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| (Credit: Associated Press) |
All of that now is a wash though. Why? Ichiro is no longer a Seattle Mariner. An era has ended.
Last evening, the Seattle Mariners sent Ichiro packing. Where did they send him packing? To the team that dealt Ichiro his first and only playoff series loss: the hated New York Yankees. The Yankees sent minor leaguers D.J. Mitchell and Brian Farquhar to Seattle.
Seattle and New York are famed trade partners. Jay Buhner, Michael Pineda, Jesus Montero, and now, Ichiro.
Let's break down this move.
What This Trade Means for New York
It goes without saying that Ichiro is one of the best hitters of the generation. The problem is though that he is a shell of his former self. The last two seasons for the right fielder have been absolute disappointments. He has gone from hitting above .300 to being a .260-.270 hitter the last two years and has not done much to prove his worth. Seattle felt that they had to get rid of him, so they sent him packing to New York. The Yankees gave up relatively nothing in my opinion, so this is a low-risk, high-reward type of move. It was clear that Ichiro's time was up, and perhaps this new change of scenery will reinvigorate him knowing that he has a chance for the first time since the Mariners won 116 in 2001 to win a World Series. I think that it definitely stands a chance of happening.
What This Trade Means for Seattle
When you give up a franchise player in a trade, it does send a loud and clear message to everyone else. The Mariners were most likely not going to re-sign Ichiro after this season, as he is a free agent this winter. Lookout Landing writer Jeff Sullivan called this "perhaps the most significant trade in the history of the franchise," and it's hard to disagree. No matter the end result of this, the Mariners will have to scratch the surface for their next franchise player. Of course, they could already have it in Felix Hernandez, unless, you know, they trade him like just about every pundit expects them to every July. I do not think that they will and I think King Felix could be their next franchise player, but they will need to now scrape the barrel for another right fielder. Minor League outfielder Trayvon Robinson could definitely be a possibility, or the Mariners could perhaps explore options in free agency this winter. Whatever the case, what this trade means for the Seattle Mariners is that the Ichiro Era is over.
What This Trade Means for New York
It goes without saying that Ichiro is one of the best hitters of the generation. The problem is though that he is a shell of his former self. The last two seasons for the right fielder have been absolute disappointments. He has gone from hitting above .300 to being a .260-.270 hitter the last two years and has not done much to prove his worth. Seattle felt that they had to get rid of him, so they sent him packing to New York. The Yankees gave up relatively nothing in my opinion, so this is a low-risk, high-reward type of move. It was clear that Ichiro's time was up, and perhaps this new change of scenery will reinvigorate him knowing that he has a chance for the first time since the Mariners won 116 in 2001 to win a World Series. I think that it definitely stands a chance of happening.
What This Trade Means for Seattle
When you give up a franchise player in a trade, it does send a loud and clear message to everyone else. The Mariners were most likely not going to re-sign Ichiro after this season, as he is a free agent this winter. Lookout Landing writer Jeff Sullivan called this "perhaps the most significant trade in the history of the franchise," and it's hard to disagree. No matter the end result of this, the Mariners will have to scratch the surface for their next franchise player. Of course, they could already have it in Felix Hernandez, unless, you know, they trade him like just about every pundit expects them to every July. I do not think that they will and I think King Felix could be their next franchise player, but they will need to now scrape the barrel for another right fielder. Minor League outfielder Trayvon Robinson could definitely be a possibility, or the Mariners could perhaps explore options in free agency this winter. Whatever the case, what this trade means for the Seattle Mariners is that the Ichiro Era is over.
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