Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales will undergo season-ending surgery for the nerve issue in his forearm, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. The lefty says the recovery time is a matter of months and he will be able to begin his offseason preparations on schedule with the hope of being ready for Spring Training. He is already on the 60-day injured list.
Gonzales, 31, began the year in Seattle’s rotation but landed on the IL in early June due a forearm strain. He didn’t seem to get on a track towards a return, having been shut down in late June and never getting sent on a rehab assignment. It appears that he and the club have exhausted any non-surgical options they explored and he will now have to go under the knife. He will finish 2023 with an ERA of 5.22 over 10 starts and 50 innings pitched.
It will ultimately go down as a disappointing and frustrating year for Gonzales, but it seems there’s some light at the end of the tunnel since he expects to have a fairly normal offseason and Spring Training. 2024 will be the final guaranteed season of the extension he and the club signed in 2020, with the southpaw set to make $12MM next year, with the club having a $15MM option for 2025 with no buyout.
The Seattle rotation has lost two of its Opening Day fivesome, as Robbie Ray required Tommy John surgery in May and Gonzales ended up missing most of the year. The club has fared well despite those losses, as Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert have been joined by rookies Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller and Emerson Hancock. Woo is on the injured list but isn’t expected to miss much time. Even without him, the club still has a strong front five and is in the thick of a playoff race.
All of those players are either under contract or club control next year, which should give the club a strong on-paper rotation going into next year. If Gonzales is healthy, they have seven viable rotation members, even before counting a midseason return of Ray. Their starters already drew trade interest prior to the summer deadline but the Mariners ended up hanging onto them. Perhaps they could revisit those talks in the offseason if everyone is healthy and they have a chance to upgrade another part of their roster, though they could also opt for retaining the rookies as optional depth.
It’s good they sold. They may have a shot to contend, but the Angels may be regretting “going for it.”
The Angels had to go for it to have any chance of retaining Ohtani.
I get that, but I also don’t.
Los Angeles of Anaheim had a thin farm system, traded from that thin system, and the plan was to be the 3rd WC and have Ohtani think, “great! we barely made the playoffs and have no farm system! I’ll stay for ten more years!”
For all anyone knows Ohtani may have a level of comfort there and a sense of camaraderie in the clubhouse. Aside from people running wild with his status quo comment about wanting to win in WBC interview, he’s said nothing about not wanting to stay with LAA.
Going for it at the deadline could have been a show of good faith they felt was necessary, just like the $30M they offered him to avoid arbitration. I get the sense that people in Angels front office have a strong feeling they can resign him.
Zero shot at that.
And yet the Mariners are so rich with pitching that they scarcely notice the loss.
We should bite out tongues and say prayers or something because in this baseball world it won’t stay fair weather and clear sailing forever.
That’s life: Adversity is always lurking.
Bite out tongues? Typo, I hope…
Yeah, the r is too close to the t.
And I checked and double checked for typos, too.
That’s adversity for you. Coyote waits.
As Queen so aptly put it, “Another One Bites The Dust”…
You either adjust, or go belly up
It’s amazing. come Spring training they will have 10 legitimate Starters. They could trade any 3 to get whatever 2nd baseman and Outfielders they need.
Castillo, Kirby, Gilbert, Woo, Miller, Hancock, Gonzales
This team has so much starting pitching depth. I expect them to trade for a bat this offseason, and they are my sleeper team to sign Ohtani.
Agree with this and I think there’s some trades that the orioles and mariners could work out in the off-season. Orioles can’t play all those infield prospects and Seattle has the pitching depth and need an upgrade at 2nd. Ortiz makes some sense
“Sleeper team to sign Ohtani”…I might make Seattle the favorite to sign Ohtani. Seattle meets many of what we think are Ohtani’s requirements, they have money and payroll flexibility, good farm system and lots of young pitching, so he won’t have to carry the team every night. Seattle may actually need Ohtani as a hitter more than as a pitcher.
But what if Ohtani wants to pitch? That’s what makes him so special and was his idea when joining the mlb.. due to the Mariners having 7 serviceable SP’s and possibly 8 mid-season, he actually might turn away an offer from the M’s..of course the M’s have the option to trade or send the rookie SP’s down
Some good points; Seattle is flush with young pitching, but I think they can find a spot for someone as good, marketable and unique as Ohtani. They can either option or trade a young pitcher to accommodate Ohtani. With Seattle Ohtani could shoulder a smaller workload to stay fresh.
most definitely, I could see that happening too..the M’s are in a good situation with their SP depth..
most definitely, I could see that happening too..the M’s are in a good situation with their SP depth..starting off the season w/Castillo, Kirby, Gilbert, Woo and Miller is pretty solid but if Ohtani was in that mix that would be an amazing starting 5..I guess Woo gets sent down, if that were to happen..
