Hello Seattle Mariners fans!

A little delayed this week, but we are back. The Mariners are in something of a free fall in the standings, gliding comfortably into last place, and there is understandable disappointment. Yet despite the grim outlook from a playoff perspective, there are clear reasons for optimism in the performance of the kids growing their way into full time roles: Cal, Ty, Julio, George, Penn and Wyatt. Things have gone wrong, but things have gone right too, and it’s important to recognize both sides. Kate and John look at the Mariners from a financial perspective, and give a sober assessment of the competitive position relative to the on field investment; it ain’t pretty. John and Kate talk bullpen, and wonder what the immediate future holds for Penn Murphy in the absence of Drew Steckenrider. Lastly we zoom out and try to understand the wider context for the wilderness in which the Mariners find themselves, and what it means for the team, the organization at large and us, the fans. It’s been a mixed first quarter of the season to say the least, but there is much to be watching out for on the horizon.

Note: apologies for Kate’s audio being super flat, there was some static interference that only cleaned up with a hard EQ. As a result, the perceived volume feels a bit disperate at times, but I did what I could to level it all together, though I know it's not perfect. There’s also a hard conversation pivot at about 21 minutes where John starts talking about the bullpen and we lost a little bit of the audio.

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