Seattle Mariners: Top 3 storylines surrounding Jarred Kelenic’s demotion

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 31: Jarred Kelenic #10 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after striking out while looking during the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at T-Mobile Park on May 31, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 31: Jarred Kelenic #10 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after striking out while looking during the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at T-Mobile Park on May 31, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
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Mariners star prospect Jarred Kelenic is heading back to the minors and several major storylines surround the move.

The Seattle Mariners have not been to the MLB postseason since 2001. Since then it has been two decades of rebuilding. That is why fans finally felt some hope with the arrival of Jarred Kelenic.

The 21-year-old entered the year as a top prospect in all of baseball and came into the spotlight over the concept of service-time manipulation. Were the Mariners intentionally holding him in the minors to gain extra years of team control? Each side has a fair argument there, even if former team president Kevin Mather spilled the beans a bit in a leaked video.

Overall, it was Kelenic’s struggles at the plate that got him demoted. Let’s look at three top storylines out in Seattle following the decision.

3. No longer about service-time manipulation

Kelenic’s slash line this year is .096/.185/.193. Yes, he is still young and in no way does this hurt his chances of future success. But it shows the Mariners had to make a change if they want to be surprises contenders in 2021. Keeping a player around who is in the middle of an 0-for-39 slump is just not fair for either side.

The service-time argument surrounding Kelenic is interesting because he is so young. While he may believe he belonged in Seattle last year, the front office could have genuinely believed having him debut during the bizarre 2020 season was not a good idea.

This is not to say the Mariners don’t undertake some shady practices. But regardless of what happened in the past, performance now takes over as the dominant reason for why Kelenic needs more time in the minors.