The Mariners and the 1995 Trade Deadline: The Anatomy of Going For It

Yesterday was trade deadline day and it was a doozy! The Mariners made two big moves, acquiring Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez from the Diamondbacks. It was lovely and unfamiliar feeling like the Mariners were eying a playoff appearance and actually going for it. It made me think of another season in which the Mariners went all in at the trade deadline.

I suspect you’re familiar with the 1995 Mariners, but just in case you weren’t paying attention, or have escaped the endless nostalgia barrage we’ve been afflicted with over the past 30 years, here’s quick recap of where they were mid-season. The Mariners had a decent start to the year, playing above .500, a mere 3.5 games out of first place in the American League West when Ken Griffey Jr., while making a spectacular catch, crashed glove-first into the Kingdome outfield wall at the end of May. He missed two and a half months of the season with a broken wrist.

Losing the best player in baseball would devastate any team, and the Mariners did all they could under the circumstances. Randy Johnson was having the best year of his career up to that point and the Double Martinez duo of Edgar and Tino was providing the offense. As the season wore on, they managed to keep the overall record around .500, but it was difficult and the team was struggling.

During the All-Star break manager Lou Piniella said of his squad, “We’ve got some question marks, but I’ll tell you, if things fall in place for us and we can hang around until the middle of August (when Griffey was due to return), we can win this division."1

The question marks included the back end of the starting rotation, an all-righty bullpen, and an offense as whole that needed a spark. The Mariners were in last place, but only 5 games out of first, and significantly, the new Wild Card playoff spot. Though this would have been a cause to dismiss the season in a typical year, this was the Season That Saved Seattle Baseball. So, in a bid to get voters to pass the stadium funding initiative as much as to secure a playoff spot, Mariners ownership and the front office united in a rare effort to Go For It.

Here are the three moves that sparked an epic comeback.

July 14: Signed Norm Charlton as a free agent

Bobby Ayala was Mariners’ closer, but he was…shaky at times (although not to the extent that we would later remember). After getting off to a good start, he faltered as the season went on. Ayala appeared in 63 games and earned a career-high 19 saves. However, he ended the season with a bWAR of 0.0, so let’s just say the bullpen needed help. In addition, there was nary a left-hander to relieve the starting staff. Fortuitously, an old friend was available, and he just happened to be a southpaw.

Norm Charlton was no stranger to the mariners. He first arrived in Seattle in the trade that sent Kevin Mitchel to Cincinnati. He led the Seattle bullpen with 18 saves in 1993, the first year that gave Seattle hope that the Mariners would one day see the postseason. He was one of Piniella’s guys, going back to their time with the Cincinnati Reds when Charlton was a member of the Nasty Boys bullpen that won the World Series in 1990.

His 1993 season ended early when he tore the UCL in his elbow. He signed as a free agent with Philadelphia after missing the entire 1994 season, but struggled in the early months of the season. In 25 games he had no saves and a 7.36 ERA, and the Phillies released him on July 10th.

Charlton came to Seattle for a tryout on July 14th, and was signed shortly after he threw for coaches. “I think they just wanted to see if I could still throw,” Charlton said of the bullpen session. While he was probably happy to have any job in baseball, he was eager to return to Seattle because Piniella “knows how to use me."2

Whether it was the reunion with Piniella or the excitement of a playoff run, the second half of 1995 was the best overall stint of Charlton’s career. He began as a setup guy in the bullpen, but in late August as the Mariners’ run for the division title kicked into full swing, he was moved into the closer position and recorded 14 saves down the stretch.

The Mariners were especially happy to have him when Game 3 of the Division Series rolled around. Following a brutal 15-inning loss in New York in Game 2, that put the Mariners down 0-2, Charlton came in and closed out a Game 3 win back at home in the Kingdome, keeping the series alive:

July 31: Acquired Andy Benes from the Padres

Randy Johnson was having an incredible season, but behind him Chris Bosio and Tim Belcher weren’t quite living up to the expectations while a number of players circulated through the four and five spots in the rotation. They needed someone steady and solid to join the rotation.

The Mariners were in the thick of the trade rumor mix in July, with newspaper reports that they had been close to acquiring Jim Abbott and David Cone, and were pushing hard for Jeff Fassero. General Manager Woody Woodward was “said to be knee deep in telephone wire, trying to consummate a deal with one of about six hurlers on the block."3

On July 31, the Mariners got their guy. In exchange for pitcher Ron Villone (Go Minutemen!) and Marc Newfield, the Mariners plucked Andy Benes out of the San Diego Padres’ rotation.

A solid pitcher throughout his career, Benes had had uncharacteristic struggles that season. He didn’t sound upset to leave San Diego. “I’m looking forward to a fresh start. I feel I have pitched better than my record indicates. This team (San Diego) has had the worst record in baseball the last few years."4

Benes was a risk for the Mariners. They were hoping he’d be better than his numbers indicated that year, since they gave up two bright prospects and were picking up $3.4 million in salary (a hefty amount for a backend starter, when the entire team payroll sat at $34 million) while he was eligible for free agency at the end of the season. But Going For It is not without its risks.

