Goodbye

I’m going to try and keep this as direct and to the point as possible. As I’m sure many of you have already realized, the lack of activity occurring on this blog the past few months has been very discouraging. For those of you that can relate, when maintaining a blog gets to the point where it’s more of a chore, than a hobby, there really isnt much fun involved. As a result, along with a few other things I have going on, I’ve realized it’s time to put the kabbash to East Coast Mariner.

I’ve had a lot of fun since the inception of this blog. I sincerely thank everyone that checked in on a daily basis, and contributed their opinions to anything I had wrote. Your thoughts and opinions are truly what gave this blog the moderate success it had achieved. I’d be lying if I told you the epic failure the 2010 season for the Mariners has been didnt contribute to this decision, but it surely has. With that said, it’s in my blood to watch every Mariners game I can, and read any Mariners related article I can, and I will certainly continue to do so. This may be the end of East Coast Mariner, but I will continue following other  sites like USS Mariner, Lookout Landing, ProballNW, Prospect Insider, and the many others that make the Mariners blogosphere the absolute best in baseball. The guys that operate and contribute to these sites are truly incredible at what they do, and I hope you guys dont take them for granted. Praise them, encourage them, and support then, they absolutely deserve every bit of it.

There’s many other things I could say, but rather than rabbling on endlessly, I’d just like to say goodbye to everyone. Thank you all for the endless support you have shown these past 8 months or so. I’ll be in touch!

Mike

Taking a Break

The title is pretty self-explanatory in and of itself. I’m leaving Friday to vacation in Vegas with the family for a week. After that, I’ll be in Florida the following week with a couple of close friends. Upon my return, I’ll start working full-time in the “real world”. It’s not really like I’ve been posting much on here anyway, and for that, I apologize. However, to be honest, the current state of the Mariners deserves no attention, and I’m quite pleased I’ll have two weeks free from this garbage. Hopefully by the time I return some real changes will have been made, and ya know, maybe they’ll win some games too…

Milton Bradley

The title of this post is the only time you’re going to hear that name mentioned throughout this rambling. By now, this issue has been analyzed, scrutinized, debated, and repeated far too many times for my liking. Essentially, it’s nothing more than another overblown incident involving X player only because X player has an unfavorable reputation. In my opinion, it’s absolutely ridiculous and deserves no further mention.

In another Mariner related news, Dustin Ackley hit his first professional home run last night, Michael Pineda is still AWESOME, Michael Saunders is finally busting out of his slump, Ryan Langerhans is back! (Unfortunately so is Josh Wilson), Mark Lowe has landed on the DL with Shawn Kelley being called back up as his replacement, and Don Wakamatsu, in addition to continually mismanaging the bullpen, is still finding a way to improperly construct a lineup, as well as employing two useless players in the DH position.

That’s about all I have for now. In case anyone is interested, I will officially graduate from Shippensburg University this Saturday with a degree in Finance, where I will then be employed full-time by an insurance brokerage not far from my home town, and find out what exactly the popularly overused “Welcome to the real world” phrase actually means

Observations

1. Mike Sweeney is no longer a capable Major League Baseball Player
2. Eric Byrnes is no longer a capable Major League Baseball Player
3. Ken Griffey Jr. is no longer a capable Major League Baseball Player
4. Rob Johnson never was a capable Major League Baseball Player

Anyone noticing the common theme?

Prospect Watch

Over the course of the season, I’ve decided to implement a new series to this blog called “Prospect Watch”. What this will be is a ranking of the Mariner’s top ten prospects in their minor league system, according to my own opinion.  I’ll also provide some brief insight to go along with my own rankings. I haven’t yet decided whether I want to do this on a weekly or monthly basis. So, for the time being just stay tuned and we’ll take it from there. Please be aware that prospects included in this top ten ranking system will NOT include any prospects currently playing short-season baseball (i.e. Julio Morban). I have my own reasoning for this, but to put it simply, prospects are too fragile as they climb the minor league system. As a result, I’ll choose to focus solely on the prospects playing full-season baseball. Of course, should anyone be promoted from short-season to full-season baseball, they will obviously be taken into consideration for inclusion in my rankings. Also, please note that my rankings will not solely be based upon how each player is performing in 2010, but rather, consideration will be given for past performance, as well as current performance. Additionally, all rankings are subject to change, and will probably do so numerous times throughout the course of the 2010 minor league baseball season. So, with that said, let’s get this thing started…

