It’s one thing to talk about the impending logjam in the Seattle Mariners’ outfield. It’s another when it actually shows up at your doorstep, loud, unavoidable, and demanding answers. You can dress it up as a “good problem to have” all you want, but at some point, it becomes exactly that: a problem. The kind of problem that can make or break a playoff push.
Let’s start with Luke Raley, who’s been practically positionless this season. Is he a right fielder? A first baseman? For most of the year, he’s been stuck on the short side of a platoon, constantly shifting roles depending on who’s hot or who’s healthy.