Seattle Mariners

With MLB free agency beginning Monday night, the Seattle Mariners can officially start signing players in an attempt to upgrade their offense.

Awful baseball teams tend to deal away veteran talent. Such is common practice in Major League Baseball.

The Seattle Mariners, until recently, fit the bill of one of those awful baseball teams. Only twice did they surpass the 75-win plateau from 2004 to 2013. The M’s, like any other dreadful team in their situation, dealt away most players of worth. Out the door went Cliff Lee, Michael Morse, Ichiro Suzuki, et al.

Prior to a year in which they are expected to contend, the Seattle Mariners have a few key decisions to make during the offseason.

Seattle finds itself in the rare position of trying to win now rather than building toward the future. The last two times the Mariners were coming off a winning season (2007 and 2009), they made disastrous signings and trades that resulted in poor records the following year.

Despite falling just short of making the postseason, the Seattle Mariners had an exciting 2014 season.

The Mariners were in contention for the AL Wild Card until Game 162 of the year and were relevant well into September for the first time in several seasons. The wild-card race provided several thrilling moments for a fanbase that hasn't had much to cheer for in quite some time.

A disappointing 4-7 road trip has left the Seattle Mariners on the brink of playoff elimination.

The Seattle Mariners had several prospects make their major league debuts in 2014, with a few of them going on to be important contributors on a contending ballclub.

Felix Hernandez has put together an illustrious career as the ace of the Seattle Mariners for nearly a decade, with 2014 ranking as his best season yet.

The Seattle Mariners called up seven players from Triple-A Tacoma to boost a push toward the postseason, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times and other media reports.  

UPDATE: August 29 at 8:17 p.m. ET

According to ESPN, Montero will not play again this season after this incident.

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UPDATE: August 29 at 3:08 p.m. ET

Mariners cross-checker Butch Baccala (the scout involved in this strange incident) denies provoking or taunting Montero on Thursday night.

Just one season after finishing 31st in ERA, the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen has been one of the best in the majors in 2014.