Buster Olney was a recent guest on the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast, and he spoke about the subtraction of Luis Castillo, and the additions of Taylor Ward and Seranthony Dominguez.
The Seattle Mariners enter play on Thursday at 56-59 on the season and on the heels of a 4-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.
Though the M's overall record is underwhelming, they are still very much in the thick of the playoff race.
Seattle is just 2.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West, and they are just 1.0 game back in the chase for the third and final wild card spot.
Earlier this week, the Mariners attacked the trade deadline by acquiring reliever Seranthony Dominguez from the Chicago White Sox and outfielder Taylor Ward from the Baltimore Orioles. The Mariners traded away veteran starting pitcher Luis Castillo in the deal that brought Dominguez in.
Speaking on the most recent edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney said he gave the Mariners a "B" grade, primarily because of the ability to shed Castillo's contract, which was nearly $8 million for the rest of this season and more than $20 million next season.
However, he continued on with his thoughts on the Mariners beyond that:
Seattle Mariners designated hitter Taylor Ward (27) hits a single against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning at T-Mobile Park. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images"And look, in terms of addition, just getting Taylor Ward, he could help them. He's not having this sort of dynamic power season that he had with the Angels, where he hit, what, last year, 36 home runs.
He's drawn a lot of walks.
But, you know, the Mariners could have a water torture offense: like, this lineup that they have, guys on base consistently, and then when someone puts the ball in play. If they get the middle of that order going, they can be better.
I thought it was a proportional response. Last year, Jerry Dipoto was very aggressive in adding Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez because they were playing well. Like, there was a team that you could bet on. They're not playing well, so they made a moderate improvement to their team. And I think that, given how they're playing, I think that's kind of what they earned.
I mean, think about it. The Red Sox, on the flip side, they're playing great. They're 30-5, and so their front office said, "You know what? We're going to back up the players. We're going to be aggressive. We're going to add before the trade deadline." And that's what those players earned. And I think the Mariners players earned this sort of moderate, tepid response to how they've been doing."
The Mariners will be back in action on Thursday afternoon against the Tigers at 1:10 p.m. PT. Old nemesis Framber Valdez is on the mound for Detroit while right-hander Bryce Miller pitches for Seattle.
After this series is over, the Mariners will welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town for a three-game series. It will be the 50th anniversary celebration weekend, culminating with Alex Rodriguez's return to Seattle.
Of note
The latest edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out, featuring ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney. You can listen here, or you can watch in the video player below.
