I have actually come around on the recent Mariners trades. Please note that I’m writing this on Thursday night, and if any trades have happened between now and when this is published Friday morning, I am not talking about those. I mean, I might be. But if the Mariners trade for, like, Jonathan Schoop, then I’m out. No thanks.
Though the Graveman trade was obviously poorly timed, it now seems clear that the Mariners acquired more than fair value from a statistical perspective. One thing that might be ticking off the players, though, is Graveman’s pristine ERA.
Players love ERA in the way that they love batting average.