Lookout Landing

Since we spoke last, Yu Darvish has signed, Ryon Healy’s hand was spurred, and frankly that’s mostly it for big news. Thankfully, pitchers and catchers have officially reported, meaning blurry photos from beat reporters have been rolling in across the two states in the nation where Spring Training occurs. We decided to get together on Kate’s birthday to discuss the things we want, hope, and need to see from the Mariners in Spring Training. We also get into what, if anything, of value can be gleaned from Spring Training numbers. The answer: not much! But it’s not all noise. Kate gets enthusiastic about seeing Dee Gordon defensively, while John hurls several hats in the ring on behalf of the Mike Ford train... circus. Kate rails against the tyranny of her inept local garbageperson and the two learn the very different ways in which Valentine’s Day was celebrated at Lowell Elementary School vs. Our Lady Guadalupe Catholic School. We’re sorry, Saint Leroy. NOTE: We recorded this Wednesday, after the knowledge of

This week Andrew Moore joins Kate and John to talk about serious baseball things and not-so-serious not-baseball things. Andrew talks about coaches he's had and how he became inovlved in Driveline, and how he's training this off-season. Andrew also talks about what he's working towards next year, what he learned from his first year in the bigs, and how he's grown as a pitcher and a person over the past year. Because this is a quasi-minor-leagues podcast, there is of course the requisite discussion of video games ranging from Madden to NBA Street to Fortnite. Andrew also offers a preview of his second career as a film critic, including a glowing review of the film The Disaster Artist, and submits to a wicked pop quiz regarding his Greek heritage (less Artist, more Disaster). Music: (Andrew's choices!) I Want You To Shake - Francis and the Lights; Children's Story - Slick Rick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After several weeks of enjoying guest perspectives, Kate and John reunite to dig back into the nuts and bolts that make up the 2018 Mariners. They discuss the spring media luncheon and the heavy spin employed by Dipoto and co., the current sluggish state of the FA market, and, as is required by Mariners offseason podcast law, try to answer the eternal "will they sign a starter" question. The balance of the episode is devoted to answering listener questions.  We talk about the supposed lack of space for another starting pitcher, the many bad coin flips of 2017, Jerry Dipoto’s Buffalo Exchange runs, Félix Hernández’s potential as a reliever, Ben Gamel’s remarkable faculty for performing well in the memorable moments, and Kate’s many microphones. We’ll be back early next week with another guest on the Mariners Spring Training Roster! Music: Carly Simon - Anticipation; Nu Shooz - I Can’t Wait Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

0 - 6:00: General introductions and the requisite "how do we say your name exactly?" Lindsey talks about his off-season regimen and learning from Andrew Moore (and I call Nate Yeskie "Ned" for some reason, please don't come after me Beaver fans) and getting involved in weighted ball training. 6:00 - 13:00: Lindsey talks about the adjustments he made from the first to the second half of the season that dropped his ERA from 5.91 to 2.08. Rather than attributing it to a mechanical change, he discusses the adjustments he made mentally, leaning on the Mariners' mental skills coach David (not James) Franco, and the mindset he brings to the mound that turned his season around. 13:00 -18:00: Lindsey gives a brief overview of his career and the injury that led him from the Dodgers organization to the Mariners. He talks about why he decided to return to baseball after being released, what he learned from being in Indy ball, playing in Venezuela, and why he feels fortunate to have had his journey lead him to being a M

This week, John and Kate are joined by Casey Boguslaw of ForwardMile.com to talk some analytics and Statcast metrics, what to expect from the Mariners outfield, and about the fine city of Chicago. 0 - 5:00: Introductions and general tomfoolery.  5:00 - 13:00: Barrels and Barrels-FIP chat! Casey explains these metrics and analyzes the data to predict a couple of rebound candidates for the 2018 season. 13:00 - 16:00: Casey discusses Ariel Miranda's barrel problem, and James Paxton's lack of barrel problem. 16:00 - 26:00: Outfield defense. Casey talks about why the Mariners' 2017 outfield defense caught his eye. 26:00 - 30:00 : Casey offers a little bit of hope for Mariners fans regarding the Astros' acquisition of Gerrit Cole, and then promptly snatches that hope away by reminding us how good the Astros pitching staff is.  30:00 - 36:00: Defensive metrics chat! Casey talks about the importance of understanding the outfield as a unit, and analyzes a few of the best and worst defensive units around the leag

