Mariners are the next Rays

March, 8, 2012

3/08/12

4:24

PM ET

By Jim Bowden | ESPN.com

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The future is bright for teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals. These up-and-coming teams have been constructed the right way and might soon establish themselves as contenders for years to come.

There is one rebuilding club that is a step behind them, but by 2014 this team should be able to compete with the game's highest payrolls and could easily be dubbed the next Tampa Bay Rays -- the poster boys for success without breaking the bank. That team? The Seattle Mariners.

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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com. In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999. After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowdenESPNxm.