Maybe a Roster Shakeup?

Maybe it's time to shake up the lineup a bit. Maybe not in terms of players, but where those players are playing. In wake of Raul Ibanez' heroics in the outfield today, I realized that Ibanez isn't much of an outfielder anymore, and that Lookout Landing has been right when they put LF next to Raul's name in the lineup like this "LF".

WARNING: What I'm about to tell you completely makes sense in my mind, and probably my mind only. What I say may not be possible, but when your losing like this, you'll probably try anything.

Scenario 1
First thing to do is to get Ibanez out of the outfield to either first base, or DH. For this scenario, we'll have him at first. Call up Jeremy Reed and have him and Richie Sexson platoon in left field untill Sexson figures out what is going on and can play full time in the outfield. I thought that I'd heard Mac say something about Sexson playing in the outfield a little while ago.

Scenario 2
Ibanez is at DH, and Sexson is in the outfield doing the same thing mentioned in Scenario 1. Have Kenji Johjima play first a little bit, or Jeff Clement and try to turn one of them in to a Victor Martinez.

Scenario 3
Trade a package of mid-level prospects, not that we have any left, or somebody useful, maybe Baek and Reed to the Reds for Ken Griffey Jr., and have him play in left or right, depending on what you do with Wlad.

What do you think would be most likely to happen? Personally, I see the acquisition of Griffey being the most likely, but would the Mariners have the pieces? I mentioned Reed and Baek being spare parts, but it would likely take a little bit more than that to get Jr. back here. I'd like to see him retire as a Mariners and don an M's cap in to Cooperstown. I probably will look in to the possibility of Jr. coming back in the next couple months.

Clement Call Up Soon?

John Hickey is telling us tonight that Jeff Clement may be getting called up to the MLB sometime in the next week.

The move would come as relief to a struggling Mariner offense that is failing to score runs. None of Jose Vidro, Richie Sexson, or Brad Wilkerson are hitting well, or at all, and Vidro is the only one losing playing time because of that. Clement would presumably take over some of the DH duties, and possibly push Vidro even further down the bench behin Greg Nortan, who has hit well in the last couple of games that he has played. Maybe Vidro's time is up here. Designating him for assignment, or just flat out releasing him could be the best option. I'd like to see Clement come up here, but would the Mariners carry all three of Kenji Johjima, Clement and Jamie Burke on their active roster?

That's the question. Clement could back up for Joh and get most of his AB's at DH. But where does that push Jamie Burke, who has been a solid backup to Joh the last year and a month? There's no reason to get rid of him, and if there was, where would he go? To Tacoma? What team would want him? Maybe the Yankees would have interest with Jorge Posada on the DL. Although the Yankees would probably prefer a more glamorous option...

Then there's always the carry two and a half catchers approach, where Joh is still the full time catcher, and Clement is jsut inserted in to the lineup at DH or pinch hitting as much as possible. We'll have to wait a couple more days to see how this turns out.

Debate: Should the Mariners Sign Frank Thomas?

Frank Thomas was believed to be close to signing with Oakland, and then a mystery team came in to the picture. That mystery team could be the Mariners, and should it?

How much upside does Thomas bring to the table compared to Jose Vidro, or maybe Jeff Clement? Thomas brings power and patience. That's it. Vidro brings a .290 AVG. That's about it. Clement brings both power and average, but hasn't developed his skills as much yet.

Thomas can still hit the ball hard, but hasn't found much consistancy so far this year. Vidro is only hitting about .200, Thomas .167, but Thomas has been able to provide more power than Vidro has.

Bringing in Frank Thomas makes sense, in the sense that he'll add power that Richie Sexson hasn't. He doesn't have 40 HR power, but 30 looks like a decent number to shoot for. The money won't be much of an issue. He gets paid off like $8M bucks from the Jays, so he'd probably settle for around $5Mish. If Thomas can come in and hit the ball hard and give the Mariners some baserunners, then he's a good signing. Probably the best reason not to sign him is the New York Yankee approach: Get the player so your rivals don't. The A's are known to be interested, and the Rangers are rumored to be. Thomas could add a power boost to either of those two clubs, giving them an advantage that could allow them to gain some ground on the Mariners early.

If Thomas comes in, where does that leave Jose Vidro? Thomas didn't put forth a good enough batting average, the reason for his release used by the Blue Jays, although everyone knows they released him so his option for 2009 wouldn't vest. Could the Mariners say that same thing about Vidro? He has a vesting option for 2009, and I doubt that many would want him back. Maybe releasing Vidro and signing Thomas would be a great move. It would allos more playing time to guys like Willie Bloomquist pinch running. I'm starting to like the idea of Frank Thomas coming here.

