Seattle, WA

Seattle Mariners should target 2 types of hitters at trade deadline

Published

6 months ago

July 10, 2024

Seattle Mariners should target 2 types of hitters at trade deadline

Every sport has something that sets it apart from the others. The weekly buildup to the big event atmosphere of the NFL, the pageantry and tradition of college football, the code of the NHL or the gentility of golf. Baseball has nightly tension, near-constant failure, and the marathon season that leads to more ups and downs than a ride at Six Flags.

Those last two attributes of baseball have been exaggerated in recent years.

We’ve always known that a hitter who fails 70% of the time might be a Hall of Famer, but now there are a total of just 11 players in the entire league batting over .300. Offense is down according to nearly every available metric and it seems like the ball is hardly ever even put in play.

And those ups and downs? Every team has them. The Yankees dominated the first two-plus months before a 6-16 stretch, and the Astros essentially did the exact opposite. But it seems now like the predictability of player success has gone haywire as well.

How much longer does Mariners’ Jorge Polanco have to turn round?

Last year’s National League Rookie of the Year, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, has seen his OPS drop from .868 to .613. The Braves’ Michael Harris II fell from .808 to .653. Toronto’s Bo Bichette has gone from .814 to .598. We’ve seen drop-offs before especially as players hit a wall in their 30s, but Carroll and Harris are 23, and Bichette is 26. And I’m quite sure I don’t need to tell you that Julio Rodríguez has fallen from .818 to .658 in his age 23 season, as well.

Meanwhile there are some on the other side of the equation. Journeyman Brent Rooker has a .902 OPS (nearly .100 points above his career norm) at the age of 29 for Oakland. Part time utilityman Willi Castro stepped into the second base spot in Minnesota after Edouard Julien was sent to the minors (his OPS had dropped from .839 as a rookie to .676) and at .794 now is close to 100 points above his career expectation. Or the story of former top prospect Jurickson Profar, who has surpassed a .700 OPS in just four of his 11 seasons. Now with the Padres, he’s an All-Star for the first time with a .896 OPS and is one of those elite few hitting over .300. Of course he is…

There has always been and will always be variance in what we can expect from players. But the massive swings and craters are starting to feel inevitable while general managers just try to predict when they might occur.

Tough gig.

Now we are approaching one of baseball’s other great, unique differentiators: the trade deadline. I love the deadline. I love a moment two-thirds of the way through the season that asks each GM to make a decision on whether their team is in or out. Should they fold and play for another year, or raise the stakes by risking valuable pieces of their future?

The Mariners need to raise. They have the pocket aces (sorry) with their elite pitching and need to get rid of whatever detritus compares to their offense. They need bats. Probably two of them. But there isn’t much available (yet), and buyers are going to outnumber sellers by a lot.

We know they need to upgrade through the trade market, but in which direction should they proceed? Do you want one of the struggling stars with big names, big upside and lousy production this season? Or one of the no-name veterans that have been tearing up the league?

Easy answer for me: yes!

I want both. I would love for them to try one from each bucket.

How about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from Toronto and on-base machine LaMonte Wade Jr. of the Giants? Or combine Bichette with Rooker? Both scenarios offer a power threat plus someone with more athleticism. Both net you a young star with upside plus an older vet who is just plain producing right now.

Can you imagine adding a .446 on base percentage (Wade) to the top of this lineup, plus sticking Vlad between Julio and Raleigh? That drops J.P., Garver, Raley and others into the more complementary roles that better suit them. How nice would it look with Rooker’s 18 home runs and 15 doubles, and Bichette up the middle for the next few seasons?

Could Seattle Mariners lure a star away from Blue Jays in trade?

Those upgrades should raise this offense to at least an acceptable level. And the Mariners clearly have the farm system to support those types of deals.

Could this be a reality? Yes, in theory. But the reality is so much tougher and it has very little to do with the Mariners, their willingness to add, or the quality of their prospects. Three of those players simply might not be available. The Blue Jays have life (thanks to their series win in Seattle over the weekend), and so far haven’t put their shiny pieces on the market. The Giants are just a few games out of a wild card spot (despite a record of 44-47) and want to win now. Teams may be forced to overpay for the scraps of the Marlins, A’s, White Sox, Rockies and a few others who will sell.

But a lot can happen in the next few weeks. A hot or cold stretch could significantly change the calculus for any number of bubble teams, and that will affect the trade market accordingly. But the Mariners need two bats. I’d love to see them find someone with the reputation and history to make opposing pitchers take notice, and another who is just getting it done this year.

That seems like as good a recipe as any other to cut through the craziness of this baseball season.