1. Dustin Ackley .153/.275/.220…15 G, 59 AB, 10 R, 9 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 9 BB, 10 K, 2 SB, 3 E

The second overall pick in the 2009 draft has gotten off to a bit of a low start for the Diamond Jaxx. However, Ackley has been coming around recently, as he notched 2 of his 3 extra base hits on this season this past week. Personally, I’m not too worried about Ackley’s slow start and I’d be willing to bet he’s going to get this thing turned around sooner rather than later. Want some proof for that? Take a look at his walks and strikeouts on the season, they’re almost dead even. The hitting for average and for power will soon follow.

2. Michael Pineda 3 GS, 1-0, 1.76 ERA…15.1 IP, 13 H, 4 BB, 18 SO, 1.11 WHIP

I realize some of you may question my aggressiveness with ranking Pineda so high on this list, but as a person who currently has his own Michael Pineda Day (Similar to King Felix Day!), I couldn’t help myself here. The love affair the coaching staff developed with the 6’7 right-hander that started in Spring Training, has continued thus far this season. At this point, I don’t think there’s much debate anymore as to whether or not Pineda is the top pitcher in the Mariners farm system. That said, Pineda must prove he can stay healthy and continue to pitch effectively for a full season. If he does, he’s not long for AA…

3. Michael Saunders .157/.228/.157…14 G, 51 AB, 3 R, 8 H, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 12 K, 1 SB, 0 E

Speaking of top Mariners prospects that have gotten themselves off to slow starts, Michael Saunders is really struggling right now. I’ve got to believe the majority of Saunders struggles at the plate are due in large part to the tinkering Alfonzo Powell and the coaching staff are trying to do with his swing. As an optimist, I think Saunders will eventually get things figured out and return to his 2009 form which tore up AAA pitching. However, as a pessimist, I think Saunders stint in Seattle last season could potentially be a pre-cursor of things to come, much like the situation that unfolded with Jeff Clement. I really like Saunders, so I’m certainly hoping it’s the former rather than the latter, because it sure would be nice to have him push Milton Bradley to DH (where he belongs), Griffey to the bench, and Sweeney to retirement.

4. Carlos Triunfel .234/.290/.359…16 G, 64 AB, 10 R, 15 H, 0 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB, 13 K, 0 SB, 5 E

In what’s becoming a common theme for top Mariner prospect hitters, Dustin Ackley’s double play partner, Carlos Triunfel, hasn’t exactly been tearing the cover off of the ball either. Granted, Triunfel is a year removed from missing just about the entire AA season. Triunfel has been turning things around at the plate lately, with both of his homers just recently occurring this past week. The 20 year old has done a decent job thus far adapting to AA pitching, but will have to continue to improve upon the strides he made this past week in order to warrant a higher ranking on this list

5. Nick Franklin .343/.382/.657…17 G, 70 AB, 10 R, 24 H, 2 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 5 BB, 13 K, 1 SB, 3 E

Once again, another aggressive ranking here as the 19 year old switch-hitting middle infielder is off to a scorching start for the Clinton Lumberkings. Many people questioned, including myself, whether Franklin’s bat would be able to produce at the professional level. Thus far, Nick Franklin has done nothing other than dispel any questions surrounding his production at the plate. It will be interesting to see if he can keep up the quick  start he is off to at the dish. If he can, he’ll undoubtedly be forcing the Mariners hand into a promotion to High Desert sometime this summer.

