Jarred Kelenic Thanked Everyone EXCEPT The Seattle Mariners Organization In His Farewell Message

Talk about a bad breakup. I didn’t know that Kelenic would be so salty about this. Last season, he was one of the feel-good stories of 2023. This was a guy who came up in the Mets organization and was one of the most highly touted prospects in baseball; he got traded to the Mariners in the Edwin Diaz deal and struggled his first several years. He turned it on in the first half of last year and, at one point, even thanked the fans for their continuous support during his struggles. Feelings definitely change when a guy gets traded.

I don’t like that athletes need to release a statement every time they leave a team. If you want to do it, go ahead. But we reached this point where it’s an obligation. Mets fans were upset when it took Jacob deGrom a full week to release a statement thanking the New York Mets organization. It’s a cool gesture, but it shouldn’t be a requirement. And I already know how this is going to play out. At some point in the next few days, Kelenic will release a second statement saying he forgot to thank Seattle and loved his time there. That’s disingenuous. As someone who’s written many overwrought messages on social media, you never leave anything out accidentally. Kelenic is pissed. 

I understand the frustration. It’s never convenient to get traded, and in fairness to Kelenic, he did think the Mariners fans; he just told the organization to go fuck itself. But if you’re going to get traded anywhere, going to the Braves is a pretty good ticket. He’ll have to adjust to a new clubhouse and new teammates, but when those teammates are perennial All-Stars and MVP candidates, I feel like acclimating will be pretty easy. Atlanta goes to Seattle for three game set on April 29, 30th, and May 1. Kelenic will surely get a big ovation. Based on what I read on social media, the fans are every bit as pissed about this trade as Kelenic is.