A Grip on Sports: The M’s fire the first trade arrow but a rain of them may be needed to hit the one mark everyone would like to see

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Who is featured on your lock screen? And, apropos of nothing, should I be worried my wife’s features a close up of our dog? Anyhow, the Travis Kelce/Taylor Swift news made me wonder – hope? – Jerry Dipoto has that iconic photo of Eugenio Suárez pointing to the heavens, circa 2022, as his.

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• Remember those days? When the only vibes allowed about the M’s future were good ones? When Suarez, imported from the budget-conscious Reds, helped Seattle to 90 wins and its first postseason berth since Ichiro was a rookie? Before Kelce met Swift and parsing lock screens photos were a thing? Ya, good times.

Let’s hope they return this week.

Forget the M’s, for about $26 million, could have been the recipient of Suárez’s 66 home runs, 187 RBI and 2.6 WAR he’s collected since 2024, after the budget-conscious Mariners sent the third baseman to Arizona. And only got back a fair-to-middling middle reliever and a long-gone catcher in return.

Now Dipoto is battling baseball’s deeper pockets for Suárez’s short-term services. The Yankees, Cubs and more are reportedly in the picture. But it’s not money that matters. Not this week. It’s prospects.

Even after Thursday’s trade for Diamondback first baseman Josh Naylor, Dipoto still has plenty of those to dangle.

Suárez will be a free agent in a few months. He also could be wearing a World Series ring. It’s possible, even in Seattle. Neither he nor Naylor have one yet. But if Dipoto is willing to push all his trade assets into the middle of the table, he could fill every roster hole. In a year without a clear-cut favorite, it seems time.

But will he mortgage the future for a shot to plant one championship flag at T-Mobile? I don’t believe so.

Thursday’s Naylor trade is typical of Dipoto’s approach. Try to fill a need – first base has been a disaster this season – with a less-expensive alternative. This week, expense translates to prospects, and the two players – pitchers Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi – he sent Arizona fit the low-cost bill.

That’s not meant as a criticism of the deal. Naylor is a great addition. The cost was reasonable. But to get enough return to jump the M’s up a notch, such trades won’t be enough.

• It’s Friday, which means this is our chance to look ahead. And let you know, if you want to watch Naylor make his Seattle debut, you may just have to be a little more streaming-literate than I am.

If it’s tonight or Saturday night, all that’s needed is your typical access to Root. The games in Anaheim start at 6:38 p.m. But if it comes Sunday afternoon? That game is part of MLB’s deal with Roku, which sounds a little like some monster that confronted Godzilla back in the day. Anyhow, the 1:07 first pitch is only available on the service.

The rest of this final July weekend is filled with a hodge-podge of TV sports from the WNBA to auto racing to golf. Nothing major. Almost all of the niche variety. Oh, wait. There is one major event. Baseball’s Hall of Fame inductions. Ichiro Suzuki’s Hall of Fame induction. The MLB Network has Sunday’s big event, starting at 10:30 a.m.

• The lack of top-notch events may just allow certain channels to fill their space with tributes to, or documentaries about, Hulk Hogan. The larger-than-life pro wrestler – and Rocky III gem – died Thursday at age 71.

Like many in his chosen profession, any discussion of Hogan’s life has two sides.

His wrestling exploits, in which he may have been the most important figure of the 20th Century, and his personal life, in which a 2007 tape of his comments about his daughter’s boyfriend destroyed his reputation when it surfaced eight years later.

Pro wrestling never held my gaze as it did many of my sons’ generation. But I reveled in their enjoyment. Watched with them when they were young. Watched from afar as they aged out. But never considered myself an expert.

Which is why Thursday I asked one of them his feelings about Hogan. The answer, it seems, parallels many of their generation.

Venerated him as a wrestler. Felt betrayed by him as a person.

I get it. It’s not a new story. It’s not unusual that professional athletes are not what the seem off the field, court or ring. It’s a hard lesson to learn. A rite of passage from childhood to adulthood for many.

Hogan, or Terry Bollea, which was his real name, taught it to many because in the 1980s and ‘90s, wrestling’s reach was as great as any sport – and reached many young people who didn’t consume any other sport. And it’s a lesson that returned for one last buckle drop Thursday when Hogan died.

