The Mariners finished 2023 88-74, missing the playoffs by 1 game and the division by 2 games. They failed to follow up their magical 2022 season with a successful step forward. At best, they took a step sideways. General Manager Justin Hollander has even admitted their moves this past off-season were not adequate enough. They acquired Teoscar Hernandez and Kolten Wong in trades, and signed AJ Pollock, Tommy LaStella, and Cooper Hummel. Only one of those players, Hernandez, was on the big league team at season's end. It's safe to say they need to do better this off-season. So I have compiled the five biggest needs for this team, and some possible names who could fill that role. Ranked, in order from least to most important, here are the five biggest needs this Mariners team needs to address this off-season:
5) Rotation depth
Possible candidates: Vince Velasquez, Jordan Montgomery
It'll be hard to say how the back end of the rotation will look come 2024, but I think one thing the Mariners need is depth at the rotation. Someone who would potentially be okay signing a minor league deal with an option to make the big league club. I wouldn't be opposed to either Woo or Miller starting 2024 in the minors, especially if they have a rocky spring. But one thing that hurt the Mariners this past season was the lack of rotation depth. They need to sign someone to bolster the rotation.
Result: No one? I can't think of anyone the Mariners acquired for rotation depth. They briefly had Anthony DeSclafani before shipping him out for Jorge Polanco. Grade: INC.
4) Right-handed/switch-hitting outfielder with range, contact
Possible candidates: Harrison Bader, Jurickson Profar
We absolutely should not be starting Dylan Moore or Sam Haggerty in the outfield while on a playoff run again. They are bench guys. Jerry and Justin tried to address this with Pollock and LaStella last off-season but to no avail. I like Bader, and while he struggled in Cincy, I love his effort on defense. And Profar is a switch-hitter, but hits better historically right-handed, and he would add even more culture to our locker room, being from Curacao.
Result: We got Mitch back... yay? I like Mitch, I just hope he can stay healthy. But he does not have much range or contact. We also got Luke Raley, but he's a lefty and he too does not have much range. Grade: D
3) Infielder that can hit
Possible candidates: Rhys Hoskins, Amed Rosario
Our infield just seemed to be filled with black holes this year, not counting JP. But it seemed someone was always struggling, whether it was Ty, Geno, or whoever was at second base. Rhys Hoskins was out all of 2023, but if we shipped Ty for a prospect or in a package, I'd love to have Hoskins instead. And Rosario still can hit around .250 with solid D. Our infield just needs to improve. We still haven't found our answer at second base since trading Cano.
Result: We got Jorge Polanco, and if you want to count him, Mitch Garver, but he's counted more for #1 (see below). We also got the aforementioned Luke Raley. Our infield should hit better next season. But we did have to give up a lot to get Polanco. Grade: B-
2) Veteran closer/bullpen help
Possible candidates: Will Smith, Craig Kimbrel, Ryne Stanek
With the trade of Sewald and the loss of Penn Murfee to the Mets, our bullpen is in need of help. Brash was overworked, guys like Topa, Campbell, and Thornton were used in higher-leverage situations than they should be, and it showed. I would love it if we could bring in a veteran guy to add a presence and help mentor some younger guys.
Result: We got Gregory Santos, he'd be the closest thing to a "veteran" guy that we acquired. Hopefully he'll fit right in, but he might take a while to do so since he came to us hurt. Lovely. Update: We also signed Ryne Stanek late, a guy who I really like, so I'll raise this a tad. Grade: B+
1) Full-time legit Designated Hitter
Possible candidates: Shohei Ohtani, Jorge Soler, JD Martinez
The last good full-time DH the Mariners had was Nelson Cruz, in 2018. Before that, it was Edgar. This team absolutely should not go into the season with guys like LaStella, Hummel, or Haggerty DH'ing. Obviously, Shohei would be the ideal choice, with him joining the rotation in 2025 due to injury. Soler would be a nice substitute if his player option falls through. And I wanted us to acquire JD Martinez last off-season, but of course, he goes to LA. I doubt he'd come here, but you never know. We just need SOMEONE at DH we can count on, someone we can put at 3 or 4 in the order and never have to worry about.
Result: We got Mitch Garver, our one lone significant free agent signing. Would it be too much to ask for another Nelson Cruz type hitter? I guess so. We'll have to see what Mitch does. I'm more excited for his bat than Polanco's or Raley's, for what it's worth. Grade: B
Well, that is my list of the top 5 needs the Mariners have this coming off-season. Let's hope they address most, if not all, of these. I feel like if they address most of these adequately, a return to the playoffs in 2024 will be in the cards. I'm going to come back, perhaps around spring training time, and comment on what they did to address these needs, and if it was good enough.
