Seattle Sasquatch 2026 Season Preview
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The
Seattle Sasquatch have lifted their self-imposed PR sanctions, a result of
loyal ‘Squatch fans issuing death threats against the entire Hampton blood line
after the trade of future HOF’er Steve Frend. The Front Office entered
the off-season with decisions to be made, mainly are they a team a few pieces
from playoff contender or a team needing to move it’s veteran stars while their
value was still up to rebuild. Being in the highly competitive RCL Bobby
Cox division mixed with Seattle’s ongoing ability to play well in big games
against league leaders and a tendency to play down to lesser competition further
clouded the path the organization should take. After a lot of trade discussions
but not a lot of actual action during the off-season or significant FA signings
the ‘Squatch chose to continue their 2 season effort to lower payroll costs,
get rid of bloated salaries of journeymen level bench players and depth at AAA
to allow some additional funds for Arbitration and contract extensions. The
organization felt it was far more important to retain their stars and let them
develop while the prospects on the farm get another season or two in the minors
to better prepare them for the rigors of the ABL.
A negative was created in the overall
depth during the off-season at the ML and AAA level but it was mainly a
tradeoff of major league contracts for minor league contracts and players with
more options available. Management had a few surprising Rule 5 loses of not yet
ready for the ABL mid-level prospects SP–Mitsuharu Shionoya a SP4/5 type and RF
Jae-hoon Park a good hitting poor fielding ALB role player candidate but
management felt nothing glaring enough to affect the ML club unless you are
looking at injury depth protection for the 2026 season. The conservative
mindset was an attempt at being fiscally responsible and generating another
season of profit coupled with exceeding owner Walter Redlum’s “keep close to
.500” expectation might free more budget room for the 2027 season enabling
Seattle’s plan to lock in their core stars like RF/DH - Mighty Joe Young and 3B
Christian Chevalier to long term contracts buying time for the top prospects to
reach the ML level.
The club is entering the 2026 campaign
with a sense of excitement and a few more new seats. Many discussions were had
with other league Exec’s and the Media during the off-season with the common
theme being, if Seattle can improve at the 2B/C /bullpen positions and
their SP can stay healthy and meet their expectations ‘Squatch fans could see
their team return to legit playoff contenders. However, If things do not pan
out in multiple areas and the increased development budget and personnel
changes do not better the club, a slow start could lead Seattle’s GM
Warren Hampton to move to Plan B and move an aging, expensive but still potent
bat or two to supplement the rising stars in the farm, time will tell but hopes
are high the subtle re-tooling over the winter will keep them moving in the
right direction as opposed to having to engage in a sweeping rebuild for the
future.
Personnel
Assessment – GM Hampton chose to retain all the big league staff
stating that there were considerations of upgrades at the Hitting Coach and
Bench Coach positions but ultimately it was decided that stability and time for
the coaches to further develop and implement their multi-year plans. Hampton
continued to praise the ability of Manager Steve Hansen to right the ship and
get the team back up to almost .500 by achieving a .504 win percentage after a
mid-2025 promotion from AA where he was enjoying great success and leaving his
successor at that level with a AA team playing .667 ball. Hampton continued
that the main reason for the 2025 move in addition to Hansen’s success was his
willingness to allow Hampton to have control over the pitching staff something
Hampton has been overheard saying it hurt Seattle in the 2024 and early 2025
Seasons. Also mentioned was the strength of all-ABL Trainer Kimura and Scouting
Director Cantrell. While it remains to be seen if the improving farm talent
selected by Hampton and Cantrell will reach their projections optimism is high.
Grade = B (on an upward curve).
