How the Shohei Ohtani Decision Impacts the Seattle Mariners
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The Seattle Mariners inexcusably didn't even enter the free agent running for superstar Shohei Ohtani.
But outside of getting Ohtani themselves, they appear to have caught a major break. Ohtani going to the National League and playing for the Dodgers is a huge win for Mariners.
Here's how:
1) First off, Ohtani leaves the division. While the Angels never made the playoffs with Ohtani, his ability to pitch gems and hit home runs against the Mariners was extremely frustrating to Mariners fans. Now, that threat is removed. That's 13 games a season against the Angels that won't feature Ohtani in the lineup.
2) Ohtani didn't go to the Blue Jays, who currently figure to be a team that the M's could battle with for an American League wild card spot. If Toronto had gotten Ohtani, they would have moved lightyears ahead of Seattle in the AL playoff picture. At this point, the Jays are still probably better than Seattle, but the M's have the ability to catch them. If Ohtani was there, they wouldn't have.
Here's how the M's can make out good the rest of the way too...
With Ohtani off the board, teams will turn their attention to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is the best pitcher in this free agent class.
The best-case scenario for the Mariners would be if Yamamoto goes to the Mets, who appear extremely motivated to get him. Getting him out of the American League and away from other rivals would be a great outcome.
If Yamamoto is going to come to the American League, it's probably best to see him land with the Boston Red Sox. The Sox finished last in the American League East a season ago and still have work to do to get back to relevance in the league. Even a Yamamoto signing doesn't make them better than Seattle. If he goes to the Yankees, which is possible, Seattle would fall further behind.
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