6. Mauricio Robles 3 GS, 1-1, 4.15 ERA…13 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 17 SO, 1.31 WHIP

The short and stocky left-hander acquired in the Jarrod Washburn deal is off to a solid start thus far for the Diamond Jaxx. Along with Pineda, Robles generated a lot of attention from the Mariners coaching staff during spring training, and was even rumored to have been taken under the wing by none other than King Felix himself. In 3 starts at West Tennessee, Robles has done a good job generating a bunch of swings and misses. However, he’s been hurt a little bit by giving up almost a hit per inning, while also walking 5 men thus far in 13 innings. The control will have to improve a bit for Robles, and if/when it does, watch out!

7. Greg Halman .188/.328/.417…13 G, 48 AB, 8 R, 9 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 10 BB, 21 K, 3 SB, 1 E

Had I asked any of you who among the Mariners top ten prospects would be the leading strikeout candidate thus far, I’d imagine 99 % of you would have guessed Greg Halman. However, had I asked any of you who has generated the most walks among the top ten Mariners prospects, I’d be willing to bet NONE of you would have guessed Greg Halman. Despite a paltry batting average, and a compounding number of strikeouts, Greg Halman has actually performed well thus far at the AAA level. Shockingly, Halman has generated a 1 walk in about every 6 plate appearance, and has still managed to hit for a decent amount of the power we all know he possesses. Halman is no doubt one of, if not the most, frustrating prospect in the Mariners system, but if he can continue to demonstrate this improved discipline at the plate, he might be able to vault himself back into top 5 prospect territory once again

8. Dennis Raben .290/.367.565…18 G, 69 AB, 13 R, 20 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 8 BB, 18 K, 0 SB, 3 E

A year removed from knee surgery, in which he missed the entire 2009 season, Dennis Raben has shown no ill efffects at the plate thus far. Like his fellow Lumberking counterpart, Nick Franklin, Raben has done a good job tearing apart Midwest League pitching. As a result of the knee surgery, Raben will probably be strictly considered as a 1B/DH type of prospect from this point forward, so the bat will have to continue to produce at an above average level if he wishes to eventually warrant major league playing time. If Raben can cut down on the strikeouts, and continue to display the power and plate discipline he demonstrated at Miami, he should find himself in High Desert in no time.

9. Rich Poythress .297/.366/.516…16 G, 64 AB, 8 R, 19 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 6 BB, 13 K, 0 SB, 1 E

Many of you are probably wondering why I chose to rank the left-handed Raben, over his right-handed counterpart, Rich Poythress. The answer is actually pretty simple, it’s called “The High Desert Effect”. As we’ve seen a countless number of times in the past, High Desert is known for severely inflating hitter’s numbers. That said, I do think Poythress will be able to carry over his early success he has at High Desert to West Tennessee if/when he is promoted. Poythress is a big slugger with a good eye at the plate who tends to strike out quite a bit. If Poythress can continue to mash A+ ball pitching, you have to believe he’ll be on the fast track to AA, where there is currently no first base prospect in place.

10. Dan Cortes 4 GS, 1-1, 7.36 ERA…18.1 IP, 21 H, 10 BB, 15 SO, 1.69 WHIP

In all honesty, deciding on the tenth prospect on this list was a pretty tough decision for me. If there was a pitching equivalent to Greg Halman, it would no doubt be considered Dan Cortes. Cortes has now spent 2+ seasons pitching at AA, and the results have been nothing more than a mixed bag of success (or lack there of). Much like Halman, Cortes has all the physical attributes that make scouts drool all over him. That said, inconsistent command, and an ability to just quite frankly not even show up at times makes Cortes nothing more than the #10 prospect on my list at this time. Cortes no doubt has the capability to be the top pitching prospect in the Mariners system, and many people even consider him to be that guy, but until he is able to demonstrate an improved feel for the strike zone, and make the necessary jump to AAA, he is nothing more than a fringe prospect in my opinion.

