While exploring the downtown Seattle Mariners team store, I found myself asking the employee if they had any in-stock Encarnacion t-shirts. After expecting him to answer my question with anything but a straight face, he said they didn’t have them. Shortly after, another customer intervenes and says, “We’ll probably trade him within the next week, .”
Well, folks, that was early mid-December. Did a part of me think that fan was right? Certainly. Could he still be before Opening Day unravels on March 28th? It’s sounded very likely since the day he became a Mariner. But if Encarnacion hasn’t been sent away almost a month-and-a-half later, maybe he’s here to stay, at least on a short-term basis.