Signing free agents and trading for All-Stars is all good and dandy, but youth makes the world go ’round. Even the Yankees, who are notorious for “buying their way” into the postseason, have required the help of baseball’s future. These players give teams superstar level production at a replacement level cost. Teams like the Cubs and Astros have built championship ballclubs around internally grown talent, supplementing and filling out their roster in the free agent and trade markets.
The Mariners are currently struggling to build a postseason contender as they lack both a viable farm system and available dollars to spend.