30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 17 Seattle Mariners

You gotta feel for the Mariners. They have a pretty strong, well-balanced core, which GM Jerry Dipoto is not afraid to supplement in the most manic and creative ways possible, yet they're still mired in the longest playoff drought in American pro sports. They were fighting an uphill battle from the start this year, with the powerhouse Astros and the fast-starting Angels in the same division, and that's even before all the injuries. With that in mind, here's the projected Opening Day roster:

All-Acquired Factor

In what I believe was the first notable trade of the 2017-18 offseason, the Mariners acquired slugger Ryon Healy from the A's to play first base. He had to have hand surgery before Spring Training, but made it back in time for Opening Day... then promptly went on the shelf again with a sprained ankle. Their next move was to pick Dee Gordon out of the Marlins fire sale bargain bin, but since they already have a pretty good second baseman in Seattle, they moved Flash Jr. to center field, where he's been performing admirably. Then when Gordon's projected outfield mate Ben Gamel went down with an oblique strain (which caused his ranking to drop to 503), Dipoto brought back a familiar face in the ageless wonder Ichiro Suzuki to take his place. Incidentally, the last time the Mariners made the playoffs was Ichiro's rookie season in 2001.

In one of the many sizable deals bestowed upon middle relievers, the Mariners gave two years and $16mm to Juan Nicasio (388), who will hope for more stability than he enjoyed in 2017, which he split between three different teams. Sticking with former Pittsburgh Pirates in the bullpen, lefty Wade LeBlanc came to the team on a one year deal worth just a shade over the minimum. And rounding out the new acquisitions on the Opening Day roster, super utility player Andrew Romine (730, despite a game in which he played all nine positions last year) was picked up off waivers from the Tigers. Since the season started, however, fellow waiver claim David Freitas had to be recalled to serve as the backup catcher, due to a copious amount of...

Injuries

Among the notable Mariners to start the season on the disabled list was projected fourth starter Erasmo Ramirez, as you can see in the list above. Former Cardinals prospect Marco Gonzales has been filling in for the time being, and interestingly enough, Seattle hasn't needed a fifth starter until today, where Ariel Miranda (down to 460) is scheduled to take the ball. He joined the aforementioned Gamel and also reliever David Phelps, who is lost for the year with Tommy John surgery. Freitas came up to The Show because starting catcher Mike Zunino strained his left oblique on just the second day of the season. Then DH Nelson Cruz sprained his ankle three days later (he has since returned from the DL). And that's not counting the bumps and bruises suffered by various regulars early in the spring.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

Now that Cruz is back from the DL, he should reclaim his spot as Cancer's starting DH, even though his injury makes it even more unlikely that he'll reclaim some outfield eligibility for next season. Two pitchers from the Mariners will bolster the Aries staff: longtime face of the franchise "King" Felix Hernandez and closer "Sugar" Edwin Diaz. Moving into the also-ran's, James Paxton and Kyle Seager will be Scorpio's staff ace and starting third baseman, respectively. And Dee Gordon's move to the outfield has finally alleviated the Taurus logjam at second base, allowing Jose Altuve to stick at the keystone with Brian Dozier settling in at DH.

Song

Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle - Nirvana

Nirvana is already pretty closely associated with Seattle, but having a song with the city's name in the title is a bonus. The story of actress and Seattle native Frances Farmer is fascinating and tragic, much like that of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain himself, which is in no way meant to reflect the fortunes of this particular team, or the city as a whole. However, if you would prefer a more lighthearted, jaunty tune, there's always the theme song from the old ABC series Here Come the Brides, later re-recorded by Perry Como under the name "Seattle".

Colossus

Oh, wait, I'm all out of Colossi. Sorry, Mariners!