The Mariners FO has carefully avoided the word “tanking,” instead preferring a series of euphemisms: step-back, re-set, pushing pause on the continuum of winning, we wish we were making the last one up. And while the Mariners did make some moves to attempt to bolster the 2019 club, like bringing in veterans Tim Beckham and Hunter Strickland on one-year deals to patch over some holes and hopefully build trade value, and the club’s performance can’t be separated from the rash of injuries that has bitten every position except catcher (bless the resilient battery of Narvphy), it’s undeniable that this team was not built to contend this year.
Tankonia: a roundtable discussion on the wisdom of the “stepback” season