Honorable Mention:

Makiel Cleto, Alex Liddi, Gabriel Noreiga, Johermyn Chavez,  Kyle Seager, Carlos Peguero

Week 1 Recap

Update: In a bit of good news, Ryan Langerhans has cleared waivers and has been out righted to AAA Tacoma

Well, that probably wasn’t exactly what the Mariners had in mind when they envisioned how the first week of their season would play out. Quite frankly, some of the games this past week have been down right dreadful to watch, and if not for Felix Hernandez and Franklin Gutierrez this team could certainly be starring 0-7 in the face right now. With that said, there is hope on the horizon. Despite being 2-5, Cliff Lee and Erik Bedard are quickly working there way back to a potential return in early and late May, respectively. Also, despite the fact that most of the offense has been down right dreadful, there are quality big league hitters in this lineup and they will start to progress toward the mean as the season continues to unfold. So, in no particular order, here’s a couple of my thoughts on the Mariners 1 week into the Major League Baseball season:

• The starting pitching could not have been much worse
  Excluding Felix, the rotation looked just about as bad as it could possibly be this week. I’m probably over-exaggerating a bit here, but needless to say I was not very impressed. Ian Snell turned in a decent outing in Oakland, but he was downright dreadful today in Texas against a much better Rangers lineup. Ryan Rowland-Smith was just about as erratic as I’ve ever seen him in his first start against the A’s. That said, I do think RRS will rebound and be a solid mainstay in the Mariners rotation as the season continues to progress. Doug Fister was awful against a weak Oakland lineup. For being so highly regarded for his ability to avoid giving up the free pass during his minor league career, Fister continuously backed himself into full counts the entire day and ended up walking a handful of A’s as well. Jason Vargas was very good for 5+ innings against the Rangers but immediately unraveled their after. I think I like Vargas in the rotation more so than Fister, but as I’ve stated on here many times in the past, I still don’t think either guy is a great fit in a big league rotation.
• The bullpen wasn’t all that much better
  I’m not really sure what to make of the bullpen’s performance this past week. The pen blew two saves but only ended up losing one of those games. David Aardsma looked pretty solid, going 2-2 in save opportunities this week, but he definitely owes Gutierrez a steak dinner for that game saving catch. Mark Lowe, Shawn Kelley and Brandon League looked pretty nasty during their appearances this week, even though they did give up a couple of runs as a whole. Kanekoa Texiera and the new addition to the pen, Jesus Colome, got a bunch of work in this week. Texiera was definitely baptised by fire in his first appearance, working his way out of a 1 out, bases loaded jam only to then give up the game winning hit the following inning. Both guys were a bit inconsistent so it should be interesting to see how they perform as the season unfolds. Sean White cost Felix a win in the season opener and almost cost the Mariners the game. White got some more work in later in the week, but honestly, he’s just not very good
• Screw you Mike Sweeney
  We want Langerhans!
• The offense is really struggling
  Aside from Gutierrez, the offense really looked down right bad this week. If Ichiro and Figgins cant get on base at an above average clip, you can really see how this offense is going to have a lot of trouble scoring runs. Milton Bradley is really slumping at the plate right now, his lone hit being a homer. Milton should be fine as long as he can separate playing the game from the distractions (fans, media, etc.) that come with it. Griffey’s bat looks REALLY slow right now. I’m hoping he can rebound a little bit but I’m not very confident. In further proof that spring training stats don’t matter at all, Mike Sweeney once again sucks. I’m sorry for lashing out on Sweeney here because as a person I really do like the guy, but as a baseball player, I like Ryan Langerhans and many other players a hell of a lot more. Jose Lopez looks like he’s struggling a little bit but he is what he is at the plate so he’ll be okay. In addition, Lopez actually  doesn’t look too bad at third base either. After getting a brief look at Eric Byrnes thus far, I don’t really like him, not really sure what it is but I’m just not a big fan. In other news, Adam Moore is also struggling so far, Jack Wilson still cant hit, and despite having hip surgeries, Rob Johnson still cant catch

  Well, that’s about all I have for now. Monday is the home opener for the M’s so lets hope they can get something going this week!

