Ichiro’s Legacy and the Mariners’ Chance at the World Series
Not only was Ichiro the greatest right fielder of his generation and the best singles hitter on the planet, he was the coolest. How many players need just one name? All that panache in a 170-pound package. And then at his Hall of Fame induction, when he razzed the Marlins and roasted the lone voter who spoiled his unanimous election, we find out he’s funny, too.
First he steals the show in Cooperstown, then his old club steals the trade deadline.
Because Jerry Dipoto shored up his bullpen and added the two best bats available to a lineup that includes the likely AL MVP, all while the Rangers countered by doubling-down on their best-ever rotation, I’m going out on a limb here:
The Mariners will leave the rest of the West in their wake with their best shot at finally getting to a World Series.
Rangers’ Moves and the Road to the Playoffs
Rangers
Good news: The Rangers will be a strong contender for a final wild card spot now that they’ll slot Merrill Kelly behind Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi with Tyler Mahle potentially still on the horizon.
Bad news: The Astros are bringing back Carlos Correa.
Hide the trash cans, kids.
Chris Young’s move for Kelly minutes before the deadline appeared to represent a pivot. Also a signal that Ray Davis would get up off his wallet. Hard to say which was more surprising Thursday.
From everything we’d been told, not to mention seen, the club needed a big arm for the back of the bullpen. Danny Coulombe, the lefty specialist acquired from the Twins, is not that type of pitcher. Think Hoby Milner, who held the title until Thursday.
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Danny Coulombe delivers against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Friday, April 11, 2025, in Minneapolis.
Matt Krohn / AP
Kelly gives Young what he likes best for the rotation in a potential postseason bid: a reliable veteran. His 3.2 WAR this season ranks eighth among NL pitchers. His stuff won’t blow anyone away, but, with deGrom and Eovaldi in front of him, he lines up as well as any No. 3 in baseball.
Also the only Diamondbacks starter to beat the Rangers in the World Series, so he can bark about that in the clubhouse.
Kelly’s arrival probably means Jack Leiter or Kumar Rocker moves to the bullpen. Guess Rocker. Either way, the average velocity of the relief corps will increase markedly. In fact, with the recent debut of Jon Gray and Josh Sborz’s pending return in a few weeks, questions about the back of the bullpen may eventually become moot.
The Impact of the Trades on the Rangers and Mariners
As for the Rangers going over the luxury tax threshold for the third year in a row, meaning a 50% tax on every dollar in excess of $241 million instead of the 20% had they held firm?
Good on Davis.
Even with the Mariners’ moves making them consensus favorites, it’d have been ugly around here if the owner had wasted this opportunity. A shot at making the playoffs with so few heavies in contention is not to be shrugged off lightly.
Bruce Bochy will discover before the weekend’s out how much difference Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor make in a Mariners lineup that already had his number this season. Going into Thursday’s game, Seattle is 7-2 against the Rangers. Dipoto increased their odds by adding a guy whose numbers mirror Cal Raleigh’s MVP season.
Between them, Raleigh and Suarez have hit 77 homers, roughly 67% as many as the Rangers have as a team, and driven in 174 runs. Nitpickers will note the difference between Suarez’s home (1.011 OPS) and road (.783) splits. His overall OPS is nearly 200 points better than it was in his last season at T-Mobile Park, which smothers runs like blankets on a grassfire. But he’s been a different hitter since he moved closer to the plate last summer and opened his stance.
Dipoto didn’t just add the best hitter at the deadline. He also got Suarez’s Arizona teammate, Josh Naylor, who doesn’t strike out much, has a little pop and brings an attitude the low-wattage Rangers could have used.
On top of everything, the trades didn’t put much of a dent in one of baseball’s best farm systems. Another reason for Young to bet on the now.
The Road Ahead for the Rangers and Mariners
Four games at T-Mobile Park should tell Bochy a little about how this will go. This is his last shot at the Mariners in the regular season. The Rangers need a split.
Anything more is too much to ask; anything less, and things could start to snowball.
By the time the Rangers close out their regular season series against Houston with a couple of three-game sets in September, we should have a pretty good idea of who really won the deadline. Correa is having a down year by his standards, but he sounds excited about going back to Houston, where he’ll move to third once Jeremy Pena returns at short this week. The Astros have been hit hard by injuries this season and have still managed to hold it together. Correa, a beloved teammate in their run over the previous decade, will give them a lift. All things considered, life in the West just got more interesting.
Conclusion
One last thing: The sportswriter who didn’t vote for Ichiro? Not me. Gave up my privileges when officials culled the herd. But if I ever learn the identity of the guy who left the world’s coolest player off his ballot, he’s off my dinner list, too.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is Ichiro and why is he considered the coolest player?
