Mariners No More

When General Manager Spencer Fascetta came to Seattle 3 seasons ago as part of the relocation of the Kansas City Royals to Shanghai, the team was in shambles. Apart from a few pieces that Fascetta had brought with him from Kansas City (i.e. Rafael Pineda, Zomiro Puig, etc.), there was very little to build upon. They have bided their time, and endured 3 miserable seasons before the team took a big step forward this past year, improving their win total by almost 10 games. Now, with 12 home grown players returning on the roster, including budding star Zomiro Puig, the organization has taken the next step to success. Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has announced that he has become a majority owner in the team, and with that, has instituted a large scale rebranding process. The Mariners, who have long endured the league's worst hitters part in SAFECO Field, will debut the newly minted Amazon.com Sports Complex at the beginning of next season, and have completely redesigned the organization.

The brand new Amazon.com Sports Complex has critics pondering the combination of a hockey rink and baseball field.

The new squad, known as the Cascades, will enjoy a top of the line facility with the Amazon.com Sports Complex, which also reportedly includes a full size ice rink, leaving critics wondering if the new ownership group also has the rights to an NHL expansion franchise for the city of Seattle, or if the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds are moving across town.

Seattle looks to emmulate its Pacific Northwest Heritage

When asked what the reasoning was for the rebranding, Bezos expressed his desire to give the team a new identity that combines the new and the old for the city. "The main goal of the rebrand was to give the team more of a modern Seattle look," said Bezos. "We really felt as if the Mariners brand, though rich with history, just didn't fit into our vision." When asked about the new name and logo, Bezos was a bit more comedic. "Well, clearly we wanted to show our support to the Cascadia movement in the Northwest! It fit in with the colors of our fellow Seattle franchises, and also speaks to the wilderness and forrestry of the Pacific Northwest." Cascadia is a proposed country built from the current US states of Oregon, Washington, and parts of California and Idaho, as well as the Canadian province of British Colombia. Regardless, the team is rebranded, and will use a large amount of cap space this offseason to reload for a big push to the postseason in 2030.