What has the ownership done to suggest Seattle is serious about contending?
The lied about spending out of the rebuild and just traded their primary closer for players more likely to help in the future, than now.
I would be surprised if they made a respectable offer and I’d be more surprised if Ohtani believed they’re a team he could win multiple World Series with.
But I hope I’m surprised.
It’s been a while since I can remember the Mariners making a huge splash on an FA, other than Ray and Teoscar..all the more of a reason for Ohtani signs with my Giants..at least they swung and miss on top players, maybe they finally might land one..plus those guys definitely need SP’s..
Ohtani would necessitate a 6-man rotation. Castillo, Gilbert, Kirby, Ohtani plus 2 of Miller, Woo, Hancock whoever.
And since Ohtani doesn’t count as a pitcher on the roster, still have an 8 man bullpen.
Angels only had a true 6 man rotation in 2021(Ohtani’s 1st full season as a dual player). He started 28 games last season and the few starts he missed was spelled by the occasional spot start. He has 22 starts so far this season with missing a few with the blister issue. And again this season Angels do not have a 6 man rotation. When necessary they have called up or filled in a spot start which many teams in MLB do.
The Mariners gave Ray 5/115 with an opt-out following 2024. Teo was a trade acquisition in his final year of control. They boast about the extensions of Luis and Julio, but neither have restrictive salaries this season and Julip will get a modest raise next season.
I would argue that Ohtani fits extremely well as Seattle can dominate with pitching and probably need just two more elite bats to be a real World Series contender.
But I’m just not convinced Seattle is serious about landing him, nor do I think he should be impressed with the way Seattle’s ownership approaches winning.
San Francisco should be a player for Ohtani. Easy to see that fit. But it’s worth noting they have a notable need in the middle-infield and outfield, They arguably have more work to do this offseason than Seattle.
Giants definitely got way more work than the Mariners, especially at the aforementioned positions..Giants promoted prospects that seem ready to take to the next level but a majority of them have been called up and haven’t made their mark offensively..I believe Bailey is the only rookie that makes a big impact and that’s behind the plate..all the more of a reason that they would go ‘all in’ on Ohtani..However, as I type this, it almost sounds like that could easily fall into a similar situation as the Angels; where Ohtani’s doing the heavy lifting..
This article was written about 40% of their rotation going down. It’s imperative to have 7-8 arms who can get you thru a season so the idea of trading one off is silly imo. Ohtani requires a 6-man rotation anyway so if this is about the Ms getting bats, they should used their lightly tapped coffers and go buy them.
If you have the money to own a ballclub you have the money to fill the roster.
They just didn’t spend in a manner that apparently you approved of. The extended Castillo & Julio. That wasn’t chump change. Find a team that spends to your liking if the M’s aren’t as loose with the purse strings as you like.
I literally addressed that excuse already. Did you even bother to check how much those two are making this year? How much Julio will earn next year? Do you realize that they’re 18th in total spending?
Imagine where Seattle would be had they actually gotten just two more legitimate bats. Do you even realize that literally, 4 of the 5 fielding acquisitions last offseason are no longer on the active roster?
And telling fans to find another team is as pathetic as it comes. I’ll support my team and dish out praise and criticism as I feel warranted. If you have a problem with that, feel free to mute me.
the total pot in the contracts is relevant. Considering the M’s will have 46-47 tied up in Julio and Castillo as soon as 2025 would indicate the team is willing to spend that much to fill one rotation and one batting spot.
I expect the M’s to try for Ohtani. But can they win a bidding war against San Francisco and Los Angeles? Those are 2 bitter rivals in bigger markets than Seattle. Especially with the A’s leaving (which increases the financial bonus for SF to land the most marketable player in the league), hard to see the M’s getting him no matter how desperate. But they will try.
From now on, anyone who responds to me–or anyone else–suggesting they should follow another team, will be muted.
Further, any sheer ignorant ignorant responses will also result in use of the mute option.
Seriously folks, be rational and be respectful. That’s the only way we get good dialog here.
There is no way Seattle spends the money necessary to get Ohtani. Year after year, the Mariners settle for mid to lower tier free agents because they refuse to pay premium. Why does anyone believe they’re going to change that for the biggest free agent of all time? Outbid every big market team? Ha! This is still John Stanton writing the checks.
Every fan outside San Diego wants the team to spend more. The M’s signed Castillo to an extension after they had just traded for him. So I guess he doesn’t count as a FA, but that seems a little pedantically semantic.
Remember, as shiny as any FA is, the most effective use of a team’s budget is to re-sign their own guys like Atlanta does.
