The 2019 Mariners won’t look anything like last year’s edition, and not for the better. James Paxton won’t be on the mound; Nelson Cruz, Robinson Canó and Jean Segura will be missing from the lineup; saves won’t belong to Edwin Díaz. Over the last two weeks, general manager Jerry Dipoto has systematically dismantled his roster, scattering his best players across the league. Instead, Mariners fans next season will be subjected to the first year of a rebuild, a process with no visible end but one inescapable reality: The team is going to be trash.
That’s neither avoidable nor a surprise.