Showing posts with label Biggest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Biggest. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Five Biggest Needs for the Mariners for 2024
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Top 10 Things That Frighten Me the Most
Here are the top ten things that frighten me the most, from the least frightening to the most frightening. And by frightening, I mean the kind of things that I’m scared of encountering in my life. Things that will instantly make my heart race. So I’m not including ways I could die, like drowning, burning, nor death itself. Anyway, here they are:
10. Public Speaking
Now this is only at number ten because it doesn’t frighten me that much, but it does frighten me enough to get on this list. It also depends on how confident I am in what I’m talking about. If I don’t know what I’m going to say then I am very nervous up there. But if I have practiced my speech enough it really isn’t that bad. The moments leading up to it are though.
9. The dark
I know, I look like a child for admitting that, but at least I did. And I’m not THAT afraid of the dark. However, what gets me is when it’s dark, you just don’t know what is in front of you (or behind you for that matter). Something could be right in front of you, and you don’t know it! Just the mystery of what you can’t see is what really frightens me, and that’s why it is #9.
8. Loud Noises
This item is pretty general. It includes a lot of things: balloons popping, gunshots, loud firecrackers, bombs, those party favors that make loud popping noises, a loud power saw, and more. The main reason why they scare me is that I usually don’t expect them to happen, especially with balloons. If one of those items is about to make its loud noise, I frantically cover both of my ears and wait. Loud noises and I do not mix.
7. Large insects
My girlfriend Amanda can attest to this. This also is pretty general and includes: Beetles, moths (yes, moths), caterpillars, centipedes, millipedes. I can’t stand it when one of them is near me (or heaven forbid, TOUCHING me). Smaller insects like ants, flies, mosquitoes, and ladybugs don’t scare me at all. Unless there’s like a hundred of them.
6. Dinosaurs/Godzilla
I know what you’re thinking. They don’t exist. Well they do in movies, so that counts. I watched Jurassic Park and its sequel, The Lost World, at a young age. I watched Godzilla when I was not much older. And the reason they even make this list is because I have had nightmares about them. Usually I am running from them. And of course, my biggest fear would be being eaten alive by a dinosaur such as a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Godzilla scares me because of its size. When it walks and you can hear those thudding noises, that’s what scares me.
5. Heights
No surprise here as almost everyone is afraid of heights to some degree. Mine happens to be just a little bit more than normal. If I walk across a high bridge I get a little scared. I am afraid of jumping off high places (I used to be afraid of jumping off my monkey bars). I really don’t have to explain too much here. The fear of falling that distance and the resulting impact combines to make one of the world’s biggest shared fears among people.
4. Marine Life
This topic is the third to be pretty general, and it includes sharks, certain kinds of fish, whales (because of their size), jellyfish, crabs, and other things. It’s why if you are ever with me and we are on the shore of an ocean, I might be a little skittish. Even seaweed a little bit. It’s so slimy! And crabs…. Just with the way they crawl. *Shudders*
3. Large spiders
There is a huge difference between small spiders and large spiders for me. Small spiders I might even let crawl on me (ok maybe not, but you get the idea). Large spiders? Heck no! The scariest of them for me of course would be tarantulas. They are so huge for spiders and so…. Freakishly furry…. And they don’t even technically have a face. I’ve never touched a tarantula in my life as far as I can remember, and I don’t plan on it ever.
2. Snakes
This gets the #2 spot, not because of an experience I’ve had with a snake (the only experiences I’ve had are with the ones in zoos and garden snakes), but because of the snake movies I’ve seen. The movies I’m referring to are Anaconda and Snakes on a Plane. In Anaconda, you have this freakishly large snake which consumes humans with ease. In Snakes on a Plane, you have a bunch of poisonous snakes that come out of NOWHERE and bite people. And of course, there was one large python which ate a man. Without those two movies, I really wouldn't be afraid at all, but I am. Keep me away from snakes! And the next thing on this list.
1. Bees
I’ve had this fear for quite some time. Not my whole life, though. When I was about three, my parents witnessed me PETTING a bumblebee while it was on a dandelion. So obviously I didn’t have the fear then. But slowly as I grew up I acquired a fear for them. There weren’t really any incidents—I’ve never been stung before. But I’ve had a few times where a bee has landed on me, and where a bee has buzzed RIGHT BY my ear. Their buzzing noise is what really gets me. And the fact that they can sting.