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WSU: Greg Woods returns today with another look at a key position for the Cougar football team. This time it is the offensive line. There a couple of key veterans back and a couple of key imports who are expected to help greatly. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the President of the United State has injected himself in the NIL world. We’re not sure his executive order will change anything. … Christian Caple, videographer? No, but he does have a behind-the-scenes look at Washington at the Big Ten media days. … One Husky running back is ready to carry a larger load. … John Canzano has an interview with Oregon coach Dan Lanning from the same event. … Recruiting never stops. Not for the Ducks. … Oregon State is about to start camp. We can pass along another position preview, edge rushers. … There is one available concerning Colorado’s secondary as well. … There were certain college football coaches in which I had one rule when it came to whether I knew they were lying to me or not. If they were talking, they were. In unrelated news, USC’s Lincoln Riley professed Thursday he absolutely wants to keep Notre Dame on his schedule. … UCLA’s DeShaun Foster was much better at his second Big Ten media day appearance than he was at his first. He also has a new quarterback. … How do Arizona State’s players see the upcoming season? … Boise State feels there is tough competition at each position. … In basketball news, don’t expect any expansion of the NCAA tournament. This year anyway. … Tad Boyle is getting a good look at his new Colorado roster.

Gonzaga: Greg Lee returns today with the fourth installment of his offseason look at what’s ahead for the Zag women. The focus today is guard Allie Turner, who will be entering her sophomore season as a focal point. … Recruiting never stops for the men. Sam Fuches, one of the top big men in the 2026 recruiting class, listed the Bulldogs in his top 10. Theo Lawson has more in this story. Personally, I can’t wait to see if GU will be in his top eight. Then the top five. Final four. Big Three. Last two. It’s like waiting for the next trip to the moon.

EWU: Dan Thompson took us on a journey this morning. An emotional one. His story about a ring, a football star, a soldier and a left-behind family brought us nearly to tears. We recommend you stop whatever it is you are doing today and read about William “Bink” Wall and a ring from almost 60 years ago brought his memory back to life for more than one family. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana and Montana State combined for eight players on a newly released preseason All-American team. … The priorities are set for Idaho State’s preseason camp. … The newest Cal Poly all-conference performer is a big hit in his hometown. … Visiting Europe is all the rage this summer for college hoop teams. Even in the Grippi house. Northern Colorado’s men are headed to Portugal.

Indians: A sixth-inning three-run home run was all Everett needed to get past the visiting Indians 3-2 on Thursday night. Dave Nichols has the coverage.

Mariners: The Naylor trade may be the biggest news from Thursday, especially if he regains more of his 2024 form down the stretch. It’s why we wrote about it above and link it there and here. But just as important is, with Logan Evans on the mound, the M’s found a way to get past the Angels in Anaheim 4-2 last night. All it took were three home runs – none by Cal Raleigh – and Andrés Muñoz surviving a shaky ninth inning. … The Naylor trade upped the buzz in the clubhouse. … Mike Vorel sees it about the same way I do. … We mentioned Sunday’s HOF ceremony above. MLB Network also will air Bob Costas’ interview with Ichiro on Saturday at 4 p.m. … I want to pass along this story about the one writer who did not vote for Ichiro as the rookie of the year in 2001. Chris Assenheimer said, “To me, it was common sense. The guy was not a rookie.” And yet, Assenheimer still had him on his ballot. Second, behind C.C. Sabathia, who happened to pitch for the team Assenheimer covered. If Ichiro was not a rookie, why vote for him at all? Even Assenheimer, in hindsight understood the logic of that. And, no, he wasn’t the one person who didn’t have Ichiro on his Hall of Fame ballot. … MLB players flipping bats? We’ve come to terms with it. Little Leaguers flipping bats? It seems a bit of an injury hazard. How easy is it for a 12-year-old to lose track of what’s going on and get hit by one? Too easy. But Little League lost its ability to control the act by promoting it in videos. If someone is injured now that a judge has ruled you can’t eject and suspend a player for flipping a bat, expect a lawsuit. Then again, always expect a lawsuit these days.

Seahawks: Almost forgot the Hawks drafted quarterback Jalen Milroe. After all, the offense is in Sam Darnold’s hands. Anyhow, Milroe is part of what Bob Condotta covered the second day of training camp. … There is an opportunity at tight end for just about anyone, actually. … Can Seattle become contenders this season?

Storm: Sklyer Diggins missed a game for Seattle and the Storm lost to Dallas. She returned Thursday night and the Storm won, 95-57, over the Chicago Sky. Coincidence? I think not. … Jerry Brewer has a column on Seattle’s coach, Noelle Quinn.

Sounders: Injuries are showing up again. Too many matches and practices, maybe?

Auto racing: The 26th annual Idaho 200 will run Saturday at the Stateline Speedway in Post Falls. Doug Pace has a preview.

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• Have a great weekend. Don’t forget to hydrate. Until later …