Financial
Assessment – Seattle chose to maintain their 2025 ticket prices
at $22 after marked improvements in attendance and Season ticket sales over the
dismal 2024 that saw expenses exceed revenue. Insiders believe this was due to
the passage of time from the Frend trade that saw fan interest drop coupled
with better fiscal management despite a couple years of reduced budgets. A
profitable 2025 convinced owner Redlum to loosen up the purse strings for 2026
after a year of good decisions and expected financial stability as additional
bad contracts are dropped and more conservative approach to the Free Agent
market. Grade = C (On road to recovery)
Notable
Players Lost– Aside from the 2
Rule 5 loses mentioned above the Seattle club felt the Expansion Draft prior to
the 2026 season like all clubs did. Some valuable future role players and bench
depth was lost as the expense of protecting established second tier big league
players and more highly regarded prospects. Kuchis, Zhu, Blandford, Chave
and Zhou will all be missed but only “Dirt Dog Zhu will have an impact on the
2026 big league club after having a solid 2025 campaign that saw him start 47
games due to an extended injury to Star CF Lee Jones. Zhu managed a serviceable
if not eye opening .264 / .321/.321 effort in his second drink of coffee
at the big league level. Scouting Director Cantrell added his youth and upside
will be missed but a few hard decisions needed to be made. 24 year old first
time call up CF Felix Escobedo and journeyman CF Clarence Anderson will be
tasked with shoring up the hole left by the loss of Dirt Dog. Other loses
include High potential, low results RP - Kitachi Gato (once a #70 prospect. It
was decided that Gato’s current upside didn’t not justify the $1.5M per year
salary extension asking price with more important contracts to negotiate. A similar
decision was made with one trick pony platoon FA Lorne Hinxman who has always
hit well for Seattle but inability to play defense just didn’t justify the cost
to retain him, it seems so far the other GM’s agree with this assessment as he
remains in the FA pool.
The only other loss aside from
non-contributors out of options or eligible for Free Agency types was Toin
Iwata who GM Hampton admits thought he could sneak through waivers that
backfired. The risk however was largely influenced by Iwata’s $1.5 per year
salary and a net result of several largely unproductive stints in the ABL over
the last few season. Hampton was quoted as saying “..being 32 in a youth
movement also influenced the decision to expose him”. (AP wire update –
Iwata made Hampton question his decision on opening day by making Seattle pay
for letting him go in their season opener right about the same time this press
release was being sent out this evening. Upon leaving the stadium tonight
Hampton was also quoted as saying he “ hopes Toin gets an opportunity on
Washington to finish his career at the big league level, something he wasn’t
likely to be able to enjoy in Seattle”.) Grade = D (from a talent
lost perspective) Grade = B (from a budgetary perspective)
Notable
Player Additions – As mentioned earlier Seattle did not make any
notable additions aside from hole fillers left by allowing older players out of
options or demanding big league contract renewals and a lack of spending
capital to make any impact player type additions. The repeated theme from upper
management is the decision was made to focus inward on retaining key pieces
through Arbitration and contract renewals and fill the holes left with the best
short term solutions they could retain with minor league contracts minimizing
the budget impact as much as possible. Grade = F (Due to inability to
make any viable improvements to 2B, C or bullpen) Grade = B (from the
perspective that Seattle was able to retain all the key pieces they depended on
in 2025 for at least the 2026 season and in some cases frugal extensions were
signed when player were willing to work with management to get deals done).
When asked about what happens next year for the one year deals GM Hampton was
optimistic he would be able to retain the top level talent beyond 2026 or get
very good returns on any deals if extension demands are not met, “One way or
another we need to find top level talent to fill low offensive productivity at
2B, C and Bullpen” which is becoming a mantra in Seattle. Whether Seattle is
overlooking less than stellar productivity at 1B remains to be seen.
Player
Development– Due to the
previously mentioned loss of marginal but serviceable veterans at AAA and the
Rule 5 and Expansion Draft mid-level prospect casualties Seattle saw their
Minor League system rank drop from #2 to #4 overall. GM Hampton and Scouting
Director Cantrell believe this impact as one might first think due to that log
jam of journeymen they lost and their combined really combined would have only
filled one or two bench roles in reality but made the AAA ratings look good on
paper. Grade = C (nothing of note aside from the last Amateur
draft improved the farm but the loses also will not have any long term effect
on the number of true prospects aside from the mentioned Rule 5 and Expansion
loses. If the currently ranked prospects continue to develop Seattle is in good
shape, if they do not more drastic moves might have to be made. The GM
increased what was a very low Development Budget due to cash flow issue thanks
to a larger 2026 budget thanks to showing a profit in 2025.
