Bedard Named Opening Day Starter

Bleeding Blue and Teal reports that John McLaren has named Erik Bedard the team's Opening Day starter for the 2008 season. McLaren named experience as the main reason. I would of thought that King Felix would have been the Opening Day starter. He was last year, and it would probably be a motivational boost. Whatt Johnny Mac did last year almost worked, so let's try and keep the faith...

Mariners Sign Norton

According to The News Tribune, the Mariners have signed 35 year old switch hitter Greg Norton to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. Norton will likely be in a battle for a bench role.

Norton has spent the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. Knee surgery caused him to miss most of last season. He hit .243 in 75 games with 4 HR and 23 RBI last season, with most of his AB's coming in a pinch hitter role. He dropped off a bit from his 2006, where he hit .296 with 17 home runs and 45 RBI in 98 games. This is just another one of those guys that are added to make more of a competition for the positions.

Assesing the Bedard Trade; Part IV

Time for round four of the Bedard trade assesment. The previous parts are below:

Part I - Adam Jones

Part II - Chris Tillman

Part III - George Sherrill

Now it's time for Part IIII, Tony Butler. Here is what RotoWorld has to say about Butler.

A third-round back in 2006, Butler struggled with his control last season and missed time with arm problems, but is a 6-foot-7 southpaw who works with a low-90s fastball. If his control improves and his secondary pitches develop further, Butler has a chance to be a No. 2 starter. As a hard-throwing left-hander he could also fall back into a bullpen niche if some of the rough edges can't be smoothed out, but at just 20 years old he'll get every opportunity to prove that he can stick in the rotation long term.

Like Chris Tillman, Butler is not near ready for the majors yet. He is still floating around A ball, and hasn't truly blown away everyone yet. He has the tools to become a solid pitcher in a few years. He still needs another year, probably two, maybe even three more seasons in the minors before he is ready for the majors. He is what ProspectInsider has to say about Butler's pitches:

Fastball: 60/75

Butler’s fastball reaches the low 90s, and in time could naturally grow into a mid-90s offering where he can reach back and get to 97 or 98. Velocity isn’t everything, however, as it’s much more critical that he stays on top of his heater and attacks the bottom of the strike zone. He’s already showing as a flyball pitcher, but he can’t let the ratios get out of hand.
His 4-seamer has decent movement, but adding a two-seamer to feed his ground ball ratio wouldn’t be bad idea.

Curve Ball: 55/70

Currently his out pitch, Butler’s curve ball isn’t a true 12-6 breaking ball, but is certainly a curve, not a slider, as has been reported elsewhere. After a 93-mph four-seamer, try hanging in to fight off a 1-7 curve ball with sharp, late action breaking down and out of the zone. Yeah, that’s a good pitch, and it’s only going to get better.
His breaking ball might be his bread and butter and his magic carpet to The Show.

Change: 45/55
The fact that Butler feels good enough about his change-up to throw it as much as he has of late, is a great sign that he understands how important changing speeds truly is for any pitcher.
The club asked him to back off the breaking ball a little bit, so he’s pretty much using fastball-change as he finishes off the year. Considering the fact that he still isn’t getting hit…

Now, it's the part of the show where I tell you my thoughts on Tony Butler. I see the tall lefty to be a successful pitcher in a few years. He has a good arsenal of pitches, but still needs a bit of work with his command, but that will come with experience. Butler is another one of those prospects that could be rushed up to AAA or even the MLB, but shouldn't. The Orioles should take this guy slowly, and watch him succeed further down the road, instead of tomorrow. I think that a comparable pitcher to Butler could be Scott Kazmir. Both show the same qualities; tall, left handed, strong arm, and an overall good pitcher. Look for Butler in 2010 or 2011.

Assesing the Bedard Trade; Part III

This could almost be considered a series now. Part I covered the Adam Jones angle on the trade, and Part II covered Chris Tillman. Now Part III will be George Sherrill.