Seattle Mariners and the trade deadline

• Insider: Deep, young farm system gives Mariners ammo for deadline
• Reading between lines of two Mariners prospect moves
• Seattle Mariners Trade Target: A hot-hitting infielder from Reds
• Which prospect is Seattle Mariners’ best trade chip? MLB insider explains
• Passan: With prospect wealth, Seattle Mariners should be bold in trade

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Seattle, WA

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Published

3 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Re: “Diesel or hybrid ferries? How about simply reliable” (Jan. 7, Opinion): Gov. Jay Inslee, Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and The Seattle Times editorial board are asking the wrong question: diesel or hybrid ferries? Inslee and the majority of Democrats support…

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Seattle, WA

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Published

11 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Manuhunt underway for Mason County assault suspect

Mason County deputies are looking for a man wanted in a shooting in Belfair on Monday.

MASON COUNTY, Wash. – The Mason County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching for a convicted felon wanted in a recent shooting.

The sheriff’s office says Michael Allen Beyer is wanted for first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Deputies believe Beyer was involved in a shooting that happened in Belfair on January 6.

Beyer is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.

Anyone with information regarding Beyer’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective Helser at 360-427-9670 x657, or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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Seattle, WA

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Published

20 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Two more Seattle restaurants are calling it quits thanks to the untenable minimum wage hike.

At the same time that the Seattle minimum wage rose from $19.97 an hour to $20.76 an hour, the city ended the tip credit of $2.72. Under the previous rules, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour. But as cost of business continues to skyrocket in Seattle, a minimum wage hike without a tip credit is simply untenable for many small businesses.

Jackson’s Catfish Corner in Seattle’s Central District closed its doors in this new year. In an interview with Converge Media, owner Terrell Jackson argued Seattle is too expensive to operate in.

“I know that the minimum wages went up to 20 bucks an hour … I know that’s hard for my business as a small Black business,” Jackson said. “I’m not Amazon or Walgreens or Walmart who can pay their employees that much.”

Jackson isn’t alone in his complaints.

More from Jason Rantz: Panic as Seattle restaurants may not survive massive minimum wage shift

A second West Seattle eatery closes, citing the minimum wage hike

Bel Gatto, a bakery and café, became the second West Seattle eatery to close its doors over the Seattle minimum wage hike. The owner posted a sign to the front door to thank supporters but said she can’t afford to stay open anymore.

“Our revenues, unfortunately, are not able to cover the close to 20% increase in mandated wages, salaries and payroll taxes put into effect by the Seattle City Council effective 1/1/25. This ruling has made the continuation of our bakery operations untenable,” the sign read.

The owner, Peter Levy, explained to the West Seattle Blog that, “we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the city put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

Last week, a video by Corina Luckenbach, owner of Bebop Waffle Shop in West Seattle, went viral as she said the minimum wage hike was forcing her to close after 11 years. She said she didn’t have an extra $32,000 a year to pay her staff what the city mandates.

More from Jason Rantz: Democrats blame Los Angeles fires on climate change to deflect from their own complicity

Will more restaurants close?

Ahead of the minimum wage hike, restauranteurs offered many warnings over what’s to come.

Ethan Stowell operates a number of Seattle’s top restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Staple and Fancy, and Tavolata. He warned this change would be exceptionally costly for businesses in an industry notorious for razor-thin margins. And restaurants can’t merely raise menu prices again.

“I know everybody wants to say, ‘Just raise things (on the menu) a dollar or two,’ and that’s what it’ll be. That’s very simplified math. I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. This is a large increase that’s probably large enough to be equal to or close to what most restaurants in Seattle profit,” Stowell told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Portage Bay Cafe co-owner Amy Fair Gunnar noted the minimum wage change will cost her about $45,000 more a month. She said restaurants will have to “seriously change what they’re doing or they’re going to close their doors.”

More from Jason Rantz: Here’s why Seattle residents vow to stop tipping in new year

Ignoring the warnings, mocking the business people

The warnings from restaurant owners were mostly ignored or mocked.

Efforts by the Seattle City Council to address the forthcoming crisis fell apart after activists said they didn’t want restaurants to get an exception. Council president Sara Nelson told “The Jason Rantz Show” they will take up the issue again this year but there’s no specific idea yet to forward for legislation. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, has been almost completely absent from the issue.

Left-wing voices, meanwhile, claim to not care. That if businesses “can’t afford to pay a living wage,” then they shouldn’t be in business.

One reporter with The Stranger mocked one of the closures, quipping on X, “Has anyone ever eaten at bebop waffle lol.” Left-wing Seattleites condemned the business for “creating a right wing media darling to complain about paying people a living wage.”

KING 5 reporter Maddie White helped elevate this talking point by citing the National Low Income Housing Coalition, claiming “the average renter needs to make upwards of $40 an hour to afford rent.” But she’s quoting a stat for two-bedrooms. Minimum wage jobs aren’t meant to cover the cost of a single person renting a two-bedroom home or apartment.

Ironically, as activists dismiss the concerns of small business owners, they fail to acknowledge the inevitable consequence: when those businesses shut down, people lose jobs. A $20.76 hourly minimum wage — even with a $2.72 tip credit — means nothing if you’re unemployed.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Follow @https://twitter.com/jasonrantz

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