Meet the 2026 Seattle Sasquatch…
Catchers – veteran Javier
Cox and 25 year old John Price get the call despite both being
nothing more than the left hand side of a platoon with poor defensive skills.
Cox was retained for what is likely one more season when Seattle failed to
retain a better option. After years of being a solid albeit unspectacular
backstop the last few seasons have seen his skills dwindle to the bottom of the
pack of big league pitch callers. Grade = D- (ABL) D- (Farm) This
is a major area of concern for the organization as there is a void of any real
talent from top to bottom.
Infielders – Overall Grade (C ) This is almost entirely due to the
quality and depth of 3B
1B – Alejandro Bautista is the sole
legit 1B at the big league level after Joe Young failed to develop at that
position as originally hoped. Even assuming Bautista can handle the load on 2026
he is still at best an average solution due to his affinity for K’s and low
contact rating. In the wings at AA is #30 ranked prospect 3* Tokuhei
Taniguchi Grade = C (ABL) B (Farm) – Depth in both cases being the
main concern.
2B – Ron Peterson and Nelson Stonard have
been asked to attempt to form a platoon that prevents the positions
shortcomings from hurting the team too much. Both are much more adapted to
super utility roles playing all infield positions serviceably well. They may be
asked for too much by management after it’s failure to obtain a better
solution. If they fail mediocre but consistent result Chris
Glover may be asked to take over for this season. A natural 3B, Glover has
filled this role before but it is not his best and highest purpose. SS Martin
Waller is another possibility if SS role can be filled from AAA. In
the wings??? Not unlike the C position the farm is week of true big league
starter prospect and Hampton has promised this is on the shortlist of issues to
address. Grade = C- (ABL) C- (Farm) – Please see C assessment
notes.
3B – 2 time all-star Christian Chevalier has developed into one of the premiere 3 baggers
in the ABL over coming Chris Glover to entrench as the best infielder on
the team. GM Hampton maintains he is quite possibly the greatest talent to
every come out of the 12th round being selected with the 17th
pick of the 2015 draft and the 294th pick overall giving hopes to
Scouting Directors and desperate GM’s everywhere. Versatile Glover and rookie Garry
Rabenek who fared well in a late season call up help provide the only
adequate depth of the INF positions. In the wings at AA is #28 ranked prospect
4* Kazuyoshi “Hurricane” Takahashi who is progressing as expected to
date with the team hoping for an mid-season promotion to AAA if his ratings
continue to improve. Ultimately his success could determine if Seattle decides
to lock in Chevalier or move him for big league ready blue chip prospect to a
team making a run later this season. Adding additional farm depth is 4* #58
ranked Ruberto Sucena who’s progress brings to question his low work
ethic assessment. Special attention is focused on further developing his
high ceiling potential. Grade = A (ABL) A (Farm) – How long it
takes the blues chippers on the farm is the only concern
SS – Martin Waller is one of those
rare players who have exceeded Cantrells and other OSA Scouts expectations. To
the Seattle Scouting team credit they saw Waller as 3* prospect (The OSA
originally assessing him at 0.5*). Last season he peaked at 4.5* and has won
both best hitter at position and Gold Glove awards over the past couple
seasons. Though not at a level of BA or OBP with the elite of the league at SS,
he has proved consistent and a great fielder. In the wings at AAA is 2.5* Francisco
Valdez who is trying to develop some more at AAA but injury or his
continued development may mean a call up this year Grade = B (ABL)
C- (Farm) – Beyond Valdez the farm doesn’t indicate there is much in the
way of relief for the depth issue any time soon. Seattle needs to focus on
bolstering this position on the farm.
Outfielders – Overall Grade (B) At the
big league level the starters can hold their own to any team in the league,
Depth and the fact only one blue chip OF prospect is maturing.
