Using the theory that anything that hurts the Astros helps the Mariners, the beleaguered Seattle baseball team already has had a magnificent offseason.
The Mariners continue to be the glaring exception to the Seattle sports renaissance, which gained another glittering star with the Sounders’ second MLS title last Sunday.
But if their overriding goal is to close the gap with the Astros – which has proven to be so vast as to be almost unfathomable – then the Mariners are succeeding merely by doing nothing. It’s as good a strategy as any: Sit back and watch their biggest rival self-destruct.