Rosenthal: Mariners’ offseason reflects the team’s current world order

So what are the front offices of the Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins and every other club in regional sports network purgatory supposed to do, quit? Their owners seemingly are using the uncertainty of their future TV revenues as an excuse not to spend. That’s this year’s excuse, anyway.

The uncertainty is real, but it’s debatable how much the finances of the affected teams will suffer and whether their austerity is warranted to this degree. The sport somehow recovered from Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts’ warning of “biblical losses” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Can’t wait for next offseason, when owners fret over a potential financial hit from global warming making it too hot for fans to attend games.

Just kidding. Sort of.

All front offices can do is operate within the parameters set by ownership, and that’s what Monday’s trade between the Mariners and Twins was all about. For different reasons, both clubs are dealing with RSN-related restrictions. But both clubs still envision themselves as contenders. Their front offices could not, would not, let an intriguing opportunity pass.

The Twins ended their largely dormant offseason by trading Jorge Polanco, a second baseman they considered expendable, for four players — right-handed starter Anthony DeSclafani, right-handed reliever Justin Topa and two minor leaguers,(outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez, a top 100 prospect, and right-hander Darren Bowen, an upside play). They also received $8 million from the Mariners, making their net savings approximately $5.5 million. As The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey plans to infuse that money into the 2024 payroll, potentially making the return even greater than 4-for-1.

The Mariners’ end of this deal might be even more fascinating. The website Baseball Trade Values classified the package they sent to the Twins as an overpay but also noted several qualifiers: The Mariners’ ability to get the most out of relievers like Topa; their other outfield prospects who made a trade of Gonzalez palatable; and perhaps more than anything, the paucity of hitters in the free-agent market. Considering the Mariners’ recent difficulty in finding a second baseman, Polanco — a switch-hitter under club control for the next two seasons — was an especially good fit.

Have the Mariners actually improved their offense by adding Polanco, Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger, Luke Raley and Luis Urías and subtracting Eugenio Suárez, Teoscar Hernández and Jarred Kelenic, who last season accounted for more than 25 percent of their home runs yet nearly 35 percent of their strikeouts? That remains to be seen.

Might the team, which last season fell short of the playoffs by one game, be in an even stronger position if it signs free-agent left-hander Blake Snell, a Seattle-area native? Of course. But because of the limits imposed by ownership, that’s not the world the Mariners are living in.

Fans don’t have to…