Baseball Season Begins Now!!

As many of your are probably already aware, the Mariners announced their opening day roster earlier today. There weren’t really any surprises here, and if you want to get a full look at the roster you can check it out here.

In other news, the Mariners season starts tomorrow! I’m awfully excited for what I hope will be a great year for baseball, particularly the Mariners. So, I’ll just go ahead and say this ahead of time…

HAPPY FELIX DAY TOMORROW!!

Acquiring a starting pitcher

Update: The Marlins have traded for Nate Robertson

Update: Gaudin was just signed by the A’s. That eliminates him from this list

As I was scrolling through Twitter earlier today, a pair of tweets by Jon Paul Morosi and Ed Price caught my eye.

Morosi tweets, “At this point, I would not be shocked if Erik Bedard throws in a regular season game before Cliff Lee. Not how #Mariners drew it up.”

Price tweets, “Cliff Lee injury has #Mariners strongly considering acquiring a starting pitcher, perhaps a free agent or someone released elsewhere.”

Now, obviously the tweet by Morosi is very concerning. On one hand, it would be good news that Bedard is expected to come back ahead of schedule. On the other hand, Bedard could still be expected to be back by the end of May/early June, and Lee could potentially be back around that time as well. As I mentioned in the last post, if a scenario like this unfolds, where Cliff Lee is out for an extended period of time, the Mariners are in BIG trouble. My fingers are crossed that Lee only misses two or three starts and is back by the end of April, but news like this isn’t making me any more optimistic. As a result, the tweet by Ed Price makes a lot of sense. I’ve advocated that the Mariners should bring in another pitcher over the likes of Jason Vargas and Doug Fister, and if they expect Lee to be out past April I’d surely imagine they will do so. I’ve mentioned a number of pitchers in the past I’d like the Mariners to take a look at, so here’s an updated list comparing each guy I think is available via trade or free agency.

Name	Age	K/9	K/BB	HR/9	FIP	xFIP
Manny Parra	27	7.83	1.76	1.03	4.40	4.23
Andy Sonnastine	27	5.97	2.90	1.23	4.38	4.47
Jarrod Washburn	35	5.33	1.94	1.16	4.60	4.86
Chad Gaudin	27	7.02	1.64	0.95	4.51	4.67
Nate Robertson	32	6.10	1.88	1.27	4.74	4.42
Glen Perkins	27	4.63	1.96	1.28	4.80	4.85
Brandon McCarthy	26	6.06	1.77	1.33	4.92	4.94

So, we have a list of 7 pitchers here, all of whom are either free agents (Washburn and Gaudin), or are probably available at the right price (Parra, Sonnastine, Robertson, Perkins, McCarthy). The numbers used in the table above are a representation of each player’s career totals for each statistical category. When looking at the table, there a couple of things that jump out. Parra, Gaudin, McCarthy, and Robertson are the strikeout guys. Unfortunately, with the strikeouts comes a bunch of free passes that each player typically will issue. In comparison, Sonnastine, Washburn, and Perkins are the control guys who pitch to contact and rely on a solid defense  behind them. One could argue that these guys would make the best fit,  given the exceptional defense the Mariners play, but in reality the strikeout guys are going to benefit from an excellent defense as well. Other than Washburn and Robertson, all of these guys are on the right side of 30, and probably haven’t even hit their primes yet. In looking at the numbers, I’m not really sure that Robertson, McCarthy, and Perkins bring anything to the table that Doug Fister and Jason Vargas don’t currently offer. As a result, let’s forget about these guys, rather than waste any more time worrying about a player who probably doesn’t upgrade the Mariners pitching staff.

So, that leaves us with four pitchers remaining. Those guys being Parra, Washburn, Sonnastine, and Gaudin.

