6/16/22: LAA at SEA Open Game Thread

Buckle up folks, this is going to be a long series.

Lineups:

How many times have I mixed up Taylor Ward and Tyler Wade’s names on this show? Rendon stays out for the Halos, who have a fairly left-leaning lineup anyway. I hope you’re all ready for some serious Ryan Borucki time.

For the Mariners, JP returns from a brief bout with food poisoning, but Dylan Moore has to swap his shortstop glove for a first baseman’s glove as Ty France has a day off; apparently Ty wasn’t feeling well after that awkward jumping game last night (although what a game). France needed a day off anyway and was stuck in a pretty rough stretch of road where he was pretty un-French, so while we’ll miss Ty, it’s probably for the best. He should be available to pinch should the game be tight (lol).

News:

The Mariners demanded INF Drew Ellis from D-Backs waivers. Ellis was Arizona’s runner-up in 2017 from the University of Louisville. He has played primarily at third base but can also play first and second base and played outfield in college. In the minors, Ellis didn’t hit for a high average but made his walks and didn’t hit a ton and could hit about 15 homers a season (albeit in some favorable offensive environments in the Arizona system) despite having neither the plate discipline nor the power has featured in limited big league action so far. Think of him as Dylan Moore Lite (maybe extra-lite). He has minor league options and will report to Triple-A Tacoma.

To make room for Ellis, Mitch Haniger was moved to 60-day IL, but don’t worry, it’s a retroactive move. According to Dipoto on 710 this morning, there’s no timetable for his return just yet, but he’s beginning “light baseball work.” I wonder if Mitch has a light bat too. Less encouraging is the news about Kyle Lewis, which is… not news. Still no schedule. Also, Dipoto said that if he gets his timing back in Tacoma, we’ll likely see Justin Upton soon, which honestly feels more like a threat than anything.

Also, the Mariners announced today that they have reached an agreement with Jesse Winker for the 2022-2023 seasons to avoid arbitration with him for both this year and next, his final year before free agency.

Winker’s signing ends all pending arbitration proceedings for the team; All players on the Mariners 40-man roster have been signed through 2022. Only Adam Frazier’s case went to arbitration; The Mariners lost that one and paid Frazier the $8 million he had requested instead of the $6.7 million offered by the team. This is the first time the team has initiated arbitration with a player over Dipoto’s tenure, as the team generally tries to avoid player arbitration by reaching an agreement before the deadline. This year, Winker, Frazier and Haniger all extended cases past the deadline, although the team later settled terms with Haniger.

Game Information:

Tonight’s game is at 7:10 p.m. PT and can be seen on all your local favorites: 710 Seattle Sports on the radio and ROOT Sports NW on TV (or fuboTV or MLB TV for your streamers).

Also, if you’re at the park tonight, staff writer Jake Parr is visiting from Texas for his birthday and will be present at tonight’s game and Saturday’s double-header (along with many of the other LL staff). If you see a guy in a UT fencing jacket and the neon pink Mariners hat stop by and wave, Jake loves talking to people and that’s how he became a Mariners fan and ended up here in the first place.