LF –Dani Saenz surprised management
by continuing to improve his hitting despite failing ratings. 2025 saw him
improve his season totals to .362/ a league leading .453 BBP and a surprisingly
strong .480 SLG. His play has softened the blow of losing Steve Frend several
seasons ago. The team hopes he can continue to play at this level until his
replacement can be found. Due to his age and current productivity he is another
candidate for the Plan B option of securing an ALB ready prospect if things
start to go south this season. CF’s Clarence Anderson and Felix
Escobedo provide plenty of depth at LF as they both field the position
well, they just cannot replace Saenz offensive production. In the
wings ??? Not unlike the C and 2B positions the farm is week of true big league
starter prospect and Hampton has assured this is also on the shortlist of
issues to address but corner OF’s are not as hard to find as other positions in
the ABL. Grade = A- (ABL) D (Farm) – Please see C and 2B
assessment notes.
CF – Gold Glover Lee Jones patrols CF for Seattle. An elite fielder who has
had a little more offensive productivity then expected has shown some
susceptibility to injury which is a concern of management. Clarence Anderson
and Felix Escobedo provide plenty of depth at CF, but like their role as
backup to Saenz they can’t replicate Jones offensive production. In the wings
at AA is #28 ranked prospect 3.5* Jesus “Warrior” Lopes who isn’t a top
100 ranked prospect but has earned his share of minor league awards needs
a little more seasoning at AAA in preparation of a likely late season
call up. Grade = A (ABL) C (Farm) – Beyond Lopes there is not ALB
starter potential but management is hoping Jones and Lopes can buy the team
time to build this position at the farm level.
RF – GM Hampton takes credit for identifying 2020 Rd 2, pick 2 time
all-star and perennial batting title and MVP candidate “Mighty” Joe Young. Young a natural LF
was moved to RF due to being LH and Saenz being a very proficient LF. Look for
Young to switch to DH in the near future limiting his defensive liabilities.
Young has one more year of arbitration eligibility but Hampton hopes to lock
Joe into a long term contract and has been bracing the accounting department
for that big number contract. Rumors have it negotiations have already started.
Again super OF’s Clarence Anderson and Felix Escobedo provide
depth at RF, In the wings - at AAA is 1.5* Muralidaran “Checkmate”
Purjit who is nothing more than a body on the bench bat with an above
average glove in Right. Grade = A- (ABL) D (Farm) – Beyond Purjit
the farm doesn’t indicate there is much in the way of relief for the depth
issue any time soon. Seattle needs to obtain prospects at this position.
Designated
Hitter – Veteran Chris Glover is
penciled in at DH unless the Stonard/Peterson platoon lacks consistency.
It that happens Glover will likely move to 2B, Joe Young will
move to DH and Anderson will man RF barring any deals for additional
talent at the ABL level. , In the wings - There are no obvious DH
specific candidates but Seattle management tends to take the approach of
filling the positions and then putting the most productive hitter at DH. All of
this said if other moved suggested at above finds Joe Young at DH the Grade at
the big league level with rise from a middle of the Pack C to an A. The
ABL is a strong enough hitters league that Management feels there are usually
good candidates available. Seattle considered bringing back Lorne Hinxman to
add a solid back to their other options but ultimately decided to save the
money for solutions to their problems instead of adding veteran journeyman at
considerable cost. Grade = C (ABL) N/A (Farm)
Starting
Pitchers – Since GM Hampton took over the reins his main goal
has been to shore up and stabilize what was a staff in shambles with a tendency
to give up more runs than the productive offence was able to produce. This need
was a prevailing factor in the move of Steve Frend. The move improved the staff
but not enough to compensate for Frend’s consistent production at the plate.
Pitching Coach Jesus Valle feels over the last 2 seasons good progress has been
made in establishing some stability and states the jury by committee days are
gone for the season. Improvements are still required but stability and a full
season with an approved staff will help more clearly identify what pieces need
upgrades. Anchored by staff aces Rob Young and Antonio Navarro
the tandem allows the potent offense to compete at a top level for 40% of the
games. The rest of the staff has shown some consistency but the average ERA’s
are still about a run per game higher than the coaches would like to see. A
goal has been set to get the SP ERA’s below the 4.50 mark. “This would give us
a real chance to start to win more series and climb above the .500 mark the
team has been riding the last few seasons. An elite LHP and another strong
SP2/SP3 type would round out the staff very nicely”. In the wings – 24 year old
RH Koryusai Uchida (3* Pot) at AAA, 19 year old LH Yo Watanabe
(3* Pot) at A Grade = C- (ABL) B (Farm)
·
SP1 - RHP Rob Young – 2025 saw Young (15-11 4.16 3.4 WAR)
establish himself as the leader of the staff with a solid showing that put his
team in a position to win more often than not. Hope are high for him to
continue to be the anchor the team has so badly needed. He appears to be just a
notch below the league’s all-star pitchers and for stretches of time
competes at that level.