George Sherrill has been a big part of the Mariners' bullpen over the last couple seasons as a set-up man. Sherrill appeared in 73 games, and had an ERA of 2.36 while on average facing one to two batters a game. Sherrill will only be 31 this season, so he still has gas left in the tank. He's expected to be the Orioles' new closer in 2008, although he hasn't done much closing in his career, only for bits at a time with Tacoma (AAA). He could turn out to be a decent 30 save guy with a little bit of work. The Mariners are losing a very religable pitcher who seems to be allergic to injuries. The Orioles pick up what the Mariners lose. Sherrill will also be a solid mentor fir some of the Orioles younger pitchers. The Orioles now have a solid bullpen of veterans. The reason why the Sherrill part of this trade is so short, is because the other players are rookies that need almost like a preview. Not to lower Sherrill's value or anything, but there just isn't too much to say about him.

Mailbag?

I was wondering if any of you readers would like to start a mailbag feature on this blog. You send me your questions about the Mariners, and the stuff around the Mariners, and I answer them for you. Let me know in the comments if there is any interest.

Assesing the Bedard Trade; Part II

Time for Part II in our assesment of the Erik Bedard trade. You can find the first part here, which was about Adam Jones. Next up, is pitching prospect Chris Tillman that Baltimore recieved in the trade.

Chris Tillman, the 6'5" righty that was picked in the second round by the Mariners in the 2006 Amateur Draft, was seen as a medium first round pick, but lucky for the Mariners, he fell through an extra round. Tillman has a fastball at about 90 MPH, and a great breaking ball. He has also been working on a splitter or changeup to compliment his other pitches. Because of Tillman's size, he can rely on his skill to make his pitches instead of having to overwork his arm and elbow, which would likely lead to injuries.

Tillman doesn't appear to be much more than a high quality prospect at this point in time. He hasn't pitched higher than A+ so far, and hasn't truly dominated at A Ball based on his statistics. Like I said, he doesn't appear to be someone that the Mariners will regret trading, but he will only be 20 years old in 2008, which is still very young. He needs another year or two in the minors before we can really expect much from him as a force in the majors.

Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider gives his take on Chris Tillman here. Here is what he thinks of Tillman's pitches:

Fastball: Tillman sat anywhere from 90-93 in his pro debut last season, occasionally touching 94 or 95, which could ultimately become his average fastball. He’s a candidate to learn the art of the two-seamer in order to induce more ground balls, but the club sees him as the type of pitcher, being taller, who can learn to stay on top of his pitches and keep the ball down, so a different heater may not be necessary.

With plus velocity, Tillman has the makings of a very good four-seamer.Grade: 60/65+

Curve: Tillman’s 12-6 style curve is his bread and butter and is thrown in the 75-77 mph range – potentially a true power curve. As always, his command of the pitch needs improvement, but it’s got sharp, late break and solid depth, though it may endure some altering on his path to the show.

The Mariners do not want to see their kids throw too many curves or sliders, so watch for Tillman to be asked to use his curve sparingly, particularly later in the year as his workload tops out.Grade: 55/65

Splitter: Tillman began throwing a split-finger in high school, but the M’s prefer he learns a true change to save his valuable arm as he continues to mature physically. In a few years, they’ll remove the limitations and the better bet is that he sticks with the splitter, as a true change, usually of the circle grip variety, is much more difficult to master.
He can throw the true changeup and will be asked to develop it further.Grade: 45/55

Now for my take on Chris Tillman. Tillman is a pitcher that is very mature for his age. He could be someone that shoots up the minor leagues in 2008. He has two great pitches, his fastball and curve, that have been developed well, but still have soom room to go in terms of control. As he develops his changeup/splitter, he will become a pitcher that can dominate the strike zone because of his size, and the abilities of his pitches. Once he matures, he should have the abilities to be a solid number two or three pitcher in the rotation. He doesn't appear to be a bonafide ace pitcher of a prospect, but things could change, going up, or down. He probably won't see the bigs in '08, but may get a taste in '09. Probably by 2010, he will be somewhere between a AAA Ace, and an MLB starter.