Johjima vs. Clement

Time for another player battle. A while ago, we looked at Wladimir Balentien and Jeff Clement to see who was a better prospect. I came to the conclusion that Clement would ultimately become the better player. Now that Jeff Clement has proved himself down in AAA, it's time to look at if it will be better to have him up here catching, or to stick with Kenji Johjima.

Jeff Clement is one of the better catching prospects in baseball right now. He is starting to prove that he is good enough defensively to be an everyday catcher in the MLB, but might not be quite ready to take that leap. He is good defensively, but you'd want him to be great defensively, wouldn't you? I wouldn't expect Clement to win the Gold Glove every year, but I'd like him to be better than average. He has a decent arm, and can get down and block the plate pretty well, but I might be being too critical of the situation.

Kenji Johjima has proven during his two years in the bigs that he is a top end catcher. He has comunicated terrifically with the Mariners pitching staff, been a solid consistant hitter, and played solid defence. Joh is pretty much the complete package. He can't run that well, but how many catchers can?

Clement is hitting the cover off of the ball so far this year at AAA. He's hitting .367 in 60 ABs with four HR and 13 RBIs. Joh is hitting .205 with no HR and 5 RBIs in 58 ABs with the Mariners to start the season. Obviously Clement would be the better choice offensively, but the other element, communication is a factor. Joh has worked with the majority of the Mariners pitching staff for the better part of two years now. Clement hasn't. If the Mariners wanted him to catch everyday come tomorrow, then they would be out of luck. Clement has limited catching experience with anyone on the Mariners staff. I know that if you give it a few minutes then he'd be able to pick up on what the pitchers are doing, but why break up what Joh has going with the Mariners pitchers?

The other element that I've mentioned was defence. As I said, Clement is improving and will hopefully become a solid defensive catcher for the M's. Right now, Joh has the upper hand in the defensive category. Now time to debate.

The fact is this: Jeff Clement is ready to play in the Majors. Kenji Johjima is currently struggling. Calling up Clement makes sense, but what will happen once he's up here? Maybe he comes out and is lights out. Which would be a good thing, but would Joh be happy with a backup role? I doubt it. And what if Clement does terrible? What would that do for his confidence? Keeping him at AAA for the time being is probably the best choice for now. Come August/September he should get a call-up, but for now the Mariners should stick with Joh and hope for the best.

Bavasi Talking About Thomas

Although it might not make sense to some, and makes perfect sense to others, Billy Bavasi will be talking to his scouts about Frank Thomas, one day after his release.

With Jeff Clement tearing it up at AAA with the Rainers, and Jose Vidro (and whatever his twin's name was from the stupid commercial), Richie Sexson (I don't think he has a twin) and Kenji Johjima (He probably doesn't have a secret twin either) blocking all three positions that Clement would probably be playing at with the M's, Thomas doesn't seem like that great of a fit.

Thomas can't play in the field, nor can he run. All he is is a DH. He wouldn't have the same baggage that Barry Bonds would have, but has to be carrying something after what happened with the Jays. I don't think that the money thing would be an issue at all. He gets $8M from the Jays for his release, so he'd come pretty cheaply. Maybe $3-6M for the rest of the season. He wouldn't be happy as a pinch hitter extroadinare, and there isn't anywhere to move Jose Vidro either. If Thomas could do the littlest bit in the field, he might be able to get Richie Sexson going with a little bit of pressure that would come on him. Personally, I don't see him coming here. If he does, that's great, but I just don't see it. Clement is too close and where would the Mariners be able to use him?

The Closing Situation

All of us should know by now that JJ Putz will be out for a while, and the Mariners will be going with a closer by comitee. The fact that the Mariners used Miguel Batista to close out a game gives the Mariners more options in the ninth, but then what? Break out your scalpals because it's time to dissect!

Options

The Mariners can't pull out the old 'we don't have enough depth' theory, because they do have the depth nesseccary to get them through their tough time. Mark Lowe, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Sean Green, Tim Corocan, Brandon Morrow too I guess, and now Miguel Batista either have the ability, or probably could close out a game. Depth is not the issue here, it's more of a can they do it thing.


