It’s not just the Diamondbacks who might tear it all down. Jeff Passan is reporting that the Seattle Mariners my throw in the towel, trade off assets and rebuild.
The Mariners won 89 games in 2018, but got leapfrogged by the Athletics for second place and finished 14 games back of the Astros. With a relatively barren farm system and some aging stars, Passan says they could be willing to deal “just about anyone.” Their biggest trade chits would be James Paxton, Jean Segura, Edwin Diaz, and Mitch Haniger. Dealing them would certainly bring a haul.
It would also totally depress Mariners fans and constitute yet another team in what has become Major League Baseball’s Tank-a-Palooza. But such are the current incentives in the game. As Passan says, the M’s are good, but they’re not good enough, and that’s a really tough place to be in.