·
SP2 - RHP Antonio
“Destiny” Navarro – Navarro
(11-13 3.97 3.5 WAR) who has the most upside has been a solid SP but has yet to
really step up and earn the top spot. He will not hurt you series to series but
he has not achieved the lights out consistency many have projected for him a
few years ago. Signed through the 2027 season many feel he needs to prove he is
the elite pitcher the Seattle squad sorely needs. The numbers show he has the
stuff but the end result has fallen short of what the numbers would lead you to
believe. Whether it is a matter of run support or ability to close the deal
remains to be seen. Destiny needs to take control of his Destiny.
·
SP3 - RHP Fernando
“Hangover” Ruiz – 2.5*
Ruiz (15-14 4.29 3.8 WAR at AAA) has shown steady development and promotions
through the ‘Squatch farm system and management is hoping he continues this
consistency at the big league level. A solid spring training earned Ruiz a SP3
spot on the staff. Coaches hope he continues his growth and can provide a spark
at the back of the rotation. He could make an ideal SP4/SP5 if Seattle can
bring in another strong SP. He rookie outing should be interesting to watch for
the fans and teammates alike.
·
SP4 - RHP Leon
“Big Red” Morris – Seattle
has been inclined to position Big Red (7-6 6.25 5 starts/46 relief appearances)
as an inning eating consistent MR due to his lack of the prototypical
stamina expected at the big level but so far the result has been he is more
successful in the starting role over the bullpen. A very good pre-season
landed him the SP4 spot and his success and ability to stay on top of his
control issues that come and go will be key to determining if this is a stop
gap measure which most believe it is or a test to see if he can establish
himself as a starter. Still being 24 with 3*M potential means there is room for
growth. Control improvements will bolster his above average stuff. Seattle has
even toyed with the idea of trying him as a closer and next season may see that
experiment in Spring Training. Morris was ranked #20 prospect in 2024 and #28
in 2025 but it remains to be seen if Morris will reach these projections.
Another year or two at AAA would have been beneficial to maximize but Seattle’s
struggles at the big league level force a slightly premature call up,
·
SP5 - RHP Diego
Pena – Pena ( 3-1 5.55 -0.3
WAR) has been a jack of all trades over the last few seasons with Seattle with
experiments as long reliever, spot starter and even closing out a few games. An
unexpected strong Spring Training mixed with Seattle being unable to lock in a better
alternative has earned Pena a shot at the back of the rotation. There isn’t
much expectation or optimistic talk about Pena’s ability to perform at the
level you would expect from an SP and many feel his best asset is providing
depth in case of injury and eating innings to keep that burden off the rest of
the bullpen. Seattle will be watching the farm, waiver wires and opportunities
to improve the SP4 and SP5 spots sooner rather than later.
Relief
Pitchers – The Seattle bullpen more than maybe any other
positions will dictate what success the team will see in 2026, which leaves a
lot to be concerned about. There are no stoppers, established leadership or
blue chip prospects here. For the most part it is an assembly of what should be
AAA depth for injuries or inning eating mop up types. There is some potential
with a few members of the bullpen to step up to their potential and not kill
the clubs chances of holding on to leads but even that thought is in question.
The Front Office publically acknowledges this and the Starting Rotation are the
main focuses over shoring up a few holes in the offense. In the wings – 22 year
old RH Kirk Redman (2.5* Pot) at AAA, and nothing much else aside form
fringe bullpen Grade = D (ABL) D- (Farm)
·
CL RHP Shi-Xian
“Biscuit” Le– 2.5* Le (5-3 4.29 and 25Sv 0.2 WAR) is the closest
thing to a legit bullpen talent. This has led him to the closer role where he
has enjoyed some success between some all to frequent meltdowns. If he can take
his game up one notch in 2026 he could provide at least one dependable arm.
