Seattle, WA

Seattle Mariners Trade-a-Day: JT Brubaker

Published

3 years ago

June 4, 2022

Seattle Mariners Trade-a-Day: JT Brubaker

The Mariners’ rotation has a difficulty with consistency. Except for Logan Gilbert, Seattle’s starters have all handled sustained intervals of struggles.

Nowhere is that this inconsistency felt greater than when Chris Flexen takes the mound. We have seen Flexen dazzle at instances, together with in opposition to playoff lineups just like the Rays and Astros. He is additionally fizzled in opposition to lesser opponents just like the Orioles, Crimson Sox and Phillies.

After all, Flexen is not the one pitcher who has struggled. Employees ace Robbie Ray hasn’t discovered a lot consistency inning to inning, not to mention sport to sport. This challenge hampers the Mariners’ efforts to maintain profitable streaks and in addition locations an pointless burden on the crew’s bullpen, which has considerably regressed from 2021 to 2022.

We all know that common supervisor Jerry Dipoto desires so as to add a beginning pitcher. However he is not searching for a No. 5 arm. He has constantly said that he desires so as to add an arm that “would pitch nearer to the highest of the rotation than the underside.”

The difficulty with these sorts of arms is that they are extraordinarily costly to amass. José Berríos price the Blue Jays two, top-100 prospects final summer time. This yr, there are a number of choices that match that mould, with Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas possible costing Seattle one thing within the neighborhood of Noelvi Marte and Emerson Hancock.

That kind of value is hard to swallow, significantly when it appears unlikely that 2022 will end in a deep playoff run. Each arms would return in 2023, however the stress to win huge can be immense in 2023 earlier than both participant departed in free company. There may be clearly some extent the place you make trades like that, however the Mariners is probably not there fairly but. Maybe the Mariners might attempt to discover the subsequent Castillo or Montas and save themselves some on the acquisition price?

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One title which may verify some packing containers is Pirates right-hander JT Brubaker. Whereas actually not in the identical tier as the larger names, Brubaker does possess some attention-grabbing numbers and the stuff suggests there might be one other gear in his sport.

At present, Brubaker has posted a 4.70 ERA and three.48 FIP. He misses bats, averaging 9.44 Ok/9 and, whereas his 4.34 BB/9 is excessive, his profession mark of three.20 leaves loads of room for optimism.

Brubaker is a sinker/slider arm, however he does combine in an honest curve that can generate swings and misses. Because of the strikeouts, he is not a groundball-heavy sinkerballer, however his 43% groundball fee does assist. He does not get a lot vertical motion out of his repertoire, however he does have elite horizontal motion on his sinker and four-seam fastball.

As of now, Brubaker is an efficient No. 4 who will miss bats however makes a speciality of avoiding onerous contact, rating within the 77th percentile in hard-hit share. He isn’t but the arm Dipoto craves, however there appears to be potential to get there. Brubaker will not even be arbitration-eligible till this winter and he is simply 28 years outdated. He will not be low-cost, however he is additionally unlikely to require the identical commerce price as Montas or Castillo.

What might a deal for Brubaker appear like? There have been reviews earlier this winter that the Pirates have been searching for younger beginning pitching and the title Emerson Hancock was even dropped. The Mariners might desire to maintain Hancock, nevertheless it is not a ridiculous ask from Pittsburgh. There are numerous components concerned in such a deal, together with how the Mariners really feel about not solely Brubaker’s upside, however how they worth Hancock, Levi Stoudt and Adam Macko versus how the Pirates worth them.

For simplicity’s sake, a Hancock-for-Brubaker deal might make numerous sense for each side (assuming Hancock stays wholesome and pitches properly). However a deal of Adam Macko and Lázaro Montes or Alberto Rodríguez might begin a dialog. One factor to remember: the Pirates might be serious about a number of the younger main leaguers on the Mariners’ roster like Taylor Trammell, Kyle Lewis or Abraham Toro.

Seattle and Pittsburgh line up properly in commerce talks and, with Dipoto on the helm, you’ll be able to’t rule out an even bigger deal that entails a number of huge leaguers altering arms. However on the finish of the day, Brubaker is an improve to Flexen and presents the next ground than each Marco Gonzales and George Kirby.

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Related Topics:Featured Front Office Jerry Dipoto JT Brubaker Seattle Mariners

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Seattle, WA

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Published

8 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

16 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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Seattle, WA

Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job

Published

24 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job

A pair of candidates have surfaced in the Seattle Seahawks’ search for a new offensive coordinator.

An NFL insider’s view on Seahawks OC change and what’s next

The Seahawks are scheduled to interview Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley and Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown, according to multiple reports. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero first reported the news Thursday morning.

Seattle will interview Fraley on Friday and Brown on Saturday, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

The Seahawks moved on from offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb on Monday after an up-and-down season for Seattle’s offense that included one of the worst rushing attacks in the league.

Fraley, 47, has been on Detroit’s coaching staff for the past seven seasons, including the past five as the team’s offensive line coach. Fraley has coached an offensive line that’s paved the way for one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks. The Lions rank third in Pro Football Focus’ run block grading and finished the regular season sixth in both rushing yards per game (146.4) and yards per carry (4.7).

During his time in Detroit, Fraley has helped develop four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow and three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Penei Sewell. As a player, Fraley started 123 games at center and guard over a 10-year NFL career with the Eagles (2001-05), Browns (2006-09) and Rams (2010). According to Breer, Fraley has done groundwork in searching for a pass game coordinator that he would pair with as an OC.

Brown, 38, began the season as Chicago’s passing game coordinator. He then was promoted to offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron, a former Seahawks assistant, was fired as OC on Nov. 12, and then to interim head coach when Matt Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29. Brown went 1-4 as the Bears’ interim head coach.

Brown was the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023. Prior to that, he spent three seasons under head coach Sean McVay in various roles on the Los Angeles Rams’ coaching staff.

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