When a brave and ambitious front office team is eager to show that their franchise is ready to move past rebuilding and start competing with the top teams, they make a bold statement in the open market. In December 2013, the Seattle Mariners did just that, surprising the baseball world by signing star second baseman Robinson José Canó with a huge 10-year, $240 million deal. Coming to the Pacific Northwest with five All-Star appearances and a 2009 World Series ring from his time with the New York Yankees, this talented player, already over 30 years old, still had plenty of top-level skills to share with the fans in Emerald City. Over five intense seasons, he became the smooth, highly effective heartbeat of the Mariners' lineup, showing off his amazing hitting skills and graceful defense.

His first season in 2014 with the Mariners was truly impressive, showcasing his immediate impact and skill. Canó turned hitting into an art, smoothly adapting to Safeco Field’s big dimensions by collecting 187 hits and 37 doubles. He skillfully dismantled American League pitchers, achieving a fantastic .314 batting average, driving in 82 runs, and using his keen zone awareness to draw 61 walks. His efficient play powered the team’s offense, earning him his sixth straight All-Star nod and a proud fifth-place finish in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.

Despite dealing with serious gastrointestinal issues and a sports hernia that affected his power during a transitional summer in 2015, Canó truly reached his peak in an unforgettable 2016 season. Fully healthy and confidently swinging his signature, effortless left-handed bat, he showcased impressive power in the middle of the lineup. Over 161 games, he consistently worked deep counts and demonstrated his strength by setting a career high with 39 home runs, along with 195 hits, 33 doubles, and 103 RBIs. His excellent slash line of .298/.350/533 resulted in a strong .883 OPS and a 138 OPS+, proving that even as an experienced second baseman, his powerful bat speed remained highly dangerous. He continued this form with another remarkable season in 2017, hitting 23 home runs and driving in 97 RBIs, highlighted by a memorable All-Star Game MVP performance where he hit a game-winning, 10th-inning home run in Miami.

The final chapter of his time in Seattle reached a highly turbulent, legacy-altering crossroads in 2018. Just as he was putting together a stellar campaign, a fractured bone in his right hand from a hit-by-pitch was immediately followed by a shocking, 80-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Though he returned later that summer to finish with a robust .303 average and 10 home runs in 80 games, the organizational fallout prompted a sudden, blockbuster roster reconstruction.

Seeking to clear future financial obligations, the front office packaged the veteran star with closer Edwin Díaz in a large trade to the Mets that December, ending his residency. Canó left Seattle with a remarkable stats record, including 821 hits, 159 doubles, 107 home runs, and 411 RBIs over 704 games, with a .296/.353/472 slash line.

When learning that his son (erroneously) was dead from George Steinbrenner, Frank Costanza’s first response on Seinfeld was:

“What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for? He had 30 Home Runs, over 100 RBIs last year! He’s got a rocket for an arm! You don’t know what the hell you’re doing!”

How could we not open with this?

Frank Costanza was entirely right. The infamous July 1988 trade that sent Jay Campbell Buhner from the Bronx to the Pacific Northwest in exchange for Ken Phelps—who was out of baseball just two years later—stands as one of the most lopsided structural blunders in modern baseball history. Arriving in Seattle with a fierce, unadulterated competitive edge, the man affectionately known as "Bone" completely transformed his professional identity. Across a celebrated 14-year residency, the charismatic slugger became the raw, emotional heartbeat, the ultimate clubhouse enforcer, and the definitive power anchor of the most iconic era in franchise lore.

His initial period in Seattle did not produce immediate, rapid muscle growth, as he adapted to the demands of major league pitching on a daily basis. The pivotal breakthrough occurred in the 1991 season, when he surpassed the 20-home-run mark for the first time. Buhner consistently engaged in deep counts, turning this approach into a disciplined daily routine, and maintained or exceeded the 20-homer threshold for four consecutive summers. During this time, he established himself as an essential protective presence in the batting lineup for a young Ken Griffey Jr.

The peak of his hardware-certified legacy in evolution unfolded over an impressive three-year period from 1995 to 1997. He systematically dismantled American League pitching during the historic 1995 regular season, hitting 40 home runs and producing 121 RBIs with a commendable .566 slugging percentage, thereby securing a remarkable fifth-place position in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.

He carried that high-leverage devastation directly into the 1995 postseason, smashing another four home runs during the club's legendary "Refuse to Lose" playoff run that saved baseball in Seattle. He followed that up by unleashing even greater raw power during the 1996 schedule, hammering a career-high 44 home runs and driving in a monster 138 runs, before launching another 40 long balls with 109 RBIs in 1997.

The primary area where Buhner encountered substantial challenges under rigorous analytical scrutiny was his high-volume volatility. He was an extraordinarily effortful hitter who twice led the American League in strikeouts, returning to the dugout a remarkable 1,406 times while playing for the Mariners. Defensively, although Frank Costanza was entirely correct regarding his exceptionally strong throwing arm, Buhner displayed limited speed and lateral agility, frequently recording a defensive bWAR with negative values. Notably, during the summer of 1996, when he received his sole Gold Glove Award, he concluded that season with a -0.7 dWAR, demonstrating that his renowned throwing ability often concealed his underlying defensive metrics.