Miguel Batista
Batista brings the most closing experience to the bullpen, but hasn't closed since 2005 when he was with the Blue Jays. He saved 35 games that year, but who would take the rotation spot? That shouldn't be a problem. Maybe even going with a four man rotation might work. Batista has already saved one game this year, but still made his last scheduled start. Or, rather he lost his last start. Batista may get another oppurtunity, who knows right now.

Mark Lowe
After today's debacle, no, probably not. I know that one bad game can't really determine what the person is capable of, but one bad game can definitely scare off people, and that's what he's done to me. He may or may not get another oppurtunity.

Ryan Rowland-Smith
RRS has 16 saves in his professional career (from A-AAA), and seems to be a good choice, because he already was in a set-up role with the club. It's only been a few days, and fewer oppurtunities. Look for RRS to get an oppurtunity, if one actually comes up, after three losses to the Orioles.

Brandon Morrow
Although Morrow seems a little ways away, he is making some progress, but still seems like Putz may be back before him. If Morrow does jump through the minors, he could get a few oppurtunities to close.

I know that there are more options, but these are some of the more obvious options. Another idea is just letting the starters go nine, or not bothering going to anyone for the closer, and just leaving whoever was pitching in the eigtht finish the job. Fatigue and performance are variables of course, but I think that you get the point.

Final Roster; Lineup

The roster is set. The lineup is set. The rotation is set. The bullpen is set. The bench is set. No more question marks with the position battles. It's time to get serious.

Pitchers:
Cha-Seung Baek
Miguel Batista
Erik Bedard
Sean Green
Felix Hernandez
Mark Lowe
Eric O'Flaherty
J.J. Putz
Ryan Rowland-Smith
Carlos Silva
Jarrod Washburn

Catchers:
Jaime Burke
Kenji Johjima

Infielders:
Adrian Beltre
Yuniesky Betancourt
Willie Bloomquist
Miguel Cairo
Jose Lopez
Richie Sexson
Jose Vidro (DH)

Outfielders:
Raul Ibanez
Charlton Jimerson
Mike Morse
Ichiro Suzuki
Brad Wilkerson

Overall, not bad. Solid rotation, and bullpen full of young eager pitchers with JJ Putz, maybe the game's best starter anchoring the pitching staff. The lineup has some question marks. Adrian Beltre will be playing with a torn thumb. His defence should be fine, but can he still put up 25-30 homeruns and 90-100 RBI? Richie Sexson. Can he do it? What will Brad Wilkerson bring? He isn't a Jose Guillen 30-100 guy, but can he produce atleast half of that? Those will be answered soon enough.

McLaren also announced his Opening Day lineup.

Ichiro Suzuki, CF
Jose Lopez, 2B
Raul Ibanez, LF
Richie Sexson, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Brad Wilkerson, RF
Jose Vidro, DH
Kenji Johjima, C
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS

No problems with this lineup as of yet. Lopez in the number two hole is my only concern, and maybe Sexson and Beltre hitting back to back. Vidro has proved that he can hit in that number two spot fine, but I guess that I've missed something. If Sexson can get going then that will be fine with Beltre hitting behind him, but who else is there in terms of protection?

Bench Battle: Updated

Time to take one last look at the bench battle. New stuff from Ken Rosenthal says that the Mariners could go with an 11 man bench. The other day, Jason Churchill said that the battle for the last bench spot was down to two. This crap changes everyday.

I'm not going to pass on too many stats for you right now, because a lot of you would've probably checked already. I'm sorry if I've come across as kind of mean or sarcastic these last couple posts, but it's the stress talking.

We have Jamie Burke and Willie Bloomquist as locks. Two spots filled. Scenerio time: here's what the bench would look like with Jimerson and Morse on it.

Bloomquist
Burke
Jimerson
Morse
Greg Nortan or Miguel Cairo (Reed starting at AAA)

That's scenario one. That looks alright. It'd be coming down to between two players, so Churchill would be right in this scenario. I'd have Reed at AAA, because he still has two options left, and there's no reason to get rid of him. Bleeding Blue and Teal agrees with me. The Mariners have said that Cairo's garunteed contract doesn't mean anything. Nortan has played allright, but the main thing is that he can play first. If Sexson tanks, then that would be a plus. Although Morse can play first too.

Scenario 2: The Mariners only take four on their bench. We now go back to stage one, with Burke and Willie garunteed. Then, you'd have the rest of those mentioned in secenario one going for the two open jobs. You'd end up with something like this:

Burke
Bloomquist
Jimerson/Morse
Cairo/Nortan

Pretty much the same idea. I'd say that Cairo and Morse would be the other two on the bench.

