It's not always easy being a Seattle Mariners supporter. The team has put its fans through some tough times over the years, including the current playoff drought that extends back to 2001.
The Mariners have never won the World Series, and are just one of two franchises in Major League Baseball that have not even appeared in the Fall Classic (the other is the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals franchise). The team has also made some very tough trades in the past, dealing away players like Adam Jones, Michael Pineda and Jason Varitek.
The Mariners have stars like Felix Hernandez, Kyle Seager, Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz, but that core has not been able to put together a playoff run yet. However, there is some hope for the 2016 season.
The Mariners hired Jerry Dipoto to take over as general manager last year, and he got to work right away. The roster was completely re-tooled in the offseason through trades and free agent signings, giving the Mariners stronger depth and talent. The additions of Adam Lind, Nori Aoki, Leonys Martin and Joaquin Benoit should help the team make a positive step in 2016.
Mariner fans have been fooled before though. Last season, the team came in with high expectations after falling just one game short of the playoffs in 2014. But 2015 did not go as planned. Cano struggled through the first few months of the season, the pitching depth was not there and the team finished with a losing record. Now fans are hoping for some October baseball in 2016.
With all of that in mind, here is a look at some things that all Seattle Mariners fans can agree to hate.
Mariners Trade Adam Jones, Chris Tillman And George Sherrill To The Baltimore Orioles For Erik Bedard
Cliff Corcoran at SI.com described this trade as one of the "most lopsided" deals of the last century. At the time, the Mariners did not look so bad. They were one of a number of teams going after Bedard, who was coming off of a great season for the Orioles. But nothing worked out right for the Mariners on this trade.
Jones did not just become a solid MLB player - he became an All-Star and one of the best outfielders in the game. Tillman didn't reach that level, but he has been a consistent starter for the Orioles since the trade. Bedard, on the other hand, flamed out in Seattle, making just 30 starts over three seasons while dealing with numerous injuries. The Mariners eventually traded Bedard to the Red Sox.
Mariners Sign Chone Figgins In Free Agency
The Mariners came into the 2010 season very excited after signing Figgins to a four-year, $36 million deal the previous winter. Figgins was one of the best players on the Angels, a team that had tormented the Mariners in years past. The team was thrilled about Figgins' versatility and his ability to get on base. Figgins came in after hitting .298 with 30 doubles, 42 stolen bases and 101 walks the previous season. But Figgins ended up being one of the worst signings in team (or MLB) history. He hit just .227 in 308 games with the Mariners, including a .181 average in 2012. Mention the name Figgins to any Mariners fan and you are sure to hear some expletives.
Mariners Draft Brandon Morrow In 2006, Dustin Ackley in 2009....and Jeff Clement in 2005
The Mariners draft history is one of some amazing highs and some terrible lows. The team drafted Ken Griffey, Jr. and Alex Rodriguez in the past, and those moves obviously worked out. But there have been some major misses over the years for Seattle. In 2005, the Mariners took Jeff Clement out of USC. In 2006, the Mariners picked pitcher Brandon Morrow and, in 2009, Dustin Ackley one spot after Stephen Strasburg. The anger here isn't really about the players that were drafted, but about the players the Mariners missed on.
Mariners fans, please try not to scream. Clement was drafted at No. 3 after Justin Upton and Alex Gordon. The USC catcher looked like a great selection coming out of the draft, but surprise surprise, things did not turn out that way. Clement never could get things going in Seattle, playing in just 75 total games for the team at the major league level from 2007 to 2008. Clement hit .227 in 66 games in 2008 and finished his career with a .218 average over four seasons between Seattle and Pittsburgh. The fact that Clement was so bad makes this pick even worse, especially considering the future superstars that were left on the board, including Troy Tulowitzki, Andrew McCutchen, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun and Jacoby Ellsbury. Even players like Ricky Romero, Jay Bruce and Clay Buchholz were left on the board and would have been better picks for the M's.
Morrow was picked at No. 5 for Seattle, leaving some of these players on the board: Clayton Kershaw (Ugh!), Tim Lincecum (a Washington native), Max Scherzer and Andrew Miller. In 2009, Ackley went at No. 2, leaving names like A.J. Pollock, Shelby Miller, Randal Grichuk and, wait for it, Mike Trout on the board. In the Mariners' defense, almost every team in baseball passed on Trout, who went at No. 24 in the round.
Sure, Ackley did not hit like he did in college for the Mariners, but he wasn't terrible, and neither was Morrow. But over the course of their time in Seattle, neither player ever lived up to their potential with the team. The fact that the two could not consistently perform in Seattle only adds salt to the wound when thinking of the names that could have been drafted by the team.
Honorable Mentions:
The Mariners have such a wonderful history. Here are some more things that are sure to anger fans:
- The Cliff Lee Trade: Mariners trade Lee to the Texas Rangers for a package that includes Justin Smoak
- The Heathcliff Slocumb Trade: Mariners trade Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe to the Boston Red Sox for middling reliever Slocumb
- The 2001 Season: The Mariners won 116 games to tie an MLB record, but lost in the playoffs to the Yankees. (This one makes Mariner fans both happy and sad.)
