Seattle Mariners: Time for Ichiro Suzuki to Say Goodbye

Thank you, Ichiro for everything you have done for our Mariners but please get out of Seattle. 

It’s time for you to pack your bags and let the days of Ichiro in Seattle die. 

We all know 2011 was a “bad” year for Ichiro.  I put bad in quotations simply because for many players, his stats were above par. 

The Mariners haven’t been to the playoffs since Ichiro’s rookie season in 2001.  So what have all those 200 hit seasons done for the M’s?  Not a lot if all you want as a fan is to win. 

Yes, he helps put butts in the seats and yes he helps expand the Mariners brand to Japan, but don’t you think winning would do the same?  I’m not blaming the Mariner’s woes completely on Ichiro; I simply believe that the M’s would improve without him there. 

Is he getting old and really on a decline, or was 2011 just an off year that many players have?  Who knows?  I do know that I would like to have Seattle say thank you for everything you have done, but we have to say goodbye.  Whether it is at the end of his contract in 2013 or via trade, I think the best thing for the M’s would be to part ways. 

Many people have questioned Ichiro’s motivation over the years, complaining that he is more concerned with himself and with his stats rather than the Mariners as a whole.  The more I watch Ichiro the more I tend to agree.  I am no insider and this is completely speculative, but even if those rumors are floating they have to be taken into account and cannot be beneficial for a clubhouse. 

Chone Figgins has been a major disappointment thus far in Seattle.  It’s tough to pin point one reason as to why he has struggled so mightily.  He has expressed that in Anaheim, he had never done anything except lead off for the Angels and that may be part of the overall problem for him. 

Although you cannot blame his struggles on that completely, it is understandable for a guy to struggle when he has been removed from his comfort zone after such a long stint doing it.  Would Chone hit .300 and steal 40 bases if he lead off in Seattle?  Probably not, but I think he would improve significantly.  And I do feel like he deserves that chance.  Plus we are paying him enough to find out. 

Another advantage that coincides with Ichiro departing Seattle would be that the M’s could open up right field to give a younger guy an opportunity to prove himself and become a staple in an anemic lineup.  Or, they can bring in a younger free agent who will produce in the desperately needed power department.  Either way, I believe Ichiro leaving Seattle is the best thing for the Mariners. 

You can say that losing Ichiro will remove a face of the franchise.  I think it will just make room for a new face.  Plus there is always the King.

I loved Ichiro being a Mariner and I wish him the best, but it is time for him to go. 

Do you agree?

Go Mariners.