Chad Gaudin was just released by the Yankees earlier this week. A couple of teams like the Dodgers are said to be interested in him, as he represents a very solid option in the back of the rotation, and can also be used out of the bullpen as well. Without question, Gaudin would make a lot of sense for the Mariners because they could easily shift him to the bullpen when Lee and Bedard are ready to return to the rotation. Gaudin is exceptionally tough on righties, so it’s not like the Mariners wouldn’t be getting any use from him out of the pen. I like Gaudin and would be more than happy if he was brought in to help solidify the rotation.

The other free agent on the list is Jarrod Washburn. We all know what Washburn is and I’m not even going to say anything more than if the Mariners sign him that’s great, if they don’t, who cares.

A guy I mentioned awhile back in my original post on this topic is Andy Sonnastine. Since then, Sonnastine has lost out to Wade Davis in the “battle” for the 5th slot in the Rays rotation. The reason I put battle in quotations is for the simple fact that Sonnastine has actually pitched quite well this Spring, while Davis…well he has not. That said, I don’t disagree with the Rays decision, and part of their reasoning was to help try and fill the void left in their bullpen because of the injury to J.P. Howell. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure of the availability of Sonnastine, but I’d imagine the Rays would be looking for a bullpen arm (among other things) in return. If Sonnastine is indeed available, I’d hope the Mariners will be calling

The last guy on this list, who was also included in my original post on this topic is Manny Parra. If you’ve hung around this blog for any period of time, it’s probably no secret that for whatever reason I really like Manny Parra. The comparison to Brandon Morrow has been made for a number of reasons, and although I don’t really agree with such, I do understand why many people are frustrated with Parra. Since my original post awhile back, Parra has lost out to the 4th spot in the Brewers rotation to Dave Bush, and is currently fighting Jeff Suppan and Chris Naverson for the final spot. I’d imagine Naverson finds himself in the Brewers bullpen, but Suppan and the $12.5 million he’s owed in 2010 make this situation a bit tricky. I read the other day that an unnamed source stated the Brewers will not eat the money and just release Suppan, which would obviously make Parra the odd man out. In regard to Parra, Jon Paul Morosi also adds this:

“Jack Z drafted Manny Parra. Parra might not make #Brewers rotation. Jack Z would be comfortable dealing with Doug Melvin …Parra, like Lee, is a LHP. So I’d say that Manny Parra could be a fit for the #Mariners. But that almost makes too much sense, doesn’t it?”

I’ve got to agree with Morosi, it does seem to make too much sense, given that things typically aren’t that easy. However, in this case, I sure hope they are. In Jack We Trust. Thoughts?

Worried

Update: Jon Heyman tweets the Mariners are once again “seriously considering” bringing back Jarrod Washburn. The plot thickens…

I’m not exactly sure how many of you feel about the Mariners right now, but I have to admit, I’m starting to get a little worried. My concerns were certainly not alleviated after reading this article by Ken Rosenthal on Foxsports. Obviously, we’re all well aware that the Mariners were essentially the darlings of the offseason. Rightfully so, given their acquisition of Cliff Lee, disposal of Carlos Silva, and locking up Felix and Guti long term. However, since then, there are a number of things that have happened that have me quite concerned:

