Things are getting a little testy for the Seattle Mariners. Five games into the season, the team is sporting a 1-4 record as it contends with championship expectations.
Mariners fans are becoming weary at the perception that an organization that boasted a reported MLB-best profit of $83.8 million in 2022 is not investing enough to make the on-field product a winner.
Seattle did not wow anyone with its offseason acquisitions over the winter after qualifying for the American League playoffs for the first time since 2001 last season.
While the team swung a trade for a solid hitting outfielder in Teoscar Hernandez, the Seattle Mariners' starting designated hitter is listed as utility infielder Tommy La Stella. La Stella was signed to a one-year contract by the Mariners in December after hitting just .245 in 136 games over two seasons with the San Francisco Giants.
La Stella's .125 batting average in four games as the DH, combined with just one win in five tries, has Mariners fans asking questions.
According to Spotrac, the Seattle Mariners' 2023 payroll of $129.8 million falls far below the MLB average of $148.6 million. With the team reportedly gaining a windfall in excess of $83 million last season, the offseason moves for such lackluster hitters as La Stella, Cooper Hummel and A.J. Pollock have fans seeing red when it comes to their green-and-blue clad squad.
Other fans, taking the line of contrarian thought, defend the team for not overspending this offseason on bank-busting hitting talents such as Aaron Judge, Trea Turner, Carlos Correa or Xander Bogaerts.
Whether they believe in the team's philosophy of adding talent during the season or pinning their hopes on a Hail Mary push to sign expected free-agent superstar Shohei Ohtani next offseason, they aren't quick to lambaste the organization for failing to spend more this winter.
As for poor La Stella, he just hasn't been the same since 2020. An All-Star in his first season with the Los Angeles Angels after leaving the Chicago Cubs in 2019, his offensive stats and his playing time have both been on a steep decline since 2020. He's still well-loved at Wrigley Field.
Seattle Mariners have had a tough time since 1977 MLB debut
The Seattle Mariners have traditionally been one of MLB's most woebegone franchises since joining the American League in 1977. In 47 seasons, the team has posted a .474 winning percentage and made just five playoff appearances in all – four of those coming in a seven-year span in which they lost the AL Championship Series three times.