Luis Castillo makes $10M this season and will get a raise to $22.75M next year (thru 2027). Ohtani will make at least double that per season, and require more years. These contracts really aren’t comparable.
your right. they haven’t signed Ohtani yet.
frankly, the most sensible FA they could have added recently was Trevor Story. he got 6 & 140 to hit at Fenway. if you know the M’s, you know right handed hitters don’t want to move to Safeco. they’d have to have paid 6 & 160. and Boston ain’t got their money’s worth so far
Also the Ichiro influence
No such luck. The Ms offered more than the Angels and still missed out.
All the speculation doesn’t come from Ohtani so I have no opinion on where he goes. I imagine it won’t reach 50mm as some suggest bc, if he wants to win, he has to allow the tightwad owners to spread the cash.
Don’t forget Ray will comeback sometime next year too.
It’s gotta sting the Angel’s Arte Moreno, that the GM he fired, Jerry Dipoto, has assembled the kind of high-end, young pitching staff in Seattle that he always wanted and needed in Anaheim.
LMAO! Almost all Angels fans wanted to slam the door shut, on Dipoto’s way out the door. Nothing has changed, that’s funny thou.
Seven good pitchers?maybe but they never win.let see what next year it be more of the same.500 record and be out of the playoffs again.same team just different players.we will never see the mariners in the world series ever.they might come close but will never make it be like the Boston redox of old
I mean if we have any chance with Ohtanhi. We could then trade 1 of our young starters for a solid infield bat. We would still have 7 good+ starters and 2 solid bat additions. That would actually make us contenders, and because the pitching is mostly young, we could actually be contenders for a while.
Now will owners back up the brinks truck or toss the keys to stadium to Ohtanhi and rename it the shoei palace?? Probably not, but man what an awesome dream.
Stadiums are now named after corporations that pay millions of dollars for it.
Heard a RUMOR that Wander Franco might be in trouble with MLB and worse…
I’m gonna wait till any real investigation, if needed, is done. Pretty much anyone dumb enough to be on “Instagram” will be accused of something at some point in time.
Surely there would be an open dialogue in the article comments section for people to discuss such a story.
Actually, no, as MLBTR in their infinite wisdom and paternalistic concern for our safety, has decided that Free Speech is anathema to a message board and accordingly decided to ban all comments on the subject.
Apparently, Felipe Vasquez 2: Electric Boogaloo
We wouldn’t want freedom of speech. You can’t comment on the article. I mean is it a 12 year old or a biological adult? Throughout history it was considered perfectly normal to marry a teen until recently. I think this is relevant with the international players because the stigma might not be the same where they are from. Idk. I mean personally I don’t even begin to get why someone wants to be with a likely immature teen but the subject is very grey. It is often the teen who initiates it all and often passes themselves off as older which nowadays is not very hard to do. Many of them look older than me and I’m 32. And the language the law uses is absurd. It is a r@pe charge and they are considered a predator (don’t think it lets me use the PED word). For a 19 year old having a relationship with someone almost their age. It’s odd in that case, to me. Don’t be absurd in stretching my meaning in this post either. I’m not advocating many of the ancient Greek elites (ones modern “elites”) views
I meant and modern “elites”-it wouldn’t let me change it. In terms of the Greeks I was referring to a very peculiar practice I believe Aristophanes(think it was him) criticized the “elites” of Greece for. A sort of initiation into adulthood for boys.
1. See how you commented anyways and are still ok and not in jail? You have your freedom of speech
2. when you sign up for X, Facebook, Instagram, MLBTR…you agree to the terms of service, which includes things like “we moderate our articles and you can and can’t do XYZ.” You, the consumer, AGREE to it. so stop with the BS “They’re violating my free speech”
3….As for the rest of what you said. Just wow.
I never said my free speech was violated. I said it wasn’t supportive of free speech since they didn’t want us to comment on it. I guess critiquing things isn’t allowed. I have said nothing. You are reading into things. I have simply stated facts about history and stated that a relationship with a 12 year old isn’t the same as an 18 year old hooking up with a 16 year old. Anyone with a brain cell can see that. Were you yourself born in the 1500s you would likely see no problem with a king marrying a 15 year old. It’s just a fact. There are things we find acceptable today that will one day be taboo. Many things. Many find them taboo today tho most find them perfectly normal
There is a difference in promoting free speech and allowing it. It really wasn’t allowed because they didn’t let us post on it. If a moderator sees certain posts they will be taken down. That clearly is anti-free speech. It doesn’t mean I’m gonna get shot or jailed over it but once again those with brain cells firing will be able to tell a difference. One is censorship. It doesn’t matter if I signed up for it. That means I can’t complain? That’s the same as saying “don’t vote” because you get to live and enjoy the benefits of a society, and could move somewhere else if desired (sorta). You are speaking like a lawyer.
