Mariners Moose Tracks, 11/1/21: Kyle Seager, Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Joe Kelly

Happy November! I hope everyone who celebrates had a fun and safe Halloween, also known as My Favorite Holiday. I went as the West Seattle Bridge and spent all night blocking people from getting to the bar. It was a pretty good costume, to be honest, although I have to also shout out the Sadler family for their group Little Mermaid costume:

You can also check out Erik Swanson’s family costume here. and another super-adorable Mariners-themed costume featuring Mitch Haniger getting a Gatorade shower after Game 161 here. On to the links!

In Mariners news:

• The big news yesterday is that, per Ryan Divish at the Times, Kyle Seager was officially informed the Mariners would not be picking up his option, making official what we all knew. The more notable part of this story is the method by which Seager was reportedly informed, although we won’t be getting into that here, but check back in an hour or two as John will be posting some of his thoughts on the matter. In the meantime, read Divish’s article so you’re prepared with your comments when John’s story goes up.
• So far the Arizona Fall League has been an offensive slugfest; case in point, on Saturday the Peoria Javelinas beat the Mesa Solar Sox by the score of 16-13, which is more the kind of score you see in DSL games than among advanced prospects in the Fall League. Mariners prospects Luis Caballero, Zach DeLoach, and Cade Marlowe all had a hit apiece, with Marlowe’s a double. Juan Then earned the win despite giving up five runs in three innings, and Luis Curvelo gave up four in just one inning but earned a hold anyway, and also got smoked in the back by a comebacker that came off the bat at 106 MPH. Devin Sweet was one of two pitchers in the entire game who didn’t give up a run, working a clean inning with a strikeout.

Around the League(s):

• Albert Pujols made his debut for Escogido in LIDOM yesterday. He hit an epic walkoff single to win the game, which you can watch here, and also posed for this equally epic photo:

• Speaking of the global sport of baseball, Dusty Baker continues to rule.

Unfortunately, so do the Astros, who beat Atlanta last night to cut their deficit to one game with the World Series headed back to Houston on Tuesday. Yes, that means no game tonight, which feels rude.

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the inaugural recipient of the Juan Marichal Award, given to the most outstanding Dominican-born player in the league for that year. The award is voted on by journalists from the DR and other countries, as well; Guerrero Jr. received 97 of 100 first-place votes (Juan Soto got one first place and Tatís Jr. got the other two).
• Speaking of Juan Soto, this whole thread is worth reading. Only two more years until he’s a free agent...
• How would you feel about a Joe Kelly in the Mariners bullpen? The Dodgers reportedly plan to decline his $12M club option.
• Did you know Atlanta’s Austin Riley played football in high school? You probably did.