PHOENIX â The words were light, yet poignant. âIf we wouldâve had an injury problem or a COVID outbreak, you mightâve seen my big tummy out there in left field.â Thatâs what former Seattle Mariners President Kevin Mather said during a video call with a local rotary club on Feb. 5, adding that there was no way any of the teamâs top prospects could have made the Major League roster last September out of reluctance to start their service time clocks. These words from Mather, along with a handful of other statements regarding the Mariners in the same meeting, ultimately led to his resignation on February 22 after the video from the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club surfaced. They also mark Major League Baseballâs latest instance of service time manipulation, a practice that aims to prolong the amount of time that teams retain club control of top prospects while paying them the minimum allowed by the league.