The Seattle Mariners entered the season with a confusing mishmash of players, as the team was fresh off a roster overhaul that exiled most of their proven contributors to other cities. In their place was a collection of castoffs, journeymen, and guys who they had to hose off because they still reeked of the Mets.
One of those men, 32-year-old Jay Bruce, was essentially a throw-in by New York as they graciously took on Robinson Canó’s dormant volcano of a contract. Sure, Bruce’s profile didn’t necessarily fit the Mariners’ plan. He’s on the wrong side of 30, with two years remaining on a $39 million deal, and plays the same positions as Mitch Haniger, Domingo Santana, and Daniel Vogelbach, who figure to be much larger parts of Seattle’s future than Bruce could ever hope to be.