Trying to measure Buhner's legacy only through cold analysis really overlooks why he's such a beloved figure in our local culture. With his iconic shaved head and goatee—a look that was pretty unique in the sport back then—he shared a genuine, mutual love with the fans. The front office beautifully tapped into this natural fan enthusiasm by creating "Buhner Buzz Cut Night," a popular event where thousands of fans got free tickets to the Kingdome just for letting team barbers shave their heads—highlighting the strong connection between him and the community.

Following a series of severe hamstring and knee ailments late in his career, a definitive exit arrived when Buhner retired at the conclusion of the historic 104-win 2001 regular season. He departed from the field, leaving behind a formidable statistical legacy predominantly concentrated in the upper-left region of the map: a robust .494 slugging percentage, 951 hits, and exactly 307 home runs—a total that still ranks third in franchise history behind only Griffey and Edgar Martínez. Buhner retired in 2001, having amassed notable statistics including 307 home runs and a .497 slugging percentage. The Mariners honored the esteemed player by inducting him into their Hall of Fame in 2004.

In an organization once known for legendary icons that mesmerized the baseball world, a quiet and remarkably consistent infielder from North Carolina demonstrated that a franchise can thrive with a humble, workmanlike mindset. Picked by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 2009 amateur draft, Kyle Seager spent his entire 11-season MLB career quietly fulfilling his role, avoiding the spotlight. After making his debut in summer 2011, the left-handed hitter secured the starting third baseman position the following spring, beginning a decade of reliable performance that offered vital stability during a highly transitional period in Pacific Northwest baseball history.

Seager was seldom considered a flashy, transcendent superstar, but he made offensive reliability a consistent daily habit. When he took over the starting role in 2012, he instantly hit 20 home runs, starting a remarkable streak of hitting at least 20 homers in nine of his ten full major league seasons.

His career's greatest evolutionary breakthrough occurred during an outstanding 2014 regular season. Seager dominated the middle of the Seattle lineup, hitting 25 home runs, 27 doubles, and a personal best of 96 RBIs. This impressive performance earned him his first All-Star selection, a top-20 spot in the American League MVP voting, and a seven-year, $100 million contract extension, securing his future as a Mariner.

Nevertheless, an exclusive focus on his consistent batting performance provides only a partial account of his multifaceted impact. At the hot corner, Seager established an outstanding defensive reputation through exceptional reflexes, strategic positioning, and a powerful throwing arm. He earned an American League Gold Glove Award during his remarkable summer of 2014, leading all AL third baseman in Total Zone Runs.

He was a key figure on the infield grass, leading all junior circuit third basemen in assists and double plays three times, providing a reliable presence for the entire defense. Seager carried that dependable performance into 2016, delivering his best all-around season with a career-high .278 batting average, 30 home runs, and 99 RBIs, contributing to a strong 6.9 position-player bWAR.

The final chapter of his career in 2021 provided an emotional, power-packed finale beneath the T-Mobile Park rafters. While his contact metrics experienced a natural, age-related regression, resulting in a modest .212 batting average, Seager compensated entirely by maximizing run production. He unleashed an unadulterated display of muscle during his age-33 season, hammering a career-high 35 home runs and driving in 101 runs.

Seager left baseball with 1,395 hits and 242 home runs.  

While some pitchers treat the mound like a launching pad for raw velocity, a master of deception and precision proved that the art of change-of-speed can completely dismantle big-league offenses for decades. Jamie Moyer constructed an astonishing 25-year major league career, spending his first ten seasons drifting through five different organizations as a respectable but somewhat unfulfilled arm. That narrative was permanently altered during the summer of 1996, when the Seattle Mariners acquired the left-hander from the Boston Red Sox in a trade-deadline deal. Arriving in the Pacific Northwest at age 33, Moyer didn't just find a new team; he unlocked the most dominant, volume-dense chapter of his life on the diamond, orchestrating a masterful decade of pitch sequencing that left American League hitters thoroughly exasperated.

His debut in the starting rotation served as a masterclass in quick tactical adjustments. In his first full summer with the Mariners in 1997, Moyer puzzled opponents by consistently hitting the corners of the strike zone, posting an impressive 17–5 record with a 1.178 WHIP. Instead of a fleeting peak, this soft-throwing southpaw made steady performance a daily habit under the roofs of Kingdome and Safeco Field.

He consistently surpassed the 15-win mark four times for Seattle, highlighted by consecutive 20-win seasons later in his tenure. He achieved an impressive 20–6 record during the historic 2001 team's 116-win season, and in 2003, he added a remarkable 21–7 regular-season record. Moyer operated with a fastball that barely breached the low 80s, yet his profound spatial awareness and lethal changeup allowed him to miss barrels entirely, accumulating 1,239 strikeouts during his tenure in a Mariners uniform.

Naturally, his hardware-certified authority deep in the counts drew extensive national recognition. Moyer captured three top-six finishes in the American League Cy Young Award balloting during his Pacific Northwest peak, finishing fifth in 1998, fourth in 2001, and fifth in 2003. His spectacular 2003 season also earned him his first career All-Star selection, but his lasting legacy that summer was forged by his immense character off the field. He put together an unprecedented clean sweep of baseball's most prestigious humanitarian honors, capturing the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, the Hutch Award, and the Roberto Clemente Award for his profound community service and charitable foundations. He backed up that legacy by earning the Branch Rickey Award the very next autumn.

Moyer was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2006 season, and at age 45, he would help them win the World Series.  As a Mariner, he went 145-87 in 2,093 Innings Pitched.  The M's would induct Moyer into their Hall of Fame in 2015.