This is from The Mariners Beat writer:
* Players are tired of Winker’s act. Tired of putting up with him. The team was frustrated with him.
*He wasn’t even with the team and didn’t go to Toronto or Houston. The Mariners likely told him to just go home.
*Haniger and Winker are opposites. Haniger puts in all the work, and Winker puts in none. Not to improve defense or his arm, and just isn’t strong enough.
*Expected to play just by showing up.
*If he didn’t get to play DH, he would essentially pout, causing other players to have to play all 18 innings.
* The team puts in a ton of work to get ready, and he does nothing. Doesn’t follow through with what his responsibilities are.
*There are going to be hard conversations with him, or they are just going to move on.
Carlos Danger (12-02-2022)
Bellinger working on that swing with Matt Holliday
Yeah I saw an interview with the Manager as well, and he said if you cant play as a team, you cant play at all. It was messy.
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/m...i-staying-put/
There is more to this than Winker having a disappointing season after coming over in a trade with the Reds last winter. Ryan Divish, the plugged-in Mariners beat writer for the Seattle Times, detailed some behind the scenes issues with Winker. Here's what Divish said during an appearance on the "Brock & Salk Show" last month:
"I think he was home (during the postseason). I was curious because he didn't make the trip when we went to Toronto and then Houston, and I asked. And they said, 'Well, he wanted to get a second opinion on his neck.' … I think they probably just told him to go home. I mean, it speaks to that. I think by the end of the season, it's what scouts call a tired act. I just think some of his teammates were done with him, were just tired of putting up with him. I think the team is frustrated with him. Everything that Mitch Haniger does to prepare for a game to get ready, Jesse Winker's kind of the opposite. I mean -- I can say it, he may not like it -- I think he's not very physically strong. I don't think he puts in the time to be better defensively or to have a better arm or any of the work that should be done. And really it is counter to what has made this team great. The last few years, this team prepares more than any team I've ever seen on a daily basis to be ready to play that day, and he doesn't. He doesn't always. It's just not there. And it's noticeable. Players notice it. I think part of it is, too, when he didn't post for that doubleheader (on Oct. 4) and guys were having to play 18 straight innings, I think that bothered some players. And once you lose your teammates, why be there? So there's gonna be some hard conversations either with Jesse from this front office, or they're just gonna move on. And (manager) Scott Servais has said that a lot of times like, 'We have a plan. We have a way we play. We have a way to prepare. If you don't like it, we'll find somebody else that does.' If you can, do it. And I mean Scott's preached it, all the time. But it takes all these guys to embrace it … They do it, they believe that's why they're good. And Jesse Winker just hasn't followed through on that a lot."
Yeesh, that ain't good. Winker had by far his worst offensive season as a big leaguer in 2022, with concerning drops in exit velocity and hard-hit ability in addition to underwhelming surface stats. He's also a poor defensive outfielder, one of the very worst in the game, so Winker is essentially a DH who didn't H this past season.
The Mariners signed Winker to a two-year, $14.5 million contract last offseason that will pay him $8.25 million in 2023. Without that, there's a chance Seattle simply would have non-tendered him and made a clean break. Ultimately, once you've lost the clubhouse, there's no turning back. The Mariners essentially have to trade Winker, but it won't be easy given his lack of production and the contract.
Carlos Danger (12-02-2022),max silver (12-02-2022),Spanky99 (12-02-2022)
Ehjays (12-02-2022)
Chris Martin would be such a nice pickup for the Jays. Great deal for the Red Sox
Deadpool (12-03-2022)