Seattle Mariners: Buy, Sell... or Neither?

With the July 31 trade deadline rapidly approaching, Mariners GM Jack Zdurencik obviously has his hands full attempting to decide what course of action the organization should take.

Some are pushing for the Mariners to be buyers, to acquire a bat in order to get the M’s over the hump and into postseason play. Others advocate a course of selling, dealing players such as Jarrod Washburn or Eric Bedard for prospects. Some even say that the Mariners can do both, trading for young players that could help this season as well as in the future.
The question is far from simple. The M’s are mired in a quandary as messy as Ryan Franklin’s beard. Nothing the M’s could do would make everyone happy. But that is what I propose the Mariners do: nothing.
Buying is definitely not the answer for the Mariners. Zdurencik and Co. know that, unless they think they have a shot at a World Series appearance, buying would be unjustifiable. And as magical as the Mariners’ season has been so far, the chances of a World Series are small.
The debate on selling centers around, as I previously mentioned, Bedard and Washburn. Both have one year remaining on their contract and both could draw a decent set of prospects or even a good young player like J.J. Hardy. In what was labeled a rebuilding year at the beginning of the season, such a move could make sense.
Only, there’s a problem: the Mariners are in the playoff hunt this year. And in a city that experienced so much losing in the past years, why would we give this chance up? The Mariners have the opportunity to make a playoff run. But the only way they can do this is under the pitching of Felix, Bedard, and Washburn. Without Bedard or Washburn, our playoff chances are seriously diminished.
Our pitching has led us this far, we need to trust it to get us into the playoffs. Felix is now as sure of a thing as anything can be. If Bedard can stay healthy, and Washburn continue his stellar performance, who knows how far we can go? Why build up for the future when we win now?
Look, when I say the Mariners should do nothing, I don’t mean they should sit around like Yoda, twiddling their thumbs as the trade deadline passes them by. I’m sure there are several small deals that make sense, maybe even acquiring a decent shortstop. I just don’t think the M’s should be major players come the deadline.
Whatever Zdurencik decides to do, its probably for the best of the team. I won’t pretend to be even remotely knowledgeable about baseball compared to him. I could just be an impatient and overly-optimistic fan. But for me, asking the M’s to give up this opportunity is too much.
So while some say sell, and others say buy, I say take the middle ground: and do nothing.
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