Of course, it depends on the bee too. If a bumblebee is flying near me, I’m very aware of it, but I’m not too afraid of it. If a wasp or yellow jacket is flying ANYWHERE near me, I freak out and run. I really can’t explain. They are the thing that frightens me the most.
10. Public Speaking
Now this is only at number ten because it doesn’t frighten me that much, but it does frighten me enough to get on this list. It also depends on how confident I am in what I’m talking about. If I don’t know what I’m going to say then I am very nervous up there. But if I have practiced my speech enough it really isn’t that bad. The moments leading up to it are though.
9. The dark
I know, I look like a child for admitting that, but at least I did. And I’m not THAT afraid of the dark. However, what gets me is when it’s dark, you just don’t know what is in front of you (or behind you for that matter). Something could be right in front of you, and you don’t know it! Just the mystery of what you can’t see is what really frightens me, and that’s why it is #9.
8. Loud Noises
This item is pretty general. It includes a lot of things: balloons popping, gunshots, loud firecrackers, bombs, those party favors that make loud popping noises, a loud power saw, and more. The main reason why they scare me is that I usually don’t expect them to happen, especially with balloons. If one of those items is about to make its loud noise, I frantically cover both of my ears and wait. Loud noises and I do not mix.
7. Large insects
My girlfriend Amanda can attest to this. This also is pretty general and includes: Beetles, moths (yes, moths), caterpillars, centipedes, millipedes. I can’t stand it when one of them is near me (or heaven forbid, TOUCHING me). Smaller insects like ants, flies, mosquitoes, and ladybugs don’t scare me at all. Unless there’s like a hundred of them.
6. Dinosaurs/Godzilla
I know what you’re thinking. They don’t exist. Well they do in movies, so that counts. I watched Jurassic Park and its sequel, The Lost World, at a young age. I watched Godzilla when I was not much older. And the reason they even make this list is because I have had nightmares about them. Usually I am running from them. And of course, my biggest fear would be being eaten alive by a dinosaur such as a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Godzilla scares me because of its size. When it walks and you can hear those thudding noises, that’s what scares me.
5. Heights
No surprise here as almost everyone is afraid of heights to some degree. Mine happens to be just a little bit more than normal. If I walk across a high bridge I get a little scared. I am afraid of jumping off high places (I used to be afraid of jumping off my monkey bars). I really don’t have to explain too much here. The fear of falling that distance and the resulting impact combines to make one of the world’s biggest shared fears among people.
4. Marine Life
This topic is the third to be pretty general, and it includes sharks, certain kinds of fish, whales (because of their size), jellyfish, crabs, and other things. It’s why if you are ever with me and we are on the shore of an ocean, I might be a little skittish. Even seaweed a little bit. It’s so slimy! And crabs…. Just with the way they crawl. *Shudders*
3. Large spiders
There is a huge difference between small spiders and large spiders for me. Small spiders I might even let crawl on me (ok maybe not, but you get the idea). Large spiders? Heck no! The scariest of them for me of course would be tarantulas. They are so huge for spiders and so…. Freakishly furry…. And they don’t even technically have a face. I’ve never touched a tarantula in my life as far as I can remember, and I don’t plan on it ever.
2. Snakes
This gets the #2 spot, not because of an experience I’ve had with a snake (the only experiences I’ve had are with the ones in zoos and garden snakes), but because of the snake movies I’ve seen. The movies I’m referring to are Anaconda and Snakes on a Plane. In Anaconda, you have this freakishly large snake which consumes humans with ease. In Snakes on a Plane, you have a bunch of poisonous snakes that come out of NOWHERE and bite people. And of course, there was one large python which ate a man. Without those two movies, I really wouldn't be afraid at all, but I am. Keep me away from snakes! And the next thing on this list.
1. Bees
I’ve had this fear for quite some time. Not my whole life, though. When I was about three, my parents witnessed me PETTING a bumblebee while it was on a dandelion. So obviously I didn’t have the fear then. But slowly as I grew up I acquired a fear for them. There weren’t really any incidents—I’ve never been stung before. But I’ve had a few times where a bee has landed on me, and where a bee has buzzed RIGHT BY my ear. Their buzzing noise is what really gets me. And the fact that they can sting.
Of course, it depends on the bee too. If a bumblebee is flying near me, I’m very aware of it, but I’m not too afraid of it. If a wasp or yellow jacket is flying ANYWHERE near me, I freak out and run. I really can’t explain. They are the thing that frightens me the most.
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