Matt Calkins: Why Shohei Ohtani joining the Mariners would make even more sense now

SEATTLE – It’s impossible for him not to be noticing, and improbable for him not to be considering.

At this point, the appeal of the Mariners goes well beyond the chants of “Come to Seattle!” that greeted him during his two at-bats at the MLB All-Star Game in T-Mobile Park last month.

Back then, the idea of Angels pitcher/designated hitter/international phenomenon Shohei Ohtani joining forces with the M’s next season seemed no more than a whimsical fantasy during the Midsummer Classic. Now, it seems like it could be an ideal fit for both sides.

In one of the bigger blows baseball has endured in the past decade-plus, it was revealed last week that Ohtani had torn the UCL in his right elbow and was forced to end his season as a pitcher. He is still in the batting order every day, but the future of his arm – which accounts for nearly half his value – is shrouded in mystery and speculation.

Will he need surgery? Will he ever be the same? This is, after all, his second UCL tear – and though he could still be a two-way player, his days as a two-way dominator are in peril.

All that said, he is still easily one of the top five hitters in the game (maybe the best), and at 29 it would take less than a miracle for him to eventually return to his top-10-in-the-league form as a pitcher.

So why do the Mariners make sense now? And why does Shohei make sense for them? A few reasons.

Ohtani wants to win – and knows he can now in Seattle

The Mariners aren’t on top of the American League West because they went all-in with a group of rentals at the trade deadline. They haven’t been given a better than 80% chance to get back to the playoffs by the algorithms because they emptied out their money bin on short-term free agents.

They are where they are because they developed a pitching staff (mostly) from within their system, and now boast the best ERA in MLB. And they were smart with their long-term signings – a la ace Luis Castillo, who will be here for years to come. From Logan Gilbert to George Kirby to Bryce Miller – not to mention the potential of Emerson Hancock and the return of Robbie Ray, this group could win a string of ERA titles for the foreseeable future.

Oh, and they might also have the best young star in the game in center fielder Julio Rodriguez, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year who is in the midst of the best stretch of his career. It’s doubtful Rodriguez would mind ceding the spotlight to Shohei, who might very well spend the first few years of his contract contending for titles if he signs with the M’s.

He could be part of history

There’s a secret around these parts that I’m going to fill you in on: (whispering) the Mariners have never won a World Series (or even been to one). Perhaps that changes in 2023, given that they’ve been the best team in baseball for the past two months. But if they don’t hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy at the end of the season … then what an allure for the Japanese superstar.

Speculation has long been that Ohtani wants to play on the West Coast. There is no other West Coast team but the Mariners that he could join and become instant royalty with a championship.

The M’s might actually be able to afford him

A column I had pegged for the offseason was that it is very possible to overpay for Ohtani. He was projected by some to make over $700 million before that UCL tear, which, given the league history of pitcher injuries, would have come with great risk.

Now? Well, Ohtani can still make top dollar, but likely not in the stratospheric range estimated a couple of weeks ago. It’s possible to be aggressive, hungry to win and constrained by finances all at once. The Mariners might simply not have had Ohtani money before the injury. Different question now.

They need his arm less than any team in baseball

The Mariners were unlikely to shell out $700 million on anybody, but were even less likely to do so on a two-way player when their starters and relievers have been performing as well as they have (they have the third-lowest bullpen ERA in MLB, too).

Assuming the pitching can maintain a semblance of this excellence, Ohtani wouldn’t feel pressure to contribute on the mound right away. He could even be converted to a closer if pitching volume were an issue. Could you imagine that walk to the mound in the bottom of the ninth in T-Mobile Park? Suggestions for entrance music are officially open.

Nobody, not even the teams battling for a playoff spot that would have faced him, was happy to see Ohtani get hurt. He has been the best thing to happen to baseball since the turn of the century. Still, that injury and the Mariners’ surge up the standings does make you wonder.

“Come to Seattle”? Right now, it makes a lot of sense.