People don’t like talking about money. Parents, coworkers, friends, it doesn’t matter much: You’re just kinda not supposed to talk openly about this stuff.
In Major League Baseball, of course, the opposite is true. Fans scrutinize and obsess over every last financial detail, endlessly debating whether a given signing is a masterstroke or a catastrophe in the making. We don’t always get these right (see: Figgins, Chone or Cruz, Nelson), but since when does that stop us?
Heading into the 2018–19 offseason, the Mariners stand in a somewhat precarious position. This year’s squad finished eight games back of a playoff spot and 14 back in the AL West, and many would argue that it did so on the back of unsustainable production in close games.