After a breakout season with the Mariners' High-A team, Art Warren burst onto the national radar with an AFL performance that saw him serve as the closer on a talent-stacked Peoria team that would go on to win the AFL championship and giving Warren the distinction of recording the final out in two separate championship games within the space of three months. Art talks about his draft day experience, his breakout season, embracing Jarrod Dyson's philosophy of champagne flow, and what he's excited about in spring training, where he'll be in big league camp. He also provides some key insights into the Mariners' organizational philosophies and his approach on the mound, and tells a pretty awesome story about getting some advice from "King Felix." As with any prospect podcast, there is a healthy discussion of video games, as well as Art's steadfast, and admirable, belief that the Cleveland Browns' day will come. Music: Belly - Man Listen, BROCKHAMPTON - GOLD   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic

The Hot Stove continues to cook for Jerry Dipoto alone, as he sends off three prospects, including top pitching prospect Nick Neidert and high-ceiling shortstop Chris Torres to Miami in exchange for...center fielder Dee Gordon? Oh, and a million extra dollars in slot money, which gives the Mariners the most out of all remaining teams, take that LA. 0- 6:00: General freaking out 6:00: Ohtani talk, all our hopes and dreams, and some crushing words for the NY media 20:00: Oh yeah, Dee Gordon is here now and he's playing center field. Ian Desmond's name is invoked. 28:00: Positional flexibility and lineup optimization. The slowness of the middle of the order. Kate and Jordan get shouty about Ben Gamel. Contract discussions: Nelson Cruz aside, is this the lineup we will see for a while? 39:00: Discussing the Fangraphs piece on front office rankings. 47:00: Hot Stove talk and a weird metaphor for Tyler Chatwood.  48:00: How the trade affects the M's shot at Darvish; revisiting the Mike Leake trade. 1:00:00:

The Hot Stove has dried up entirely, so we turned our attention to the two things holding everything up: Shohei Ohtani’s impending arrival and Giancarlo Stanton’s impending trade. We endeavor to fill out the questionnaire Ohtani and his agent put forward to all 30 MLB clubs on why they are the best fit. It’s the dating profile that everyone is holding their breath on, and don’t worry folks, we nailed it. 0:00 - 7:20: Thanksgiving recaps. Kate made a list, checked it twice, and made a dope casserole. John ate a leftover turkey leg this week. 7:20 - 14:00: Discussing the excellent revelations from the Wheelhouse Podcast with Jerry Dipoto and Aaron Goldsmith, and the enjoyable nature of following a team that is transparent, even when unsuccessful. 14:00 - 1:16:31: We go through all seven questions on Ohtani’s test, focusing most on player development, strength and conditioning, and fit, which struck us as the most important: 1:16:31-1:17:01: Break 1:17:01 - 1:44:00: Listener questions! How/should baseball a

The Hot Stove season has officially begun, and of course it's Jerry Dipoto leading the charge, trading away steady rookie reliever Emilio Pagan to address the team's need at first base. In exchange for Pagan and a teenaged infield prospect, Alexander Campos, the Mariners receive Ryon Healy, Oakland's young, power-hitting first baseman.  0 - 5:00: Jordan makes a long-awaited return to the podcasting world, and gets to do it with people who are as into Mike Marjama as he is. It's a great day all around. 5:00: Kate and John bemoan their already-dinged off-season plan (it's just a little less first basey! It's still good!), which the team just published the last major leg of today, Jerry, you stinker. John and Jordan recall the first time they laid eyes on Healy and Jordan somehow manages to slip a Rhys Hopkins mention in, because of course he does. 11:30: The trio investigate Jerry's insatiable yen for both Oakland Athletics first basemen and 26-year-old ex-prospects as a way to drag down the team's overall a

The World Series is over and free agency has begun! We've had a lovely haitus but are refreshed and ready to discuss and debate how the Mariners can best improve themselves this offseason. Hopefully improved health will be a component, but improved talent would make us a lot happier too. Staff writer and offseason > regular season advocate Ben Thoen joins John and Kate to go over some of their desired pathways for filling the holes Seattle has at SP, OF, and 1B. There is, as there likely will be from every day until he signs, some Shohei Ohtani talk, but most of the focus remains on domestic free agents and trade targets. Ben dreams of Yu Darvish. Kate sets her sights on some of the mid-tier pitching options. John is really annoyed by how many former Mariners 1B are now their best choices once again. After a healthy discussion that gets into the Lookout Landing offseason plan, we take questions on specific moves, and somehow devolve into John explaining the concept of kaiju to the group. Kate designs a potent

