Dan Connolly

Around The Beat: Tacoma’s Dutton talks Mariners, Trumbo deal and the Baltimore Steves

By Dan Connolly

Posted on June 30, 2016

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When the Seattle Mariners played in Baltimore in May, they were a first-place team and really one of the best in the American League.

Since then, starters Felix Hernandez and Wade Miley have dealt with injuries and the Mariners have gone downhill. They are now trying to stay above .500 and dig out of a huge hole in the American League West created by a June swoon coupled with a streaking Texas Rangers squad.

In this segment of “Around The Beat,” I chat with Bob Dutton, one of the best beatwriters in baseball who now covers the Mariners for the Tacoma News Tribune.

Dutton breaks down this Mariners club that hosts the Orioles for a four-game series starting Thursday night.

He explains what Seattle decision-makers were thinking when they dealt Mark Trumbo (and lefty C.J. Riefenhauser) to the Orioles for Steve Clevenger this winter. And why there’s not nearly as much remorse involving that deal than there is – and forever will be – with the Erik Bedard trade in 2008.

Dutton provides updates on the Baltimore Steves – Clevenger and Steve Johnson – and how they fit into the Mariners’ organization. (Hours after this was recorded, Clevenger fractured a bone in his right middle finger when he was hit by a foul tip late Wednesday night. He is headed to the DL.)

Dutton, who grew up in Delaware as an Orioles fan during the club’s first glory days, gives his insight on this current Orioles’ club and why it is continually overlooked.

And we even have time to briefly talk about Justin Bieber and Jeremy Guthrie – hard to think of one without the other. So, yeah, there’s a whole lot of ground covered in this podcast. It’s worth your time to give it a listen.

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