Scenairo 3: The Mariners go with three bench players.

Burke
Bllomquist
Cairo/Morse/Nortan/Jimerson

This would be the least likely of the three. If it were to happen, then I'd say that Morse takes the spot, because he can play third, first, and right and left field. Willie would play up the middle.

Only time will answer this one for us. You can make your own predictions, but I'd say that scenarios one and two are going to be the ones decided on. With Rosenthal's new stuff, then maybe scenario one. But it would make sense to start with scenario two.

Latest from Rosenthal

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports has a new column out with some interesting Mariners stuff.

• The Mariners might carry 11 pitchers in order to keep both Mike Morse and Charlton Jimerson on the bench, who are out of options. I'm going to get to the bench in a few minutes.
• Brad Wilkerson will be the starting right fielder come Opening Day for the M's.
• Wladimir Balentien will be starting with Tacoma in AAA, but will likely get called up at some point. Sooner if one of the previous mentioned outfielders gets hurt.
• Rosenthal agrees with me that the Tigers have a week bullpen.

Position Battle: Number Two Spot

Another position battle has come up over the last few days or weeks. Who will be hitting in the number two spot in the lineup? There are only two main candidates; Yuniesky Betancourt and Jose Vidro.

Betancourt has shown that he can get on base on top of playing spectacular defence over the last two years or so, but he's been hitting in the eighth and ninth spots in the lineup. Moving him up to number two could help him out, because he would get more at bats. If Betancourt is on base more, because he gets more chances to get on base, but would allow him to run more. Something that his manager wants him to do. I don't see anything wrong with Betancourt hitting in the two spot. Maybe it'll help him to become a solid all around player. He won't hit for much, if any power, but I'd like to see his average go over .300 for the first time in his career.

Vidro is a more interesting case. He is a .300 hitter, and has done so a few times in his career. He has a vesting option for 2009, because he waived his no trade clause. I'm guessing that it will vest with something like 500 or 550 at bats, and I'm not too sire if the Mariners want to bring Vidro back again. Again, I don't mind seeing Vidro in the number two hole, if he can produce. Six week deadline for me on Vidro. Mid-May if he's not producing, then he's out of the number two spot if he gets it. Betancourt, in my opinion should have another week or more on top of that for glory time, because he would be new there. I won't get to update this again, so you may have to tie up some loose ends yourselves.

Lefty Set-Up Man Battle Won

After the Mariners latest roster cuts, John McLaren confirmed with us that Eric O'Flaherty will be the team's 'late inning lefty' this season. O'Flaherty looks like a good choice. I thought that Ryan Rowland-Smith would be getting the job, if not close to it, but I also thought that O'Flaherty would too so...

Other than my opening statement, there's not much else to say. I am going to tell you know that I will be posting up a ton of stuff to keep you readers busy over my absence. I will be gone from tomorrow the 20th, untill Mach 30th. Kind of a crucial time in Spring Training, but whatever. I'll have lots of pictures that I will post here, and may be able to get in a couple updates at one point or another over the next week and a half.

Commondrum: Jose Lopez

What the heck are we going to do with this guy? Everybody still seems to be infatuated by his All-Star selection in 2006. Since then he's done less than what Jack has done. Jason Churchill came out with his Spring Training Report today, and this is what he had to say about Jose Lopez.

Lopez is a complete mess at the plate. Several scouts described him as “lost” or “without any confidence he can hit the ball hard at all” after seeing him this spring.
He’s still chasing pitches out of the zone early in the count and is unable to punish the fastball. Presently, Lopez is not showing that he deserves regular at-bats in Triple-A, let alone a solid big-league baseball club.
He pulls off breaking balls about half the time, and the other half he’s reaching out for them with a weak waive. Until he can offer more effective plate coverage — going to right field with a line drive regularly — he’s probably going to be limited to being a .260 hitter with moderate power at best.
If pitchers stay away from Lopez and make him reach, he’s an easy out waiting to happen. He must develop better discipline, and if he wants to keep his job as the starting second baseman, he’ll need to show something early in the year.

I had to laugh after reading this. It's almost as good as Lookout Landing's analysis of each team's #1-2 in their rotations. It's really too bad for Lopez. It seemed like yesterday, wait, not it didn't, because yesterday he wasn't hitting really well and making magic in the middle of the infield. Lopez will probably be the starting second basemen come Opening Day, because like some of you, I'd say us, but I'm not, are still in love with Lopez' first half of 2006. Manager John McLaren is no different.

