Keith Law: Mariners have ‘done tremendous job’ following rebuild blueprint

After a five-year stretch where they produced three winning seasons but had no playoff berths to show for it, the Seattle Mariners traded star second baseman Robinson Canó and standout closer Edwin Díaz to the New York Mets on Dec. 3, 2018, in a blockbuster deal that signaled the start of a rebuild.

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At the time, it was a difficult message for Mariners fans to receive as their team neared two decades without a playoff appearance. But it ended up being a decision that helped turned the franchise into a perennial playoff contender in recent years.

In the years since the rebuild started, the M’s broke their playoff drought, won their first AL West title in over two decades and went on the deepest playoff run in franchise history. They’ve also produced a winning record in five straight seasons, a franchise record.

During a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Monday, The Athletic’s Keith Law described how the Mariners’ rebuild followed a proven blueprint.

“I think they’ve done a tremendous job. It’s the best farm system in baseball. That roster you’re looking at is largely either homegrown talent or players acquired by trading homegrown talent. That’s the way you do it, the way most clubs have to do it,” Law said.

Law pointed to two franchise with far different means who have had success with the same formula, including the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers.

“Obviously they have infinite money, so they can supplement with top-end free agents. But if you look up and down their roster, a lot of those guys were acquired through trading players they drafted or signed originally and developed – or even they’ll trade for someone from another team, make them better and then ship them back out in another deal,” Law said. “That’s the way the best teams are built, particularly when you’re talking about frequent contention, which is obviously the goals for the Mariners. It’s the only way you get to do that.”

On the flip side of that is the small-market Milwaukee Brewers, who have made the playoffs seven times in the past eight seasons. The Brewers aren’t able to retain the players they develop like the Dodgers can, but they supplement that by trading players before they hit free agency to recoup prospects. Law highlighted their trade of two-time All-Star starting pitcher Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets for outfielder Jett Williams and staring pitcher Brandon Sproat over the offseason as an example.

“They got two guys who are going to help them this year, who are going to probably contribute significantly this year, who are younger and who were surplus for the Mets,” Law said. “And I think the Mariners, they’re not under those same restrictions, but they can keep things rolling like that… You decide, these are the core guys we’re going to keep, we’re going to sign long term. These are the non-core guys who aren’t as important or who we can’t sign long term. Maybe flip a guy like that as he gets to a year from free agency to restock.”

“They are one of the best drafting teams in baseball since (vice president of amateur scouting) Scott Hunter took over,” Law added about the Mariners. “I think by continuing to do that, they allow themselves more options, more possibilities.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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