Yes, the Seattle Mariners made good moves, and I have to let that be the truth

I was in my seat at T-Mobile Park last Thursday to welcome third baseman Eugenio Suarez back to Seattle.

Wait. That’s not right.

I actually stood up when he was introduced before that first game, and I was on my feet again after his fourth-inning double. I emitted what can only be described as a squeal of delight when he dashed home on a passed ball, scoring the first run in what was a 6-0 victory over Texas.

The next night, I actually jumped out of my seat in the bottom of the ninth when J.P. Crawford turned on a 2-0 fastball from the Rangers’ closer, lasering a two-run homer into right-center and turning a one-run deficit into a 4-3 win.

And right now, I’m doing my very best to maintain that level of brain-dead enthusiasm as I consider what might happen over the final two months of this regular season and (dare to dream) the playoffs. It’s hard, though. I’m no longer standing in T-Mobile Park alongside 40,000 other Mariner fans. I’m sitting at my desk trying to put together something that will resemble a coherent train of thought and I’ve got to fend off 30 years of hard-earned experience about this franchise’s recurring tendency to get in its own way.

I want to simply praise Seattle’s acquisitions at the trade deadline. I really do. Suarez and Josh Naylor are a pair of much-needed bats who will man the corners of the infield. As soon as I say that, though, I have to consciously stop myself from pointing out that Suarez should have never been traded in the first place.

Oops. Looks like I didn’t stop myself in time, but that tends to happen when a team gives away its starting third baseman as Seattle did prior to last season not because it has a better alternative on hand, but because it wants to shed his salary.

I spend enough time wailing about this team’s spending practices, though. I don’t need to do it now that Seattle has (finally) amassed a lineup that is not just competent, but perhaps even potent.

I need to focus on how happy I am that Suarez is back. And I am happy. I love his power. I love his good-vibes-only attitude. I love his glove. I don’t even mind that he’s currently rocking some sort of man-bun/ponytail hybrid.

Then there’s Naylor on the other side of the infield. He’s a first baseman with some middle-linebacker intensity and a taste for colorful cleats. Suddenly, Seattle has a middle-of-the-order bat at each corner of the infield, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan went and gave Seattle the Joel Robuchon award for “absolutely cooking” at the deadline.

Of course, we knew way back in December that Seattle should upgrade its corner infield spots, but there I go again taking a more cynical view of what is a clear and meaningful improvement. I should just proclaim that it’s better late than never and move on.

This is what it means to be a Mariners fan. You’re required to balance two different and often contradictory realities.

On the one hand, you really, really want to see your team—the only one in Major League Baseball that’s never been to the World Series—get to the top of the mountain. You are tempted to think that this has to happen eventually if only because of broken clocks, blind squirrels, etc.

On the other hand, you know that the technocrats in charge of the budget are less generous than they could be in funding the pursuit of this goal. Additionally, the smooth-talking haircut that is Jerry Dipoto is more than willing to tell you that any liquid splashing onto the cuff of your pants is in fact rain.

Ugh. There it is again. That cynicism, and if I’m not careful, I’m going to start rolling my eyes about what is an undeniably exciting moment in this team’s history.

The Mariners were three games behind Houston in the division entering Tuesday’s game against Chicago, tied with the Yankees for the second wild-card spot in the American League. The starting pitchers that are this team’s strength haven’t yet hit their full stride and Julio Rodriguez has rediscovered the pop that he was missing over the first two months of the season.

I’ve watched this team when it lost 100 games while spending $100 million on its payroll. I cheered for Eric Byrnes. And Chone Figgins. I once attended a game where Miguel Cairo was the freaking DH.

This year’s team is an absolute joy in comparison, whether it’s Crawford flipping his bat and spiking his batting helmet after that game-winning home run on Friday or Randy Arozarena folding his arms across his chest and staring into the dugout following his 10th-inning home run on Saturday.

Last week, as I sat in T-Mobile Park and watched each of the first three games after the acquisition of Suarez, I was reminded what it feels like when the stadium fills up with both fans and enthusiasm.

It’s worth standing up for even if you have to talk yourself out of all the ways we could’ve gotten here sooner while ignoring the various ways in which it could still go wrong.

Danny O’Neil was born in Oregon, the son of a logger, but had the good sense to attend college in Washington. He’s covered Seattle sports for 20 years, writing for two newspapers, one glossy magazine and hosting a daily radio show for eight years on KIRO 710 AM. You can subscribe to his free newsletter and find his other work at dannyoneil.com.

This story was originally published August 6, 2025 at 5:15 AM.