What the Mariners are going to do. Hmmmm. Miguel Cairo and Tug Hullet wouldn't be any better. Yung Chi Chen, why not? Maybe explore the trade route. Ronnie Belliard would be an idea. This is turning out to be a position battle with two weeks left in the Spring.

Bullpen Battles Updated

It's time to take another look at the Mariners' position battles, but our focus tonight is going to be on the bullpen. We're going to look more at the players in the battles, then the battles themselves.

RA Dickey

Dickey has never left the running for the long relief role, and is now has a fifty percent chance of getting that role. In 9 IP so far this Spring, he has a 2.00 ERA, giving up two runs on six hits. He's struck out four, walked three, and hit one. The ERA is nice, and the strikeouts aren't bad, but it's the baseunners that have me a little worried. Yes his WHIP would only be about 1.20 or something, which is pretty good. I think that it's his walk rate that has me worried more than anything. Other than a statistical update, there's nothing new on Dickey.

Cha Seung Baek

Baek is, and seems to have always been a wild card in the Mariners' organization. He hasn't found himself in a Major League role, and maintained that. He's been up and down several times, which would be why he is out of options. In 7 IP so far this Spring, he had an ERA of 1.29, giving up six hits, and only one run. He has walked none, but hit one. He has three strikeouts as well. Nothing shocking or truly interesting. I like the no walks, but wouldn't mind a few more strikeouts. Like Dickey, he has a fifty percent chance of getting the job. The idea of using Baek as a middle reliever has been tossed around the blogosphere. Who knows. The Mariners may be forced in to using Baek in a mid relief role because of all of the uncertainties with the rest of the bullpen.

Ryan Rowland-Smith

RRS is all over the map for what his potential job could be with the Mariners. He could be a middle reliever and as a set up man. The idea of him being a set up man is been focused on more than the idea of him being a middle reliever. To be honest, I've only heard of him being a mid reliever a few times, and most of those times were my thoughts. He's left handed, and could help fill the shoes left my George Sherrill. I think that we're going to be talking a lot about not having Sherrill with this team anymore. In 8.2 IP this Spring, RRS has an ERA of 0.00, giving up seven hits, and one un earned run. He's walked five and struck out five. The ERA is great, but the walk rate is not. I don't know why I am so paranoid about relievers' WHIP, but stats don't lie, because a reliver with a WHIP of 2.24 isn't going to get the ball to the closer with the same lead, as a reliever with a WHIP of 1.27 is he? As soon as RRS gets that walk rate down to around 2-3/9, then he could become a solid reliever/set up man. Again, basically just a stat update here.

Ryan Feierabend

A bright young prospect who may just find his way on to the Mariners. He was brought up through the Mariners' system as a starter, which I think that he'd be better off as, but if he's with the Mariners, it would be a mid-relief role, or maybe a set-up role. I don't know why this guy hasn't been talked about as a long reliever. Brandon Morrow either. It would help both develop as a starter. So far this Spring, Feierabend has an ERA of 3.68 in 7.1 IP. He's given up three runs on four hits, with four walks, one hit batter, and four strikeouts. ERA looks like it will stabilize, and he hasn't given up many hits. The strikout rate looks good, but I'd like to see the walk rate go down a bit though. This is another guy who won't go away.

Eric O'Flaherty

O'Flaherty will be the last guy that we look at for tonight. He has only gotten 4.2 IP so far, but that can send mixed signals. It could be that they've seen enough and are ready to decide on him already, or he is falling out of the running for a big league job. He's given up three hits, and has an ERA of 0.00. He's stuck out four, and hit one. I'm not going to criticize anything about this guy, because there isn't anything that I really deem criticizeable. Maybe he has fallen out of favour with the Mariners.

I'm going to go over all of the position battles, and perhaps all of the Mariners players over the next four-five days before I leave, so you have some reading material while I'm gone.

Huge News From Angels's Camp

Geoff Baker has some huge news coming from the LA Angels. Angels ace John Lackey will be out untill May, with a shoulder injury. That now leaves the Angels without their rop two starters, Lackey and Kelvim Escober, who will be out untill untill May or June.

Back to Mariners news. The Mariners will shut down Morrow for a few days to rest his tired arm. Morrow will play catch tomorrow, and then see how it goes. Morrow's case doesn't appear to be very serious, but without him, the Mariners will have a very thin bullpen. Mark Lowe, Arthur Rhodes, Chris Reitsma, Mark Lowe, and even Jon Huber are all coming off of injuries, and nobody knows yet what they will do to start the season.