You realize that even today most countries legal age of marriage is between 15-16 (at least with parental consent) with many countries at 14. The fact that you find what I said so odd, when I myself am not even supporting that, is narrow-minded. The whole point of the post is that it’s a game today that is global and not everyone thinks like most in the US do.
There is NO minimum age for marriage in California and Mississippi, and unless it’s been amended, the law in some Southern states is 14-16.
Yes, and your “logic” (such as it is) supports currentl policy in China, that when you are born, “you agree” that your life is not your own, but property of the State. “just, wow” has to be the most innane response possible.
Free speech always has limits, even when applied by the government under the 1st Amendment.
Further, MLBTR has its own free speech rights, and that includes cutting off comments on sensitive topics, especially allegations like that involving Franco.
You know that article’s comments would have been filled with all kinds of potentially libelous comments. Wild allegations and arguments and so on.
So, who would be libeled? Franco? He would have to show a significant loss of income or resources emanating from a particular statement-not likely. MLBTR? So, they would incur a loss of membership from such a statement? Also not likely, as their membership would likely increase if they allowed Free Speech on their site. A MLBTR “member”? The message board is anonymous; it’s impossible to claim libel if even one party is anonymous. Hurt feelings or resentment are not grounds for libel; MLBTR shuts down comments regarding particular subjects as a result of their own ignorance and general attitude toward their own readers and in the case of posters, their own members. If there are no political reasons for speech restrictions, it’s simply a matter of a condescending perception of those who post and so, occasional paternalism is viewed by them to be appropriate:
“Our readers/members are a bunch of stupid buffoons, so we need to provide guidance.”
You’d have 1,000 comments, many libelous and false, from commenters who collectively had zero insight on what actually happened.
I won’t begrudge MLBTR from avoiding a comment with 300 increasingly rancorous and hateful replies debating what is the appropriate age of consent.
Perhaps there is some confusion with the improper wording I used. When I said biologically adult I was thinking of a person past puberty (not a freaking kid)lol. I guess even that is vague but I was thinking about 15-17. Once again I am not advocating that and find it, frankly, utterly ridiculous. It is obviously likely a sign of psychological/sexual maladaptation. Not to mention people using them and all sorts of other absurdities. Bringing up the history of something and the fact that it’s different in some parts of world is not the same as supporting something but alas, this is why there cannot be real debates about anything important. The ONLY thing I take exception to is a person being charged with r@pe in a completely consensual relationship with a person just under 18. We are labeling a person for life based on a span of months.
Found Wander’s lawyer
This surely can’t be what MLB intended with its “Let the Kids Play” marketing strategy. Oh Rob Manfred, you rascal you!
There is no “confusion” here, as your comment was logical and should have been informative to some. There is NO minimum age for marriage in California or Mississipi and it was customary for girls to marry at age 14 and up, especially in the American South until the 70’s and may still be the case today. Not unusual for a man in his 30’s to openly court a girl in her early teens, so long as his intentions were honorable. MLB needs to realize that if they want to expand BB into a global sport, they must accept the various cultural nuances that come with it.
it was also illegal for women to open their own bank account until 1974. and there were other laws on the books at that time which are far more shocking and abhorrent
An example to expand on your comment regarding the absurdity that can result: In the early 70’s, in Michigan, a friend of mine was arrested, tried and jailed for the misdeameanor offense of “Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor” by allowing her possible access to alcoholic beverages, in this instance, beer. She was a non-drinker, which was irrelevant to the charge. She was 17 at the time and ……his WIFE!
–Get Otani out of your mind our best chance with him was when we had a sweepstake ticket. Lets face it we were not going to beat out DisneyLand. Well who knows how he chose the Angeles instead of us. According to Perry Commo the blues sky’s are in Seattle was not enough for him. Ichiro could not even persuade him. He more than likely felt given our track record we were never going to the promise land, realizing that Ichiro boulted for the Yankees hoping to bask in some of that Yankee glory whereas winnings are slim pickens around these parts.
All the best to Marco! On another note, why has this site been so quick to shut down comment sections? OK I see why the Franco question needs some precautions, but I just went to the Guardians-White Sox brawl post to see if anyone else is asking about Anderson’s situation and it’s locked down too? I don’t think I’ll pay for ad-free content again if it’s censored so strictly…
Who’s on the way after the 7-8 Seattle has at the major league level? Taylor Dollard if he can make it back onto the field, Joyce, Peavyhouse, anyone else? It’s hard to trade away any arms when there’s really so little on the farm at the A level or above.