Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Pickin's are slim nowadays...
As there is little to report right now, I haven't posted for a while. I almost wrote an article on Shawn Green yesterday, but it was getting late, and the topic really wasn't that interesting. Stay tuned for new posts as news develops...
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Sasaki departure a mixed blessing
Losing one of the best closers in the American League can never be a good thing, can it? In the case of the Mariners and their recent loss of Kazuhiro Sasaki (I assume you've heard the specifics...if not, go here), it may turn out to be a very good thing...but with Bill Bavasi at the helm, one can never be sure.
For three years Kaz Sasaki was one of the most dominant closers in the AL, posting 119 saves in his first three seasons. He was the beginning of the Mariners' bullpen revolution. In the aftermath of the Bobby Ayala/Jose Mesa era of Seattle baseball, Kazuhiro Sasaki single-handedly restored fan confidence in the Seattle bullpen. The Mariners went from a team that could never keep a late game lead to a team that almost never lost one.
But with Sasaki now out of the picture, the Mariners will have as much as $9.5 million to spend on artillery for the coming season. That is about one tenth of the Mariners' total payroll. They should be able to make some serious improvements with that amount of money...right? But could $9.5 million in freely spendable payroll actually be a bad thing? I think that in the case of the Bill Bavasi Mariners, it may be.
The reason I say it may be a bad thing is that although the money is there to spend, there isn't much to spend it on. The only free agent left that would fit the Mariners' need for a power bat at an upgradable position is Ivan Rodriguez. I-Rod would be quite an improvement over the Wilson/Davis tandem at catcher, but what if the Mariners don't land Rodriguez? What will they spend the money on then?
They might pick up a few bats to strengthen the bench, and they might sign a lefty reliever, but what then? I imagine a sizeable chunk of that $9.5 million would be left over even if the Mariners filled those gaps. Will they leave it lying to make a trade down the road? That seems like a perilous proposition to me. What if they can't make a trade, and that money sits around collecting dust in Bill Bavasi's pocket? Or even worse, what if Bill signs some more "tools" players who can't hit their way out of a paper sack? Might Bavasi use the money to sign Cuban defector Maels Rodriguez? What if he gets injured? What if he turns out to be a bust?
I see too many bad "what if?" scenarios resulting from Kaz Sasaki's departure. If the Mariners had had this extra money around November/December, maybe Miguel Tejada or Vlad Guerrero would be in Seattle right now. But as it is, I'm imagining a number of ways in which Bill Bavasi could actually do damage to the Mariners with this newly acquired jackpot. Here's to hoping Ivan Rodriguez becomes a Mariner in the coming weeks...
Monday, January 19, 2004
Kazuhiro Sasaki wants to leave the Mariners
ESPN reports that Kaz Sasaki does not want to play for the Mariners, or for any MLB team, in 2004 and beyond. I'm busy right now, so I don't have time to add any real commentary about this, but this is a huge development for the Mariners.
Kerry wins Iowa caucuses
MSNBC reports that John Kerry has won the Iowa caucuses. This isn't exactly Mariners news, but it is important nonetheless.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Hot Stove Heaters are back
ESPN's yearly Hot Stove Heaters are back for 2004. For the baseball fan who can't wait for Spring Training to start, these are always a good read.
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Mariners retain Anderson, Charlton considering comeback
After passing wavers, the Mariners retained Ryan Anderson and assigned him to AAA Tacoma.
SeattleMariners.com reports that Norm Charlton is considering a comeback to the Mariners for the 2004 season. The M's could use a left handed reliever, and if Norm is able, I'd personally love to see him back on the roster.
The AL West just got better
Rob Neyer wrote an interesting article on how the Angels have dramatically improved their roster, and their chances of winning the division in 2004.
I'm not sure who will win the AL West, but I know the competition just got a lot stiffer with the Guerrero signing. Great move by the Angels. As for the Mariners, I think they will play well enough to compete for the division title, but I know any team from the AL West will probably have to win the division to make the playoffs. If the Mariners play as well as I think they're capable of, it should be an exciting 2004 season.
Thursday, January 08, 2004
An interesting tidbit that I missed earlier
Update: Ryan Anderson was designated for assignment yesterday (Jan 9).
In his Guillen/Aurilia article, Bob Finnigan also reported that the Mariners will likely drop Ryan Anderson from the 40 man roster, effectively ending his Mariner career. M's fans will of course remember when the six foot, ten inch "Little Unit" joined the Mariners in 1997 as the first pick in the MLB draft. He looked like the second coming of Randy Johnson, with a 100 mph fastball and a giant wingspan. But injuries have kept him out of action for three seasons, and now no one is certain when, if ever, Ryan Anderson will take the mound again for a major league team. I hope he can get healthy and catch on with another team, because he deserves a chance to play in the bigs.
Guillen deal done, Aurilia near Marinerhood
Update: Both deals are now official.
John Hickey at Seattle PI reports that the Mariners have reached a deal with the Tigers that would send Carlos Guillen to Detroit in exchange for some minor leaguers. Bob Finnigan at Seattle Times reports that the deal would include a major league player on the Detroit end of the deal, possibly infielder Ramon Santiago. Carlos Guillen's replacement, Rich Aurilia, has agreed to a one year contract at about $3.5 million. The Aurilia deal awaits the results of a physical, while the Tigers have only to approve Guillen's medical records for that deal to be compelted.