The rest of the bulpen appears to be fine though. JJ Putz doesn't have any injuries reported. Eric O'Flaherty, Sean Green, Ryan Rowland-Smith, RA Dickey, Cha Seung Baek, among others all appear to be healthy. The M's are already without set-up man George Sherrill who was traded in the Erik Bedard deal, and will rely heavily on Brandon Morrow in the eighth inning role. The pressure will be even greater if whoever breaks camp as the team's left handed set-up man doesn't do too well. All I can says is, I hope that Morrow will be fine, and the Angel's injuries will mount up.

Bench Battle Down to Two?

Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider has some new information on the Mariners bench battle.

A team source concluded today that “the race for the bench jobs is probably down to two guys and I think you can guess who those two are.”

Churchill says that Mike Morse, who has been hitting really well, is almost a lock, except for what happens with Miguel Cairo. Cairo would be Morse's biggest competition, but I called Cairo a lock, and now, Churchill says that Cairo's contract doesn't mean anything.

“He (Cairo I think) is guaranteed the 800,” said the club representative. “Hopefully we can find room for both of them. But I know Mac wants the best guys for the job regardless of status. It’s something he spoke to our front office about over the winter."

Churchill says that if the Mariners go with a four man bench, it would start with Jamie Burke and Willie Bloomquist. If both Cairo and Morse make it, then Willie would be a pinch runner, infield reserve and Ichiro's backup, although I doubt that Ichiro will need a backup, Morse would handle all four corners, and Cairo would take the middle of the infield.

If Mac decided to go with a five man bench, then he would like a lefty bat. With that statement, Greg Nortan and Jeremy Reed are now into the mix. Yesterday, I talked about how the Marienrs were believed to be thinking about cutting Reed. That would leave Nortan, who can play first and third. There's a chance that he could play in the outfield, but I doubt that. Churchill goes on to say that if Reed makes the team, then Cairo would be useless, because Bloomquist would play in the middle infield, and Reed would become the fourth outfielder. There's one scenario for you. I don't have much of a scenario for Nortan, but Nortan brings a good bat to the bench, and Reed brings defence, and some speed.

Charlton Jimerson is falling off of the depth chart with Reed, and both have been outplayed by Nortan and Morse so far.

“If we need an infielder, there’s always (Yung Chi) Chen in his first option year. He can give the club time at second, and I’m not sure there’s much need to hang onto potential backups at third or short. They will start 150+ games.”

Back to Morse for a minute. As I've said every time I talk about Morse and him battling for a job, I've said that Morse is out of options, and would probably rather become a free agent then go to AAA Tacoma. The Mariners play San Francisco tonight, and I will pass on any info on the lineups that I can get.

Spring Training Update

Well, we're about two weeks from Opening Day for the Mariners, so it's time to look at what has transpired so far this Spring.

What to do with Jeremy Reed

This has to be one of the bigger stories so far, because nobody knows what the heck is going to happen with this guy. Manager John McLaren and GM Bill Bavasi apparently met this morning to talk about some issues, and it's rumored one of them was Jeremy Reed. Reed hasn't been used very much, only 13 AB, but has put up a .462 average (6 hits). No explanation has come out yet, but maybe the Mariners have already decided on Reed, and the verdict maybe that he will be cut withen the next two weeks. I didn't expect Reed to be in the starting outfield picture, but I thought that they would give him more of a serious look. Reed isn't out of options, so if he's sent down to the Minors, than he could still be brought up. Wasn't this guy the center piece of the Freddy Garcia trade a couple years ago?

Where Mike Morse will be Come Opening Day

Mike Morse is out of options, and it's unkown where he will be two weeks from now. I highly doubt that he would pass through waivers, but is there a spot open on the Mariners right now? I've gone over a few scenarios, and it's hard for me not to have Morse making the team for the first time in his career out of Spring Training. He is certainly making his case this season with his .581 average (18 for 31) that leads all major-leaguers this spring. Larry Stone of the SeattleTimes says that Morse's time to shine has arrived. This question may have an easier answer than Reed's, because Morse has shined in all of his oppurtunities, and can play almost everywhere. Like I said, it's hard to not see Morse on the team, and if Reed is falling out of the running, then Morse's spot on the team may be cemented.