1. The health of Cliff Lee
   As you all know, the Mariners prize of the offseason has suffered a strained abdomen and will almost certainly not be ready to pitch the second game of the season. The question now becomes how much time is Lee going to miss? I can only hope that Lee misses a start or two and is able to regain form immediately upon his return to the rotation. However, if Lee is unable to return until late April, and still cant regain form until sometime in May, I think the Mariners are going to be in a lot of trouble.
2. The offense, or lack there of
   Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those believers that the Mariners have to acquire a 40 homer guy in order for their offense to produce runs. I love the 1-2 punch of Ichiro and Figgins at the top of the lineup, and I think they’re going to do a great job manufacturing runs for the Mariners. However, my concern is who behind them in the order is going to drive in these runs. Casey Kotchman is currently penciled in as the #3 hitter against right-handers. This worries me because at no point in his career has Kotchman been a legitimate hitter worthy of arguably the most important spot in the batting order. Not only that, but the amount of double plays he could hit into, which would ultimately kill anything Ichiro or Figgins gets started, is a big concern of mine. Milton Bradley is probably the #4 guy in the order, and although I’m willing to give Bradley the benefit of the doubt, I’m worried he struggles to regain his 2008 form in Safeco after a tumultuous year in Chicago. Some combination of Griffey, Garko/Sweeney, or Lopez will most likely follow Bradley in the batting order. As we’re all well aware, Griffey’s skills at the plate are rapidly declining, and the other guys mentioned pretty much are what they are. I think the rest of the lineup will be okay but I’m very worried about the 3-4-5 guys.
3. Who steps up in the rotation
   With Lee being injured, and Bedard not being ready until May at the earliest, the Mariners really need guys like Ian Snell, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Jason Vargas/Doug Fister to step up. Snell and RRS have been inconsistent at best this spring, and I’m still not fond of the idea of Fister or Vargas occupying a spot in the rotation for an extended period of time. I realize that it is spring training and this shouldn’t concern me as much as it does, but I still think there could be issues. Snell has made a career out of being unpredictable, and RRS has yet to pitch a full season in the big leagues. I like both guys and do think they both deserve a spot in the rotation, but by my calculations, that still leaves the Mariners one guy short (assuming Vargas/Fister are only used in the rotation to fill in for Lee while he’s hurt or anyone else that goes down during the season). I’ve mentioned many names like Manny Parra and Andy Sonnastine throughout the offseason  as guys I think the Mariners should target, but a new addition to this list is the recently waiver-ed Chad Gaudin. Gaudin isn’t great against lefties, but he has proved to be durable throughout his career, amassing 200 innings in the Oakland A’s starting rotation in 2007, while also being very capable in relief out of the bullpen. Any one of these three guys, as well as the lovable free agent himself Jarrod Washburn, are at the very least capable enough to hold down Bedard’s spot in the rotation until he comes back, and are surely better fits for the #5 spot then Jason Vargas or Doug Fister. I’m really hoping a move is made to bring someone in is made, otherwise, I’m pretty worried this rotation could fall flat on its face regardless of the defense behind it
4. Depth in the middle infield
   A couple weeks back when it was feared that Jack Wilson may have pulled his hammy, it kind of hit me, who in the world would fill in at shortstop for an extended period of time if Wilson got hurt. The short answer was Jack Hannahan, coincidentally enough though, Hannahan is now injured and will start the season on the disabled list. Much has been made about whether or not Tui could handle this role. In my opinion, Tui can handle the super-utility role that Hannahan occupied for the Mariners, BUT only for the short-term. I know Tui can play a serviceable third base for an extended period of time, and I think Tui is capable enough that he could fill in for Wilson or Figgins a game or two here and there. However, if one of these guys go down, I don’t think Tui can play a good enough middle infield for an extended period of time. The question now becomes are the Mariners going to bring a guy in who can do so, or will they wager that Wilson and Figgins stay healthy until Hannahan comes back, and stick with Tui in the meantime. I think the smart bet is the former, but the Mariners really like Tui and might choose to go with the latter.
5. Can the Mariners really outperform again in 2010?
   It’s no secret that the 2009 Mariners generally outperformed in 2009, and may have not been as good as their 85-77 record would indicate. The Mariners allowed more runs then they actually scored, and I think were projected to win something like 77 games based off of these numbers. For our sake, I hope this lightning in a bottle can strike again for the 2010 Mariners, and they can secure a spot in the 2010 postseason. However, the reality is that the Mariners have a lot of question marks going into this season. If everything goes right, sure I think the Mariners can overtake the Angels in the AL West. But if one or two of my aforementioned concerns goes wrong, we could be looking at a team that struggles to stay above .500. I certainly hope this isn’t the case, but I am worried. Someone please convince me otherwise…