Many believe he might be better suited for a setup role but lack of talent in
the bullpen sees him once again being the closer. Now Seattle just has to
figure out how to keep close in between the SP’s and Le.
·
SU RHP Oliver
Martin – 2.5* Martin (8-9
5.49 1.3 WAR) is an enigma for Seattle. A natural SP, he has been consistent
but his ERA has been about a run higher than one might expect with his ratings.
His pitching coach says he has a high work ethic and an intelligent approach to
the game, adequate tools but hasn’t been able to pull it all together. This
could be a result of his versatility being leveraged to fill holes is the
starting rotation and bullpen. The coaching staff experimented over Spring
Training with Martin in the setup role and everything went better than
expected. Whether the club can afford Oliver to stay in that role due to his
stamina and ability to start remains to be seen. The bullpen will be better if
he can stay in that role but skeptics feel it is likely he may need to fill the
SP5 spot if the weakness of Pena are exposed early on.
·
SU LHP 2* Yuan
“The Machine” Mak – Mak
(3-10 5.33 1.3 WAR) has been anything but a machine. Seattle had high hopes he
would contribute at a higher level in 2025 but results didn’t pan out.
Like Martin he has bounced back and forth between the rotation and bullpen and
would probably benefit from knowing his role. He has enough raw talent to rise
up and provide stability but whether he will remains to be seen. He is another
candidate for a call up to the rotation.
·
MR RHP Dan Lewis – 2* Lewis (0-1 9.00 -0.3 WAR) has struggled
at the big league over 2 limited call ups. He is poised to be the mop up guy
and long reliever but no miracles are expected here. His rating do indicate
there is room for lowering his ERA but that is about the best that can be hoped
for with Lewis.
·
MR LHP 1.5* Gilberto
Gonzalez – Gonzalez (0-0
0.00 0.1 WAR) is largely an unknown commodity, he has been up and down with
ratings over the last 2-3 seasons but had a very solid 2025 AAA season. Much
like Lewis he is here for lack of a better option coming out of Spring
Training. He could improve enough to contribute or he could be back at AAA.
There is definitely no long term solution here.
·
MR RHP Tim Rose – 1.5* Rose (1-7 6.52 0.0 WAR) is just another
arm to eat some innings until someone at AAA proves they are a better option.
Rose could see the waiver wire before the end of the season.
·
MR LHP Raghavachary Minakshi – 1.5* Minakshi
(1-0 4.38 0.2 WAR) seems to have found himself at AAA last season which earned
him a long look in Spring Training. The result was he did very well and earned
a MR spot. If it becomes necessary to move one of the SU guys to the rotation
Minakshi currently would be the first choice to move into a setup role.
Seattles bullpen is hoping his recent success translates into more stability
for the relieving corp.
·
2026
Season Summary…
The Seattle Sasquatch finds themselves
at a pivotal point as they enter into the 2026 season. Improvements have been
made over the 2025 club but there is nothing sweeping that would indicate
results much different than last season in the wins column at first glance. The
Front Office has tweaked the lineups, retained the key players and hopes that
another season of stability and focus on top of an expansion season will lead
to a few more W’s in the win column. The Winter Meeting consensus being Seattle
is only a few pieces from being a legit playoff contender with an offense that
has the ability to be explosive at times leading to the possibility of knocking
off an early round opponent if they are good and lucky enough to be in that
position at the end of the season.
GM Warren Hampton has been spreading the
mantra throughout the club house that the focus must be one series at a time,
stop worrying about the level of competition in the Bobby Cox division, the
club must win more series then not. In a recent comment he was quoted as
saying “this isn’t some revolutionary concept, it is a fundamental approach to
success, the team leaders such as Rob and Joe Young need to embrace this
concept, execute and rally the team to look at each series as a battle that
must be won”
‘Squatch
Nation let’s see those seats filled in support your boys and give
them that little something extra they need to rise to the occasion!
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