Will RA Dickey Crack the Roster


RA Dickey was taken in the Rule 5 Draft from the Twins, and will go back if he doesn't make the team. The Mariners have liked the idea of having a knuckleballer on their team, and USS Mariner has loved it. Dickey has looked decent so far this Spring, a 2.00 ERA in 9 IP, giving up six hits and four runs. Probably the best thing about Dickey, is that he was a starter, and can pitch on consecutive days easily. He is in the running for the long relief role, and is in a good position to get it. The M's were thinking about going with a five man bench and 6 man bullpen, even though most of the time teams will carry 6-7 relievers because the starters will be warming up into regular season mode. I think that Dickey will be on the roster come Opening Day, but Cha Seung Baek is out of options, and will become a free agent if he is cut, so this may get a little interesting.


Where Wlad Balentien is Going to be

Wlad had found himself in a tough position behind Adam Jones, but now that he is gone, the doors are wide open for Wlad to make the team. He is having a solid Spring, hitting .324 (13 for 34) with a pair of homeruns and seven RBI. The Mariners have a tough decision to make with this guy, because you don't want to rush him, but at the same time, he could really help out your team. Brad Wilkerson was brought in, and the two may find theirselves in a platoon in right field. It would definitly be interesting to see how that would unfold. Any interest in Coco Crisp seems to have been a one day thing.

How Much More the Mariners want to Hold Up Jeff Clement

Jeff Clement appears to be ready to play with the big club, but Kenji Johjima is fine behind the plate, and the Mariners are fine with Jose Vidro as their DH. There are some scenarios with Clement playing DH, but I won't get into those right now. Clement will be called up at some point this season, you could bet on that. It's tough to say, because the Mariners will probably want to hang on to Joh, but Vidro is a free agent, so Clement may become the team's full time DH in 2009.


Anything else that you would like to see analysized, let me know at marinerscentral"at"gmail.com.

Roster Cuts

Today 12 players were cut from camp. 13, if you count Horocio Ramirez'a release from yesterday. Stats for Spring Training are in brackets.

Optioned to AAA:
RHP Joe Woerman (1 G, 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K)
2B Yung Chi Chen (10 AB, single, HR, 3 BB, 3 K)
1B Brian LaHair (20 AB, 5 singles, 3 doubles, 2 BB, 3 K, SB)

Re-Assigned to Minor League Camp:
RHP Phillipe Aumont (1 G, 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, BB, 0 K)
RHP Brodie Downs (2 G, IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, K)
RHP Stephen Kahn (1 G, IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 0 K)
C Jair Fernandez (no MLB appearances)
C Adam Moore (2 AB, double, BB)
C Brant Ust (4 AB, single)
OF Bronson Sardinha (16 AB, 4 singles, BB, 4 K)
INF Mark Kiger (13 AB, 2 singles, 2 doubles, BB, 4 K)

Not too many surprises here. I didn't expect Phillipe Aumont to make it too far, as he is still very, very young. I thought that Chen would be here a little longer, but with the jam of players going for a bench role (which was updated),

Position Battles Updated

Time for either a monster post, or two mini-monster posts, depending on what I feel like doing.

Right Field Battle

This one could use a bit of updating. I guessed that Brad Wilkerson and Wladimir Balentien would be in a platoon situation. Let's see their stats thus far.

Player AVG AB H R 2B HR RBI

Wilkerson .371 14 5 4 2 2 3

Balentien .371 28 10 2 5 0 6

We're looking at basically the same stats, except Balentien's is doubled because he has had twice the number of AB's that Wilkerson has had. Platooning looks like a great idea here, and I will not be changing my earlier guess.

Bench Battle

I did this battle about a week ago, so there isn't too much updating to do. I mentioned the Miguel Cairo, Jamie Burke, and Willie Bloomquist were locks, and there would be one more player caried on the bench to start the season. Today, Bleeding Blue and Teal says that the Mariners will be going with a five man bench. That would greatly change this battle. A look at the stats of Wlad, Jeremy Reed, Mike Morse, Charlton Jimerson, and Gregg Nortan, who I forgot to mention in the original post.

Player AVG AB H R 2B HR RBI

J Reed .462 13 1 6 1 0 4

M Morse.500 24 12 8 3 2 8

CJimerson.286 14 4 4 1 0 2

G Nortan .227 22 5 6 1 1 4
Wlad --------See Above--------

Basically what I would have expected so far. Morse and Reed look good, and appear to be the biggest candidates for the bench job. Nortan also looks to be solidly in the mix, while it looks like Jimerson is slowly sliding out of the Mariners' radar. It depends on what happens in RF, but Morse and Reed are still my picks depending on how many bench players the Mariners carry. If there's only one more spot available, and Wlad isn't in it, than I'd say that Reed takes it.

