MLB Insider on Seattle Mariners lack of offseason activity: "If you’re complaining about the Mariners at this point, you’re spoiled"
The Seattle Mariners have been one of the quieter teams on the free agency front this winter. The team's lone acquisition of note this winter has been relief pitcher Trevor Gott, who signed for a paltry $1.2 million.
Some Mariners fans may be feeling a little bit left out in the cold by Seattle basically staying on the bench this offseason as the big names come off the board. However, MLB Insider Jeff Passan has something to tell them:
"I think in the context of everything else, frankly, if you’re complaining about the Mariners at this point, you’re spoiled. That’s the reality. You’re just spoiled and greedy right now."
Are the #Mariners doing enough this offseason? With that being the big debate lately, ESPN's Jeff Passan weighed in with Brock and Salk by explaining how he understands both arguments but that "expectations may be a little bit outlandish right now."
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Passan made the comments Thursday on the Brock and Salk show on Seattle Sports 710 AM while addressing where the Mariners franchise stands.
Passan addressed the notion that the Seattle Mariners are ignoring the chance to improve their squad. This while another West Coast team in a similar market is opening its pocketbook.
"There’s this sort of disease that happens to sports fans that’s accompanied by winning, and it’s delusions of grandeur," Passan said. "It’s this idea that once you’ve started winning, every single thing you do needs to be focused on perpetuating that winning. I think we can call it, like, San Diego Padre-itis."
The San Diego Padres surprisingly agreed with shortstop Xander Bogaerts on an 11-year, $280 million deal earlier this week.
"We don’t see smaller market teams go out and spend exorbitant amounts in free agency, and yet the Padres are doing just that," Passan said.
Seattle Mariners already made a big-money play
The Seattle Mariners aren't wrong not to join in on the spending free-for-all this offseason. The team already made an astute investment in its future success by signing superstar outfielder Julio Rodriguez to a 12-year, $209 million contract extension last August.
"In the case of the Mariners, I think it’s been so long since they’ve been in the playoffs. I’m not saying that the little taste that the Mariners got this year should suffice necessarily, but I am suggesting that expectations may be a little bit outlandish right now," Passan said.