harmony

Today the Seattle Mariners activated 3B Brendan Donovan from the 10-day injured list. https://www.mlb.com/mariners/roster/transactions

Let's revisit a February forum discussion after Tampa Bay second baseman Ben Williamson went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs and one RBI in the Rays' win over the Red Sox on Thursday. At the time, the debate was whether a Boston package of Marcelo Mayer and Kyson Witherspoon was comparable to Seattle's trade of Williamson and Jurrangelo Cijntje for St. Louis infielder Brendan Donovan. Williamson and Mayer have each played 33 games this season, with Williamson posting 0.3 bWAR (0.1 fWAR) and an OPS+ 91 (92 wRC+) while Mayer has posted 0.2 bWAR (0.3 fWAR) and an OPS+ of 86 (81 wRC+). The small samples are not particularly significant but the numbers are generally in line with projections from multiple sources. FWIW, Cijntje has posted an ERA of 5.74 in six starts with Springfield of the Double A Texas League while Witherspoon has posted an ERA of 7.06 in six starts with Greenville of the High A South Atlantic League. Cijntje and Witherspoon were the No. 15 overall draft picks in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

An interesting comp for Marcelo Mayer might be Seattle second baseman Cole Young, who had 1,473 plate appearances at the minor league level. Injuries limited Mayer's plate appearances over five minor league seasons while Young, who is seven months younger than Mayer, played in only four seasons in the minors. Mayer and Young were first-round picks as lefthand-hitting shortstops out of high school in 2021 and 2022 although they are now starting second basemen for American League clubs expected to contend in 2026. Mayer made his MLB debut in May 2025 one week before Young made his MLB debut. Last year Mayer posted an OPS+ of 87 and 0.2 bWAR in 44 games before an injury ended his season while Young posted an OPS+ of 76 and 0.5 bWAR in 77 games. This year Mayer has posted an OPS+ of 97 and 0.2 bWAR in 27 games while Young has posted an OPS+ of 124 and 1.8 bWAR in 32 games. Young, who leads the league in Defensive Runs Saved, is on pace for an unlikely 9 bWAR season. Seattle shortstop J.P. Crawford is expected to test free agency after this season but Young is likely to remain at second base as top prospect Colt Emerson is projected to take over at shortstop in 2027.

As of Tuesday morning, Baseball Reference gave the Red Sox a 62.3 percent chance of advancing to the postseason, projecting the Sox in a Wild Card slot: https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/2026-playoff-odds.shtml

FWIW so far this season Ketel Marte has posted a .184/.262/.316/.578 in 42 plate appearances for an OPS+ of 62: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marteke01.shtml It's early.

The Red Sox might be in contention come September.

The Red Sox should be in contention come September.

The Red Sox should be in contention come September.

Last year en route to 97 regular-season wins, a division title and a postseason series victory, the Milwaukee Brewers opened the season 0-4, being outscored 47-15 in those four games. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIL/2025-schedule-scores.shtml Despite the slow start, FanGraphs still gives the Red Sox a 47.8 percent chance of advancing to the postseason. https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds/fg/div It's early.

The Red Sox should be in contention come September.

It's early. Seattle cornerstones Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Josh Naylor are a combined 2-for-40 so far this season (as I write).

The radar gun for pitches has contributed to the problem by quantifying a trait that previously had been more aesthetic. To their detriment, too many young pitchers aim for the higher numbers on the radar gun.

It's not so much about pitch count. Starting pitchers historically went deep into games until statistical analyses showed that a fresh relief pitcher is generally more effective than a starter pitching a third or fourth time through the opponent's lineup. The statistical edge reportedly continues to hold although fans will offer anecdotal evidence to the contrary. One cost of the transition is that the bullpen now requires more roster slots to cover the additional workload.

Guess who gave the Red Sox offseason an A?

Red Sox left-hander Payton Tolle was listed on "MLB rookies to watch this spring: 20 players poised make an impact in 2026" at The Athletic: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7052989/2026/02/19/mlb-rookies-to-watch-2026-jim-bowden/?campaign=16965663&source=athletic_targeted_email&userId=1096049 Subscription required.

Thank you for the corrections. By 2023 the draft order was no longer in reverse descending order of the previous year's regular season record (although the Mariners indeed had a better regular season record than the National League champions for three straight years). In response to Hugh's remark "Why are you the way you are?", when inaccurate information is posted, corrections should be welcome. Thanks again for the corrections.

Ain't it the truth. For three straight seasons the Seattle Mariners won more regular season games than the National League champions, meaning the Mariners drafted behind reigning NL champs Atlanta Braves in 2022, Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2024.

The 2023 Seattle Mariners missed the postseason despite winning 88 games in the regular season.

In 2021 the Toronto Blue Jays missed the postseason despite winning 91 games in the regular season. The 2021 Seattle Mariners, with 90 wins, would have missed the postseason under the current format.

The 2021 Seattle Mariners missed the postseason despite winning 90 games in the regular season and the 2023 Seattle Mariners missed the postseason despite winning 88 games: https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SEA/

Fair enough, The Mariners underperformed in 2025.

Seattle may be the unluckiest club over the past five seasons. In a league that now sends six teams to the postseason, the Mariners have made only two postseason appearances in the last five years despite posting the league's third-best cumulative regular-season record over that period. To borrow a cliche: Hope springs eternal ... for every club.

To be precise: last year in the regular season the Seattle Mariners won 90 games and the Red Sox 89 games. In the postseason the Mariners added six wins and the Red Sox one win. Some contend the Mariners underperformed in 2025. Best wishes to each club this season.

FanGraphs columnist Ben Clemens offers his positive take on the Red Sox offseason: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-red-sox-did-it-all-this-winter/

Like the Patriots, the Red Sox will need to get past Seattle.😉😉😉 Best wishes to the Red Sox and Mariners this season.