And Now We Feel Better
We feel better because the Mariners didn’t actually literally bid against themselves.
The original author, Evan Grant:
more tongue in cheek, but they had bid 225/9 and nobody came close, then went 10/240
The reality is still that the Mariners were desperate, the reality is still that the Mariners were in a hurry to get this done before the winter meetings, and the reality is still that the Mariners blew away the Yankees, who seem to have had the only other offer, but thanks to the clarification we know the Mariners weren’t just bumbling clueless idiots. Now consider how ready you were to believe that they were bumbling clueless idiots.
Remember that happiness isn’t about good things. It’s about things that positively exceed our expectations. The clarification makes me happier, and that’s a little embarrassing.
I agree there was way too much fan happiness about the Cano signing last week – thankfully and happily we have backed that bus up.
It’s kind of the same way that Divish tweeting “Z says ‘we have no intention of trading Taijuan Walker'” made me immediately think “BREAKING: Mariners accidentally trade Walker for Bartolo Colon; Beane says, ‘no backsies'”.
Right, the deal wasn’t agreed until 10/240. At 9/225, Cano presumably was leaving them to wonder if he might not take 7/175 from New York instead. But there wasn’t any “higher” bid from the Yankees or elsewhere that forced Zduriencik to up the offer. Whether you consider that “bidding against yourself” is a matter of interpretation, since free agency is not literally an auction house.
Noise. I’m surprised so many Mariner fans believed this instantly at face value.
Also irresponsible journalism by Grant. “Oh, uh that part was a joke… yeah that’s it!”