I don’t know if the refrain I’ve heard often throughout the Mariners corner of the internet rings true for you about these playoffs feeling a vacation has rung true for you, but it sure has for us. This week John and Kate kick their feet up and chat about the scintillating first couple of World Series games between the Astros and the Dodgers. We discuss the Astros potential to appeal to future players with “internships” and what an exceptional time to be a baseball fan this is. We also talk about the Arizona Fall League and the Mariners prospects within. Eric Filia looks mildly intriguing! So do the Mariners' several hard-throwing relievers! The Mariners have shown some ability to maximize their mid-tier prospects, but both of us are very ready to watch Kyle Lewis, Evan White, and co. get extended action in 2018.  After a bit of chatter on the coaching carousel hurling Joe Girardi, Dusty Baker, and John Farrell to the ground of the county fair, we discuss our feelings on Scott Servais (meh) and potential int

Hello! After a brief vacation/some technical issues with our recording software, we are regrettably back on our bullshohei—[John forcibly rips away the keyboard]okay I promise that’s the last one. This time we are joined by Kazuto Yamazaki, NPB expert and author at Beyond the Box Score, Deltagraphs, and elsewhere. Kazuto offers his insight on baseball in Japan, from both a technical and cultural point of view: how does posting work? And what is up with the older gentleman wearing a poop emoji hat? Kazuto profiles a few interesting players before digging into the subject which most piques our curiousity: Shohei Ohtani. Where will he choose to sign? What role will he play for his new team? Will he even come stateside for the 2018 season? We have none of these answers! But listen to us speculate wildly, say what we do know, and overall dream on what acquiring a player of Ohtani’s caliber would mean for a team. Note: if you are interested in learning more about Japanese baseball (if you happen to be a baseball f

The season is over for all intensive purposes, so John and Kate look ahead at what could be done to fix some of the holes for 2018. We discuss and debate the merits of rebuilding fully and tearing everything down as opposed to retooling around the current core, and lament the inability of this team to Just. Do. Everything. Well. At. Once.  Ugh. Afterwards, they take listener questions on what should be done with Félix, first base, Servais, and health-inducing witchcraft. We also debate what constitutes chili and learn about a harrowing experience John had within the Seattle Public Schools system. Music: I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a year of struggling to put together a cohesive pitching staff all season, this week Kate and John examine the starting pitching in the organization. After a brief recap of the Mariners’ current road trip, they peer into their crystal ball to look at the projected rotation for next year and discuss who might be headed for the bullpen. They rank the in-house options and discuss the futures of young players like Marco Gonzales and Andrew Moore, and John briefly forgets about the existence of one Erasmo Ramirez. They also cast an eye to the free-agency options and what type of pitcher the Mariners might be targeting and who said Shohei Ohtani? That was you, you said that, but okay, if you insist we talk about him...Kate talks about what non-baseball-question she’d like to ask Shohei Ohtani, which would be challenging as his English is limited and her Japanese, nonexistent. After a brief break, listener questions are answered that touch on topics ranging from a Yonder Alonso deal (John does not cry YONNNNN

While the trade nearest and dearest to many hearts may be the Leonys Martin trade, conducted in the eleventh hour last night, the Mariners made another deal earlier this week that will impact their playoff odds this year and in the next few seasons more tangibly. The acquisition of Mike Leake was the second trade Seattle has made with the Cardinals to acquire a starting pitcher in the last two months. Kate looked at St. Louis early on as a good trade partner, but Jerry has gone back to the well. To better understand who the M's have gotten in Leake (and Marco Gonzales), we tracked down an expert. Craig Edwards is the managing editor of Viva El Birdos, SB Nation's Cardinals community, as well as a contributor for Fangraphs. We revealed to him how broken we were by weeping for joy when he mentioned Leake usually was only good for 5-6 innings, and inquired on what the experience is of seeing a franchise player you loved like Albert Pujols struggle so mightily for someone else. If you want to find more from Crai

