That is an interesting timeframe.D-train wrote: ↑Sun May 26, 2019 12:01 amThey have been absurdly saying they expect to compete mid 2020. Do they expect attendance to go up 50% next July even though they are 15 games out of first because they are now ready to compete. More inane marketing I suspect. Don't want to piss off a fan base that has waited almost 20 years for playoffs because they have to wait another half season.Freespeech wrote: ↑Sat May 25, 2019 4:54 pmIt seems to me the Mariners already blinked on the rebuild. Divish did a great article on the discussions after last season between JD, SS, Stanton and Larson. First off it showed where the decisions are made with this ownership group; Stanton and Larson. Period.
So it went from rebuild to "step back" because they chickened out. The plan now is to be a contender in 2021. This club needs a change in culture not a change (barely) in strategy. They are still building around a core, but it's a core made up of players who may or may not be MLB caliber. At the end of the day they fear decreased attendance more than they want a competitive club. If they BS enough fans into believing they are or will soon be a contender then that will just have to do.
Gives them this trade deadline, next offseason and the next trade deadline to fill their vacancies with quality players instead of this filler nonsense:
1B: Vacant
2B: Long
3B: Seager
SS: Crawford
LF: Santana
CF: Vacant
RF: Haniger
DH: Vogelbach
SP1: Vacant
SP2: Vacant
SP3: Gonzales
SP4: Kikuchi
SP5: Vacant
Bullpen: Vacant