Jim Moore: The Mariners look good, but it’s hard to be hopeful after years of futility

I participated with other hosts in a Mariners round table discussion on Sports Radio KJR on Tuesday, and Dave “Softy” Mahler blurted out the question: “Which will happen first, the Mariners make the playoffs or Jim Moore dies?”

I guess it’s fair game to crack on the oldest guy at the station, and it didn’t surprise me, coming as it did from the guy with the biggest mouth at the station, though I confess that I would trade my paycheck for his.

But since everyone gets offended by everything these days, I changed course and actually considered an answer to Softy’s question, as in “I don’t know.” Because we’re talking about the Mariners, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2001, if they go another 21 years without sniffing the postseason, I’ll be 85 if I’m lucky enough to live that long.

Everywhere you turn, there’s Mariners optimism in the air. Then again, you don’t have to look far to hear pessimism and skepticism based on the history of a franchise that has qualified for the playoffs only four times since its inception in 1977.

And it’s not just the past, it’s the present too. General manager Jerry Dipoto said in so many words that the Mariners would spend like crazy in this offseason, indicating he was waiting for the right time to supplement his rebuilt roster, and the right time was supposedly now. But aside from a big-budget item in Robbie Ray and a side order of Adam Frazier, the Mariners didn’t exactly go high end in their shopping spree.

They increased their 2021 team payroll by an estimated $11 million but at $92 million, the Mariners are 22nd in MLB, $42 million below the average and $185 million behind the biggest spenders of all, the Dodgers.

Dipoto is being criticized for not being a man of his word and maybe not doing enough to push the Mariners over the hump, but I can’t go that far. Maybe he tried to convince Kris Bryant and Trevor Story to come to Seattle. For all I know, he might have thrown wheelbarrows of cash at them, and they might have said no thanks, we don’t want to play for the Mariners because of your history and distance from other MLB cities, increasing travel fatigue, or some other reasons.

And do we really think Bryant and/or Story would have been the missing pieces to a playoff team? Perhaps, but it’s not like either player knocks your socks off.

Did Dipoto make a mistake by telling J.P. Crawford he was going to be the Mariners’ shortstop no matter what, preventing any shot of getting Carlos Correa in free agency? Probably. If the Twins were able to convince Correa to come to Minnesota, surely the Mariners could have been in the bidding war if he could play shortstop here.

Aside from Ray, the biggest offseason move was a trade with Cincinnati, acquiring left fielder Jesse Winker and third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Winker’s an All-Star when he faces right-handed pitchers and a subpar player when he faces lefties. He is also a below-average outfielder. Suarez won’t remind anyone of Kyle Seager with his play at third, and if manager Scott Servais ever says the Mariners want players who “Control the Zone,” ask him how their new third baseman fits with that slogan since he strikes out so much.

Maybe Winker will torch right-handers so frequently and Suarez will hit so many home runs that we’ll overlook their drawbacks. To their credit, both seem like great clubhouse guys, and it will be easy to join the Eugenio Suarez Fan Club if he’s even somewhat successful, given that he’s dyed half of his hair black and half of it white and preaches “Good Vibes Only.”

So along those lines, we’ve seen the really good vibes from Julio Rodriguez, who already increases the fun factor exponentially. The smile, the joy he plays with, and the apparent talent, all in one package makes for a player that will stop us in our tracks, eyes on our flat screens watching every one of his at-bats.

I’m also interested to see how Jared Kelenic fares in his first full season. Will he be a future All-Star or at least a productive player or the second coming of Dustin Ackley, a grinder who will never quite make it. My money’s on productive player.

For the most part, I like the improved lineup and hope that it will compensate for defensive shortcomings at third base and the outfield. I’m curious to see how Rodriguez does in center field. It’s a lot to put on a rookie phenom’s plate as he adjusts to facing major-league pitching for the first time, but I think we can agree that he has the potential to be an upgrade over Kelenic at that position.

Pitching appears to be the strength of the team, and I’m just as sold on the relievers as I am the starters. Granted, you could come out with all kinds of examples of bullpen regression from one year to the next, but I’m not buying it. In fact, I’ll go the other way and suggest that some of the relievers, and in particular a personal favorite in Yohan Ramirez, might be better than they were last year. I also appreciate that Servais won’t have a specific closer, spreading out the saves among several relievers.

As mentioned earlier, it’s hard not to be cynical when it comes to the Mariners. Even if you’re bombarded with signs of hope, highlighted by the promise of Rodriguez, you can’t help but wonder what will go wrong and when this year. Something always does.

But the losing has to end at some point, doesn’t it? I was encouraged to see a comment from Crawford that really resonated with me and should be of interest to current Mariners and free agents who are considering a move to Seattle. The M’s shortstop talked about players here being “legendary” if they’re the first to win a World Series or even make it to the Fall Classic.

The Mariners are the only team to have never played in a World Series, and that’s what I’d want to be known for, as a player on the first team to have made it that far and won it. You’d never have to buy a drink in Seattle again, and you’d be remembered forever. I don’t get the players that want to be Yankees or Dodgers or Red Sox and get to the back of a long line of previous championship teams. I’d rather be someone who was part of something that had never been done before.

Will we refer to J.P. and Marco and Julio on a first-name basis from here on out if they accomplish the unthinkable this year? I’ll consider it possible while hoping the Mariners wipe away all the negativity with a record-setting year. But if I’m being honest, I just don’t think they’ve improved enough to make the playoffs. So let’s go with 86-76, staying in the hunt through the end of the season but falling just short again, leaving Softy’s question unanswered for another year.

Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on 950 KJR-AM, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.

This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM.