01:08:41] No.

[01:08:42] Like, it feels like it's the Orioles, but even they have flaws.

[01:08:46] They have a rotation that has flaws.

[01:08:48] They have a very, very young roster that had some playoff experience last year and got bounced in the first round.

[01:08:56] If you want the idea of what I think of a slam dunk team, the 22 Astros were a slam dunk team.

[01:09:01] That team was...

[01:09:02] They were pretty unbelievably good.

[01:09:04] And that team does not exist in this field.

[01:09:09] Had the Mariners won that series against the Astros, which for as inevitable and dominant as that 22 Astros team was, the Mariners could have swept the Astros just as easily as the Astros swept the Mariners.

[01:09:20] Each of those three games, as everybody knows, were that close.

[01:09:23] And had the Mariners done that?

[01:09:25] I think they get to the World Series that year.

[01:09:27] I don't think that 22 Yankees team really stands in the way, to be honest.

[01:09:32] They didn't have the pitching.

[01:09:33] I like...

[01:09:34] And that team, that Astros-type team does not exist.

[01:09:37] The 2024 Orioles are not the 2022 Astros by any means.

[01:09:41] So...

[01:09:42] They can do this thing.

[01:09:44] It's...

[01:09:44] Again, it's really a shame they could not get one more really impactful bat or we'd be feeling great right now.

[01:09:51] But if they can play to expectations the rest of the way, they could really set themselves up well.

[01:09:57] And a lot of guys now are starting to come out of it.

[01:09:59] We'll spend more time on it probably on Friday's podcast.

[01:10:03] But...

[01:10:04] Victor Robles all of a sudden coming out of nowhere.

[01:10:07] Jorge Polanco.

[01:10:08] I mean, I probably want to spend a decent amount of time on this Friday.

[01:10:12] Like, Jorge Polanco.

[01:10:13] That was the third bat.

[01:10:15] Like, essentially, yeah.

[01:10:16] And a lot of people are not going to like hearing that because people don't like hearing that logic.

[01:10:20] But if in the second half you get the real Jorge Polanco you traded for, do you know how much that does for your team?

[01:10:26] The guy that was traded here to essentially be your second best bat behind Julio?

[01:10:30] If he actually starts hitting, like, anything close to that...

[01:10:34] Like, you're telling me that doesn't make a monumental difference?

[01:10:37] It does.

[01:10:38] Yeah.

[01:10:39] It does.

[01:10:40] Mm-hmm.

[01:10:40] Ooh.

[01:10:41] So, look, I'm fired up after this trade deadline.

[01:10:44] It's hard not to be.

[01:10:45] I wish they'd done more, but I am fired up.

[01:10:47] I still wanted Kyle Tucker.

[01:10:49] But, you know, what can you do?

[01:10:52] Can we still hike?

[01:10:53] Should we still do a podcast hike?

[01:10:55] No.

[01:10:55] They have to acquire that guy for me to hike.

[01:10:58] Like...

[01:10:59] That's no fun.

[01:11:00] We don't have to climb a mountain.

[01:11:03] Well, we could do something else.

[01:11:05] But I'm, like...

[01:11:06] I hate hiking, and that is being saved for the...

[01:11:10] Oh, I saved myself right there.

[01:11:12] I was going to say an extenuating circumstance, but it's not because the Mariners are trading for Kyle Tucker this offseason.

[01:11:16] So, it's fine.

[01:11:18] So, you can wait to hike then.

[01:11:20] I'll hike through the damn snow if I have to in December if they trade for Kyle Tucker.

[01:11:24] I'll hike through six feet of it.

[01:11:26] Sure thing.

[01:11:27] I will.

[01:11:28] Okay.

[01:11:28] You keep telling yourself that.

[01:11:30] I'm saying it here on the podcast.

[01:11:31] There's evidence for everybody listening.

[01:11:33] And I'll play it back to you in December when you look outside, and you're like...

[01:11:38] And I'll remember how miserable I was when the Mariners were a Kyle Tucker-less team and say,

[01:11:42] This is for him.

[01:11:44] And I will hike in six feet of snow.

[01:11:46] Well, okay.

[01:11:48] I will.

[01:11:48] I'll hold you to that.

[01:11:50] Just know if there's six feet of snow, I don't know if I'm going.

[01:11:55] Hmm.

[01:11:57] Well, I am.

[01:11:59] Probably.

[01:12:00] Well, let me know how the grizzly bears are.

[01:12:03] Oh, wait.

[01:12:04] No, they don't.

[01:12:04] It's too cold.

[01:12:05] They'd be hibernating.

[01:12:06] You'd actually be fine.

[01:12:07] There we go.

[01:12:08] That's a plus.

[01:12:09] Anyway.

[01:12:11] Mariners fans have got to be feeling pretty good about what they did at this deadline and where this team can go moving forward.

[01:12:17] So, we're going to see how a lot of this plays out here now moving forward.

[01:12:20] Jerry said this in the past.

[01:12:21] Essentially, now all the front office can do is root them on like everybody else because they can't make trades moving forward.

[01:12:27] So, this is the team the Mariners have got for the rest of the year.

[01:12:30] I'm excited to see how they do.

[01:12:32] I think they have a chance to do very well.

[01:12:34] Well, and it's going to be a real fight.

[01:12:38] And I'm looking forward to the next two months of baseball because I'm sure there's going to be some very high days on this podcast and some very low days.

[01:12:44] That's a baseball season for you.

[01:12:46] So, I think we're ready.

[01:12:48] I think we're ready.

[01:12:50] Okay.

[01:12:51] That'll just about wrap up this edition of the Marine Layer Podcast.

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[01:12:56] You want to listen to the full-form podcast, you can do so wherever you get your audio pods.

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[01:13:19] That's TJ.

[01:13:20] I'm Lyle.

[01:13:20] As always, we thank you guys for tuning in.

[01:13:22] We'll talk to you soon.

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