Seattle, WA

Seattle Mariners Trade Targets: Rays who could address M's needs

Published

7 months ago

June 24, 2024

Seattle Mariners Trade Targets: Rays who could address M's needs

As the first-place Seattle Mariners open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday at Tropicana Field, they might get an up-close look at some potential trade targets.

Morosi: The familiar Mariners trade partner to keep an eye on

The Rays have struggled to a 38-40 record this season, which has them 13 games back in the American League East and four games out of the AL’s third and final wild card spot. According to FanGraphs, their playoff odds are just 16.8%. That puts them in position to be a potential seller at the trade deadline.

During an appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Monday, 10 Tampa Bay sports director Evan Closky discussed the Rays’ status as a potential seller and mentioned some possible players the Mariners could target to bolster their roster.

“The probability of (the Rays) making the playoffs is still less than 18 percent, so putting that in the grand scheme of things, the Rays are a very smart front office and they understand that this is a seller’s market this season,” Closky said. “So I think it would behoove them to sell if the right deal presents itself. And considering that a lot of teams are going to be in the hunt, they might be able to get some guys for an overpriced amount and really build themselves for the next few seasons. I know the Rays would love a guy like (highly rated Mariners prospect) Harry Ford, because they need a catcher so badly.”

Potential Rays hitters to target

Closky mentioned 25-year-old third baseman Isaac Paredes as a great match for Seattle. Paredes, who is under club control through 2027, hit 31 home runs last season and is batting .280/.365/.459 with 11 homers and an .824 OPS in 73 games this season. He also has just a 16.6% strikeout rate, which ranks 19th out of 71 qualified hitters in the AL, according to FanGraphs. That could be of particular interest for the Mariners, who have an MLB-worst 27.3% strikeout rate.

“If the Mariners can figure out a way to get Isaac Paredes, I do think that that is a perfect guy for them to grab, because he’s somebody who doesn’t strike out often, makes contact, has power,” Closky said. “He does everything that this team lacks a little bit with the bats, considering half of the Seattle Mariners lineup is the three true outcomes of home run, walk, strikeout.”

Another possible target is 32-year-old first baseman Yandy Díaz, who hit a career-high .330 with 22 homers during an All-Star season last year. This season, he’s .271/.331/.384 with six homers and a .715 OPS in 77 games. He has an even lower strikeout rate than Paredes, ranking sixth among AL qualifying hitters at just 13.8%. Díaz is in the second season of a three-year, $24 million deal that includes a club option for 2026.

“I don’t think anybody’s necessarily like off the table,” Closky said. “Now, Yandy Diaz is an amazing player, someone who I’m sure they’re gonna want the next couple of seasons. He’s cheap in the grand scheme of things, but for a very revenue-focused team like the Tampa Bay Rays, that’s very important. … So (I’m) not saying that Yandy’s off the table, but you might have to overpay for him.”

Potential Rays relievers to target

The Mariners could also look to add an arm or two to their bullpen, which has been hampered by injuries this season. Closky said the two relievers the Rays would be most likely to trade are 33-year-old right-hander Shawn Armstrong and 31-year-old right-hander Phil Maton.

Armstrong is a 10-year MLB veteran who spent parts of the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Seattle. He has a 3.53 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 35 2/3 innings this season, with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Maton, who spent the past three seasons with the Houston Astros, is an eight-year MLB veteran who signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in February. He had a strong 2023 season in Houston, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 74 strikeouts and 25 walks in 66 innings. However, he has struggled to a 5.28 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 29 innings with the Rays this season.

“The two (relievers) that I think are probably gonna go by the deadline are Shawn Armstrong and Phil Maton, so if the Mariners wanted to work out a bigger deal with the Rays, I would imagine maybe those pieces get kicked in along with it,” Closky said. “They are some pieces in the bullpen who you throw into a bigger deal and sweeten the pot a little bit.”

Listen to the full conversation with 10 Tampa Bay sports director Evan Closky at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners Roster Moves: Jorge Polanco returns, rookie optioned
• Where’s Julio’s power? Insiders weigh in on Mariners star’s ‘mystifying’ first half
• Mariners Breakdown: Where things stand after 2nd straight series loss
• Mariners Trade Targets: Three Marlins to keep an eye on
• Gregory Santos takes big step toward Seattle Mariners debut

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Seattle, WA

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Published

5 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

14 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

22 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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