Reimagination

Jerry DiPoto assured us he wasn’t tearing down the Mariners and starting over.  Trading 30 players? Just a reshuffle.  A lineup in which only three players were on the team last year?  Just reimagining the team a little.

No one believed him.  Some smirked, some rolled their eyes, some did both.  “Reimagining” was clearly spin.  This was a good old rebuild.

But the M’s are 6 – 1.  That’s better than any EFL team. That’s better than any other MLB team.  And here’s how the M’s have done it:

1. Games 1 and 2: devote a roster spot to an aged franchise hitter who hasn’t had a hit since the previous April.  Devote the team 8/9 to winning, and 1/9 to wincing while honoring a franchise icon. But win anyway, letting your icon retire on an upbeat note.
2. After dismantling your lineup, trading away three of your four best hitters, including a shortstop and second basemen, face Chris Sale.  Batter him for 7 runs in 3 innings, blasting 5 homers, two by your new shortstop. Win 12 – 4.
3. Go up 6 – 3 in the ninth by battering Nate Eovaldi with three more homers. Send your closer to the mound without noticing his injured shoulder, have him lie about it to your face, and serve up a three-run, game-losing homer.  So you take a loss.
4. Go up 6 – 2 in the ninth by battering Eduardo Rodriguez.  Send a “reimagined” closer to the mound, have him give up two hits while getting two outs.  Then have your rookie third baseman, in his first major league start, commit errors on three consecutive plays to make the score 6 – 5 with the tying run on third and the winning run on first.  Then strike out Xander Bogaerts, possibly distracted by just-about-concluded negotiations for a contract extension.
5. Go up 10 – 7 in the ninth by battering Rick Porcello. Send a different “reimagined” closer to the mound. Have him walk three batters. Send another newly “reimagined” closer, so he can walk a batter, too… and the finish off the game for a 10 -8 win.
6. Switch things up. Send to the mound your aging franchise pitcher who hadn’t won a game since the previous June.  Devote the team 8/9 to winning, 1/9 to wincing while honoring a franchise player.  Have your defense commit four errors behind him, leading to two unearned runs.  But batter Chris Stratton in the FIRST inning so you are up 6 – 3 in the ninth.  Send ANOTHER different “reimagined” closer to the mound.  Have him dispatch the first two batters with fly balls, bringing Mike Trout to the on deck circle.  Win anyway, letting your icon continue his imperiled career on an upbeat note.

Forget the shift, the 5-man infield, the 4-man outfield, the opener … forget all those gimmicks.  I think everyone will be reimagining their teams in the future.