If you’ve been letting yourself daydream about Ketel Marte sliding into the Seattle Mariners infield like it’s 2016 again, congrats: the offseason just handed you another “almost, but not quite” reminder of how this stuff usually goes.
The good news is real. Boston appears to be backing off the Marte idea after pivoting to Willson Contreras, which matters because the Red Sox were one of the cleaner “match the talent, match the money” threats in this market. One fewer big-spender with a motive is supposed to make Mariners fans breathe a little easier.
And then the rude awakening hits: the Mets might be stepping into that exact vacuum.