I’ve been thinking about trade deadline deals. Living in Wisconsin I have seen the incredible reaction to the CC Sabathia acquisition. Not only the general fan excitement or the results, but the outrageous demand it has put tickets it. I went to a day game, on a Monday against the NATIONALS, that was a sellout. I’ve noticed that the same thing is happening in LA after the Manny Ramirez trade. When you are close, even if close is under .500 in the worst division in baseball, and you make a big move your fans will react. I don’t know if there has any been a study or anything on the financial impact of a trade deadline deal, but it seems to me that is definitely a positive impact on the bottom line. Especially (and obviously) so if that deal leads into the postseason.
Which makes the Mariners piss me off even more than usual. In 2002 they could have definitely used someone and last year they could have DEFINITELY-definitely-DEFINITELY used someone down the stretch with glaring holes in the rotation, first base and to a lesser extent (to be nice) DH. I mean, it always makes fans mad that their teams don’t make deadline deals that’s just a part of fandom and there are times when the team is completely right not to make a move. I am the biggest proponent of building your farm system, but I think it was pretty clear that last year was a fluke and that making a move was in the team’s best interest AT THAT MOMENT. Not during the offseason and hoping the fluke carries over, that doesn’t make any sense. Would Jeff Clement and a couple of other guys netted Mark Teixera? Hard to say, but I sure wish the team had tried to find out.