Left Handed Set-Up Man Battle

I had Eric O'Flaherty, Cesar Jimenez, Ryan Feierabend and Ryan Rowland-Smith as the pitchers going for this spot. It doesn't appear that anything has changed so far this Spring.

Player ERA IP W L S H ER

R Rowland-Smith 0.00 6.2 0 0 0 6 0

E O'Flaherty 0.00 3 0 0 0 1 0

R Feierabend 1.69 5.1 0 0 0 2 1
C Jimenez 9.00 3 0 0 0 0 3

Only Jimenez's stats make me think, and I think that he's is slowly going out of the running, of he isn't out already. RRS and Feierabend seem to be getting the most attention, and have both pitched well. I had RRS or O'Flaherty picked to win this battle, and I'm going to stay that way, but I'd say to keep an eye on Feierabend.

Long Reliever Battle

Now that Horocio Ramirez is out of the picture, it turns into Cha Seung Baek vs. RA Dickey, but first, a look at the two's statistics for the spring:

Player ERA IP W L S H ER

Baek 1.29 7 0 0 0 4 1
Dickey 1.50 6 1 0 0 5 1

Overall, both have looked decent so far. This battle is tight, but at a statistical standpoint, it appears that Baek has the edge. I'm still unsure who to favour. If Dickey doesn't make it, he goes back to the Twins, and of Baek doesn't make it, then he becomes a free agent.

That's all for now, but I'll check back before I leave for Arizona next Thursday for a nice vacation, and some Spring Training Baseball.

Position Battles: Long Reliever

The next position battle i'm going to take a look at, is the battle for the long relief role. There appears to be three top contenders for this role, RA Dickey, Cha Seung Baek, and Horocio Ramirez.

RA Dickey, the knuckleballer that was selected in the Rule 5 Draft, has a bit of an advantage, because Jamie Burke who can catch the knuckler will be with the team, and the Mariners will likely lose Dickey because of the rules regarding a player taken in the Rule 5 Draft. USS Mariner calls him a lock, but they haved loved the idea of a knuckleballer on the team since Dickey was picked up. I called Dickey's acquisition a C+ in my Offseason Assessment. Dickey has been given a bit more than his share of looks this Spring, a 1.80 ERA in 5 IP while giving up 3 hits so far.

Cha Seung Baek also has some leverage with the Mariners, because he is out of options, and doesn't want to go back to Tacoma. Baek is an interesting speciman. He isn't a great prospect, but isn't anything special in the MLB. Last year, he had a 1-1 record, with a 3.19 ERA in 31 IP. With the Mariners, he went 4-3 with a 5.15 ERA in 73.1 IP. I hadn't realized how many innings he had logged in the majors last year. Baek's stats aren't out of this world, but for some reason, he just seems to never go away. For some reason he is in a good position to win this battle. This Spring, he has an ERA of 2.25 in 4 IP, giving up 4 hits, and 1 earned run.

Horocio Ramirez doesn't have much, if any leverage in this battle. His 7.76 ERA in 98 IP last season. No more stats for him because I don't want to throw up. The new pitching coach Mel Stottelmyer is supposidly going to fix up HoRam into a decent pitcher. I guess that there isn't too much further down the hill that he can go. He has only given up one hit in 2 IP so far this Spring. Ramirez could be a decent reliever, he can't be any worse than he was as a starter, but I'd say will end up in AAA.

After the previous sentance, you can guess that it's down to Baek and Dickey for the long relief spot, and I have trouble picking one. If one of them doesn't make it, than that one will in almost every scenario be outta here. Who'd you choose?

Seattle Taking a Look at Crisp?

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Mariners are unhappy with their inhouse options, and want a veteran right handed hitter. MLBTR's Matt Birt suggested that the Mariners take a look at acquiring Coco Crisp. Crisp wants out of Boston because he doesn't want to sit on the bench, and the Mariners have 2.5 outfield spots locked up, so could he platoon with Brad Wilkerson? Crisp would add some pop and speed in the number two spot, and is better defensively that Raul Ibanez, and maybe Brad Wilkerson. Now that I think of it, Crisp wouldn't be a bad player to add. I can't believe that I didn't consider him a possibility before. The next question is, what would it take? I don't want to give up Wladimir Balentien or Jeff Clement for him. I can't think of anyone else who would get Crisp over here. Maybe a couple minor leaguers or something?