Rumblings

Update: A few more cuts were announced this morning. Michael Saunders was sent down to AAA. Mike Koplove and Levale Speigner were also optioned to the minor league camp. The Saunders move is disappointing but it was obviously expected. Hopefully, he rakes in AAA and is called back up to the big leagues sooner rather than later

Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com has been on a recent tear on twitter regarding several issues involving our very own Seattle Mariners. Let’s take an individual  look at each of his tweets, and see whether or not he is really on to something here:

“Mike Sweeney hitting .750 for the #Mariners this spring. Hearing that the coaching staff wants him on the team”

“And it’s hardly a given that Ryan Garko makes team over Mike Sweeney”

Obviously, the issue of whether or not Sweeney deserves a spot on the Mariners opening day roster is an issue that is causing heated debate between members of the Mariners blogosphere. Harrison of Far From Port touches on the issue, and Nathan from SodoMojo explains why he likes the idea of Sweeney making the team. In my opinion, there is just not enough room for Sweeney to make this team. I like Mike Sweeney for the same reason most people do, he is genuinely a good guy. However, the Mariners 25 man roster should not be constructed on this basis, and the fact of the matter is Ryan Garko and Ryan Langerhans are simply more valuable to the Mariners from a production standpoint than Mike Sweeney is. Yes, you can argue that Sweeney is a great clubhouse guy, the coaches love him, and he can tickle the hell out of someone, but in reality he is a DH on a team that already has 3 of them. Mike Sweeney probably deserves a spot on someones opening day roster, but it shouldn’t be the Mariners.

“Source says #Mariners still pondering backup catching options from outside.”

Not really too sure what to make of this one other than I imagine the Mariners interest in bringing in a catcher probably hinges on the health of Rob Johnson. Dave of USS Mariner touched on the catching situation the other day and mentioned that Adam Moore has essentially already made this team. New writer Brett Miller at SodoMojo even predicts that Moore will be the Mariners starting catcher. However, its still not certain whether or not Adam Moore is the starter, and whether Rob Johnson is healthy enough to open the season with the Mariners. If he’s not, the Mariners could feasibly choose to bring someone in until Johnson is healthy, while giving Moore the majority of the workload. If he is healthy though, I’d imagine something like a 50-50 split in playing time between Johnson and Moore

“#Mariners still interested in Washburn, sources told me today. Washburn wasn’t optimistic about deal last week.”

Another issue that has been beat to death in the blogosphere (including by me) is the Jarrod Washburn dilemma. I think it’s pretty well established that Jarrod Washburn is better than the likes of Jason Vargas or Doug Fister. I also think there’s a very real possibility that because Washburn severely misplayed the market, that he could potentially be brought in cheaply. However, Jon Shields mentioned the other day that Washburn is clearly all about the money and will probably retire if he doesnt get the deal he thinks he deserves. I certainly think that’s a valid point, and if that is truly the case then I’d like to be the first to wish Jarrod Washburn a wonderful retirement. For another take on this situation, be sure to check out some posts made at SodoMojo and ProballNW

“By my count, #Diamondbacks #Mariners #Mets #Twins #Dodgers #Nationals could all use another starter. But not sure if they are fits for #Rays”

The part where Morosi mentions where he’s not sure if they are fits for the Rays is regarding whether or not any of these teams would be willing to trade for Andy Sonnastine. I touched on the issue of Andy Sonnastine about a month or so ago and if you can remember back that far then you probably remember that I happen to be a big fan of the guy. Sonnastine is currently #7 on the Rays starting rotation depth chart and its almost a given that he wont come out of spring training as a member of the Rays rotation. However, Sonnastine does have options remaining and when he doesnt make the rotation there’s a good possibility the Rays will stick him in AAA (assuming they dont put him in the bullpen). The question that remains is whether or not the Rays are willing to deal Sonnastine, and what it might take to acquire him. I was talking to Harrison via twitter last nite and were both in agreement that the Rays asking price is going to be high because Sonnastine has options left. However, the issue is what each club is going to perceive as what’s considered reasonable to acquire a back end of the rotation starter.