The Mariners will be paying Aurilia an extra $1 million over what they would have paid Carlos Guillen in 2004. Whether Aurilia is worth the extra cash remains to be seen. He has had injury problems, but not of the sort that plagued Carlos Guillen; rather, Aurilia missed more than three weeks last season due to an emergency apendectomy, and struggled with a condition known as "dry eye." Both of those problems have been taken care of, and there is no reason to expect that Aurilia will not be able to play a full season in 2004. Carlos Guillen, on the other hand, can almost always be expected to miss a a good chunk of time during any given season. Furthermore, Rich Aurilia is a better hitter than Guillen, with superior seasonal averages in home runs, RBI, runs scored, and OPS. As a fielder, Aurilia is competent, no better or worse than Guillen.
So overall, I think this move will improve the Mariners, though I'm not sure GM Bill Bavasi will be getting useful players or prospects in return for Guillen. I'll have to wait and see what the specifics are on that deal.
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
A template change
I didn't like the old template, so I switched to this one. I kept the html for the old template though, so I may switch back at some point.
Also, I've decided to actually give this site a weekly flavor, as is implied in the title, and which I initially intended to do. During the season (maybe preseason too) I will post a weekly report, to include the week's stats, scores, updated standings, and news tidbits. I will also continue the regular unscheduled posting, which will include the types of things I post currently: analysis, opinions, insight, etc. So look for that when the Mariners start the regular season, and in the meantime keep reading!
Quite possibly the worst bench in baseball
Although I haven't touched on the subject much, it has been on my mind, and on the minds of the other Mariners bloggers out there. Could Bill Bavasi have possibly assembled a worse bench than he has for the 2004 season? With the Jeff Cirillo trade, the M's bench now includes such feared hitters as:
Ben Davis
Willie Bloomquist
Dave Hansen
Wiki Gonzalez
Luis Ugueto
Quinton McCracken
Jamal Strong (?)
Chris Snelling (?)
Not exactly a lineup that makes opposing managers agonize over who Bob Melvin might send to the plate in the ninth inning. This has got to be the absolute worst bench among teams who are contending for playoff spots in the AL. It could be one of the worst benches in all of baseball. Some Japanese League benches may be better than this one. The Mariners need at least two, maybe three, good hitters on the bench. They had one in Greg Colbrunn, but that quickly turned into Quinton McCracken. Most of the bench, aside from Bloomquist and Davis, couldn't hit its way out of a wet paper sack. The Mariners need some help on the bench, and they need it quick.
Who would have thought it would come to this?
When Jeff Cirillo joined the Mariners two seasons ago, the future looked bright. To Seattle came what many believed to be the final piece to the puzzle: Jeff Cirillo, a two time All Star, one of the best players at his position. With a slick glove and a great bat to boot, Jeff Cirillo looked like a wonderful addition at a position that had been (and still is) a question mark year after year in Seattle. But then, disaster struck. For whatever reason, though we may theorize about the specifics, it didn't work out with Jeff. After two seasons in which he batted just .234, hit 8 home runs and 75 RBI, Jeff Cirillo is no longer a Mariner.
As of today he is now a Padre, the Seattle contribution to a six player trade that sent Cirillo along with minor league pitcher Brian Sweeney and cash to San Diego for pitcher Kevin Jarvis, catcher Wiki Gonzalez, infielder Dave Hansen, and a minor leaguer. This is what it has come to. Jeff Cirillo was not ample compensation for the services of a veteran pitcher whose career ERA is hovering near 6.00, a young catcher who has never shown much promise as a major leaguer, a utility infielder who may have some value to the Mariners, and an unnamed minor leaguer. No, the Mariners also had to give up a good pitching prospect in Brian Sweeney and cash to complete the deal. Who would have thought?
I actually feel bad for Jeff Cirillo. His ineffectiveness as a Mariner was not due to a lack of effort or desire. His toughest critic was himself, and that may be what doomed him from the beginning. Maybe his expectations were too high, and when he struggled early in his Mariner career, his lack of confidence may have compounded the problem and led to the tailspin. Whatever the reason, it's too bad for Jeff and for the Mariners that it didn't work out. It could have been a wonderful thing, but now it's just an ugly memory that I don't think Mariners fans will ever forget, but will always wish they could.
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Heartbreak in Green Bay
What a game. The Seahawks had their chances, but in the end it just wasn't to be. Matt Hasselbeck showed how good he is though, despite giving up the losing interception. Too bad.
Saturday, January 03, 2004
Do the Seahawks have a chance against Green Bay?
I think they do. But I still wouldn't bet on the 'Hawks this weekend. Here's to hoping that they make it to the Super Bowl.
Friday, January 02, 2004
Another filler post
Still not much new to post about. There is talk of the M's signing Rich Aurilia, but I think I've already given that subject enough attention. Also, there is a trade rumor that would send Jeff Cirillo to San Diego for P Kevin Jarvis, but that isn't enough of a tidbit to devote an entire post to. Hope everyone had a good holiday season.
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