We apologize for the delay in getting this week’s podcast up—we had some technical issues that couldn’t be resolved over the weekend because apparently some people don’t work on the weekend [glares in the general direction of Cast]. This is a lengthy one but we cover a lot of ground. We recorded in three parts, which is how we recommend listening: Part One (23:22): the Leonys DFA, reviewing the Barves series, the team’s unfortunate proclivity for injury, previewing the Yankees series (spoiler alert: John is Nostradamus) and discussing the Orioles series, and what makes last year’s Orioles so much like this year’s Mariners. Part Two (23:22 - 44:35): an interview with Casey Catherwood, in-game entertainment manager for the Tacoma Rainiers and overall delightful human. Casey talks about his love for Tacoma and his passion for record stores that lead to Hi-Voltage Night (which conveniently overlaps with LL Night at Cheney this year). He also gives us an insight into the twisted mind of The Inspector, and provid

John is off finding himself in some wild west town or some bullshit, so staff writer Zach Milkis and fellow book enthusiast joins Kate this week. They talk “Deadgar Weekend” (™ John)  and try to wrest a tiny bit of joy out of what was truly a remarkable suckfest, with mixed results. Speaking of suckfests, Zach and Kate revisit their Curse of the Amazon and ponder if that's the reason for the Mariners' recent struggles. They also make fun of Parker Bridwell’s name for a while, because you make fun of things so they can't hurt you, and discuss the Orioles series, which was...a win? We guess? The duo take a moment out to appreciate the Mariners' women in baseball night, and then look over the upcoming series. Hint: here be dragons. But there might be good things coming in Haniger's return (which might mean bad things for Ben Gamel), Marco Gonzales might be fun, and Emilio Pagan (aka Zach's homeboy) definitely is. Other topics include: book shaming, Matt Christopher, the potential for a Mark Twain/Joyce Carol O

The Mariners have clawed their way, inexplicably, to possession of a Wild Card spot, at least for the moment. John and Kate express their tempered optimism, their fears about the rotation, and appreciation for Ben Gamel and the entire offense. Since we had a flood of great questions we decided to make this an all listener questions episode. We take questions on potential ways to bolster the rotation, the fear of Lollablueza 2.0 this weekend, additional historical versions of the King's Court/Maple Grove, which Player's Weekend jerseys need fixing, and much more. We also discuss how meaningful Edgar's retirement ceremony will be to us, personally, and Kate shares a wonderful story she was told about Shawn O'Malley's generosity. We recorded before last night's loss, so while we do tangentially discuss Servais and his bullpen usage, we do not have any blistering takes on that. Music: Fire - Big Sean, Crash Bandicoot Rap - JT Machinima Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John and Kate return after technical difficulties kept our episode featuring Grant Bronsdon from seeing the light of day. As they both bake in Seattle’s smoggy heat wave, they assess how the M’s stack up against their likely contenders in the suddenly real Wild Card race. The Tampa Bay Rays are essentially the 2014 Mariners, in style and in literal roster construction, we conclude, while the Kansas City Royals are probably hiding Kendrys Morales somewhere in Kauffman Stadium. They debate a potential Jarrod Dyson extension, the mixed bag that was the Rangers series, and some of the strange comforts and frustrations of this bizarre season as it enters the final third. Afterwards, to beat the heat, we play a quick game checking in on some of the biggest free agent signings that the Mariners didn’t make. Music: "Smooth" - Santana; "Fire" - Big Sean; "Louvre" - Lorde Please submit any of your future questions for the podcast to @LookoutLanding or leave them in the comments below. Note: If you’re searching for t

John bails on Kate this week because he is "moving," so Jamey Vinnick of Scout.com joins the show to talk about the Mariners' latest trade. They talk about the power of seeing Tyler O'Neill in the flesh, break down Andrew Moore's recent tough start, and talk about the new (old) Felix Hernandez.  Jamey, who has spent time in Everett and Tacoma watching Brayan Hernandez and Brandon Miller, gives his evaluation on what the Mariners gave away, and Kate discusses who she thinks might amount to the most valuable piece in the trade. They analyze what David Phelps brings and discuss his strengths and weaknesses, and speculate about whether or not he could potentially help the Mariners rotation in 2018. They also watch the Mariners make Felix feel like his old self by giving him no run support over seven strong innings. That part is less fun. You can skip it.  Finally, they take some Twitter questions and are simultaneously struck by a craving for Capri Sun and Fun Size Snickers (Kate) and pepperoni pizza (Jamey).