Man the Mariners just can't catch a break. I had a weird feeling about Dee after seeing him limp around a bit during Sunday's game. It doesn't sound like he will be out all that long. If he were to miss games through the all-star break I think we'd possibly look at adding an outfielder or second baseman. Even with losing some position guys, I still think the biggest need is starting pitching. The usual names will come up around the deadline like Chris Archer and Cole Hamels. I would really like to see us go after a guy who we can either rent for the rest of the season or a guy that can come on board and play for multiple years. I think we are still kicking ourselves for not going after Verlander. Not only has he been the best pitcher in baseball, but he went within our divison. Kind of like Otahni, double whammy.
I'm all for our great offense, but I don't see how we can stack up against other elite teams in a playoff series. After Paxton, we will be outmatched in the rotation. As great as Paxton is, not sure I'd take him over aces like Sale, Verlander, Gerrit Cole or Severino. The great part of the playoffs is you don't need five great starting pitchers, just three. If we do add an arm to the rotation, it will be interesting to see who gets bumped out.
By the way, has anyone been following Tampa Bay? They started their bullpen guy Sergio Romo two consecutive days in a row. I think he pitched just about an inning both games, and then handed the ball off to the starter the remainder of the game. I'm curious if this will change baseball.