This trade was significant in Mariners history because of that risk. For the first time they were buyers. They had never put up money or prospects in a push like this for a player who might only be in town a couple months, and they were doing both at once. They watched other contending teams make moves, and instead of rolling over they sat up and got in the mix too.

This was the trade that changed everything.

You can look at Benes’ numbers and conclude that he didn’t improve, and even put up worse numbers. But in an era when pitching wins mattered and when the offense behind him was about to get its spark, Benes did what the Mariners acquired him to do. Down the stretch, he won 7 games. And in a season that ended in a tie, it made all the difference in the world. He steady and solid.

Benes started a memorable game for the Mariners as their stretch drive was just beginning. On August 24th, the Mariners were 11.5 games behind the California Angels. They were beginning an eventful 4-game series with the New York Yankees. Benes started, facing might-have-been Mariner David Cone and went 7 innings, allowing 7 Yankee runs. He left with the Yankees leading, but Charlton and Jeff Nelson held the Yankees scoreless and the Mariners staged a comeback. Ken Griffey Jr walked it off for the first time in his career, a two-run home run off John Wetteland.

With that game, the comeback was in full swing.

Benes faced off again Cone again in Game 5 of the Division Series. Both allowed 4 runs before bringing in their closers, then their ace starting pitchers. But it was the guys that started that kept them in it.

August 15: Acquired Vince Coleman from the Royals

Back in 1995, the July 31st trade deadline was the non-waiver trade deadline. Teams still had through August to make trades, but the players involved had to clear waivers first. This opened the door for the most dynamic, exciting addition to the 1995 Mariners: Vince Coleman.

On August 14, the Mariners were 11.5 games behind the division leading Angels. However, they were only one game behind the Texas Rangers for the American League Wild Card spot. As you can imagine, this led to much whining and complaining from baseball scribes about sullying the nature of the baseball playoffs with these undeserving teams sniffing at a postseason spot.

Though the Mariners were eying that maligned wild card, they were also eagerly looking forward to Ken Griffey Jr’s return from his wrist injury. The Mariners played in Kansas City before his return, and the Royals moved to play their kids, designating veteran Vince Coleman for assignment. Lou Piniella dismissed talk that the Mariners would pick him up, however, saying of his team, “We’ve got great chemistry right now and we’re about to get Ken Griffey Jr back. Sometimes you go with a little less talent to keep a little more chemistry. I like Coleman, but Richie Amaral and Alex Diaz have done all we could ask of them."5

The front office saw it differently.

On August 15th, they claimed and agreed to a trade with Kansas City for Coleman. In exchange, the Mariners sent pitcher Jim Converse. Mariners assistant general manager said of Coleman, “He’s a veteran who’s been in playoff races. We’ve got a chance at the playoffs. We felt we have to take a run at it."6

Another statement, another move about really going for it.

Coleman hit leadoff and played left field. He played his first game for the Mariners on August 16th, the day after Ken Griffey Jr. returned from his injury. It took the Kid a little bit to get back into it, but Coleman sparked the Mariners from the jump.

In his first game, Coleman led off the 8th inning with a single and a steal of second base. Griffey followed with a walk, setting the table for Edgar Martinez to drive them home with a two-run double, sparking a comeback and a win.

He was built for runs like the one the Mariners were about to go on. He said of being in a playoff race, “I’ve been there and I know what it is like. And there is nothing like it.

“I love pressure situations."7

Once the run for the division title was underway in earnest at the end of August, the Mariners faced nothing but pressure situations. Coleman stole 16 bases the rest of the way, and the enduring image of him is a speedster on the basepaths, fueling the Mariners offense.

With Coleman, the moves were complete and the Mariners ran toward the postseason for the first time in history, with a speedy veteran leading the way.

We won’t know if the moves the Mariners made during this deadline will spark another division title, but we do know that this was one of the rare years when they went all in at the deadline.

If nothing else, I hope it’s an exciting ride.

Footnotes:

1. Cour, Jim. "MARINERS TRY TO WEATHER THE STORM." Columbian, The (Vancouver, WA), July 11, 1995: D3. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0EB13E55810878DC.
2. WITHERS, BUD. "MARINERS BOLSTER BULLPEN WITH SIGNING OF CHARLTON." Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 15, 1995: D4. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0EB04AB030953D8C.
3. Vecsey, Laura. "OPEN WALLETS GIVE M'S SOME CREDIBILITY." Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 31, 1995: D1. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0EB04AB228BB65B2.
4. Press, Associated. "MARINERS BOOST STARTING ROTATION." Columbian, The (Vancouver, WA), August 1, 1995: D1. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0EB13E5DCC73B99E.
5. Larry LaRue. "MARINERS UPDATE: ROYALS OPT FOR YOUNG PLAYERS." The News Tribune, August 13, 1995: C9. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0F11B7DBAB4AC69B.
6. FINNIGAN, BOB. "M'S GET COLEMAN FROM KC." THE SEATTLE TIMES, August 15, 1995: E1. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0EB5380A314F3C67.
7. STREET, JIM. "COLEMAN BRINGS M'S SAVVY FOR THE STRETCH - PROVEN RUG-RUNNER ADDS ANOTHER DIMENSION TO TOP OF LINEUP." Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 17, 1995: D4. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0EB04AB468BEAA17.