Dear Kris Bryant,
I am writing to you in an effort to convince you to sign with the Seattle Mariners. I know it may not seem like the most desirable location for a player like you but let me tell you why you should come here.
First of all, this team is on the rise. This is not the same Seattle Mariners team that has sucked for most of the last 20 years. They won 90 games last season with a team lacking huge superstars. If you want to sign a long deal, which I’m guessing you do, this would be a good place to stick around long term. All the signs are pointing up for this franchise and you can be a part of it.
To me, this is the ideal type of situation for a player such as yourself to come into. You aren’t going to have to go through the doldrums of a rebuild and suffer a bunch of losses. That has already happened here. Now is the sweet spot between rebuilding and contending. The young players are starting to come up and begin to learn and mature as professionals. You could come right in and help those guys develop while being a leader in the clubhouse that players look up to. Your proven success would add some stability to a team that is figuring stuff out. And once those young players figure it all out the team will be ready to start making some legitimate noise in the postseason.
One of the reasons that I think you would be a great fit here is because you are a proven curse-breaker. Everybody knows that the Mariners are cursed and it’s why they have failed to make the playoffs since winning 116 games in 2001. Well, you have experience with breaking curses after what you did for the Chicago Cubs in 2016. And compared to that curse, this 20-year thing is nothing. Breaking this would be a walk in the park for you, so why not just come here and do it.
After you come to Seattle and help end the playoff drought, you will cement yourself as a Seattle sports legend. Seattle doesn’t get a ton of respect in the “best sports cities in the country” conversation but the fans here are very invested. Athletes that have been successful here like Gary Payton, Ken Griffey Jr., Marshawn Lynch, and Sue Bird are immortalized in this city. You could add your name to that list with a few really good years here, especially with some playoff success mixed in.
Now if all those reasons don’t persuade you to come to the PNW, let me hit you with some actual on-the-field reasons. One of the biggest draws of free agency is the ability to choose your situation. This isn’t the draft or a trade where you have little say in anything. You get to choose where you play baseball. So why not pick a place where you will be the best player. Mitch Haniger will always be the emotional fan favorite because of what he has gone through, but you would have the chance to step into the best-player-on-the-team role. You don’t know where some of these other teams will put you in the batting order, but I can guarantee you that Seattle will put you in a very prime spot.
Seattle also has the biggest hole to fill at third base. Hole at third base, meet Kris Bryant, you two are a perfect fit. I assume you want to play third since that is where you played earlier in your career. The Mariners will play you at third base because they have a huge need there. You won’t end up converting to a corner outfielder if you come here unless you want to, which could happen with some of the other teams you’re considering. Seattle will probably play you a bit in the outfield, which will be a nice change of pace and keep things interesting over the course of the long season. There also is no permanent DH on the team and manager Scott Servais likes to use the position as a way to give everyday players a bit of a break. I know you aren’t used to having the DH position as a possibility after playing your whole career in the NL, but it is nice. Getting to have a few games here and there where you just get to take your at-bats and rest your legs during the other half of the inning. Sounds to me like this whole Seattle situation is looking pretty good.
Kris, I don’t know everything that you desire to accomplish over the course of your baseball career, but I hope Seattle can provide you with everything you could ever want. This is a fanbase that is waiting for a player like you to take them to the playoffs. Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez are certainly the future of the Mariners, but you could be the present. You could get passed the torch that you will one day pass to them. Seattle wants you, Kris, we hope you want us too.
Sincerely,
Cody Schoeler, Mariner Fan
The Dime Press 