Assesing the Bedard Trade; Part I

Since there isn't too much hotstove going on for the Mariners, I'm going to access this trade, and break it down. First, we are going to look at the players that Baltimore recieved in the trade. First, we will be starting with the centerpiece of the trade.

OF Adam Jones

As I noted, Adam Jones was the centerpiece of this trade, as he was told by the Mariners. Jones was the Mariners' first round pick in 2003 (37th overall), and quickly sped his way through the Mariners' organization. He only needed a short season with Everett, and after playing Fall Ball, he encountered his first test at the age of 18, with Wisconson in the MidWest League, where he had solid numbers 11 HR 72 RBI .267/.314/.404. The next season, at the young age of 19, he started at AA, and established himself as a top prospect. His stats for that year, getting 271 AB's at High A and 228 at AA, were 17 HR 70 RBI .275/.328/.456 1with 6 SB. He continued to be noticed. He came up to the Majors, but was blown away. So, at age 20, he was with AAA Tacoma, where he shined once again, hitting .287/.345/.484 with 16 HR, 62 RBI and 13 SB. He improved his discipline behind the plate, and continued his improvement on his deffence. ESPN's Keith Law had this to say about Adam Jones:

He's an exciting player. Outstanding defensive center fielder with a 7 arm (2-8 scale, 8 is the best) and tremendous range. At the plate he's got a very quick bat and average power already, projecting plus in the future, but struggles some with pitch recognition and can be beaten with breaking stuff. He's going to be a star, but he's the type of guy who can have a lot of ups and downs as he adjusts to big-league pitching, especially since he hasn't really been challenged in the minors.

Adam Jones was given a B+ grade by John Sickels in his 2007 Baseball Prospect Book. He notes that Jones had significant strike zone issues in his first exposure to the majors, which must be fixed if he wants to have some long term success. John also advises that Jones has a great glove, and runs the risk of being miscast as a leadoff hitter.

My take on Adam Jones: A player who is too good for the minors, but needs a bit of improvement if he is to suceed in the majors. He has the potential to be a star for the next ten to fifteen years. He has an above average glove, and an amazing arm. He has great speed, but may not be quite qualified enough to be a leadoff hitter. He has above average power, but won't be the next Vladimir Guerrerro. He can hit for average, and may be able to go over .300 a few times. Maybe not in 2008, maybe not even in '09, but come 2010, Adam Jones will probably be a household name.

More to come...

Spring Training Watch: Jose Lopez

Next up in our Spring Training Watch series, is second basemen Jose Lopez. This series will be slowly winding down, as Spring Training starts up. What have you, the reader thought of this feature? Waste of time, good insight, or just help pass the time. Let me know in the comments.

Jose Lopez has has an up and down start to his career. After being called up to the Mariners in 2005 from AAA Tacoma, where he hit .319/.354/.505 with 5 HR and 31 RBI in 182 AB's, and would spend his next two and a half seasons. In 2004, he got his first sip of the Majors, getting 207 AB's, putting up a line of .232/.263/.367 with 5 HR and 22 RBI. In that same season, he put up a .295/.342/.505 line in 275 AB's. Right now it looks like he has solved the minors, but hasn't put all of the pieces together in the MLB. 2006 was his first full yeat in the Bigs. He got 603 AB's as the starting second basemen for the Mariners, putting up an amazing first half, earning him a spot on the American League All-Star team, but slowed down significantly in the second half, to finish with a .282/.319/.405 line with 10 HR and 79 RBI. His minor league abilities look like they have carried over. Lopez was also in the transition period going from a shortstop to secondbase, and had to work on his defence just as much, if not more than his hitting abilities. His 2007 season has to be considered a dissapointment. He got 524 AB;s, in only three less games than the year before, putting up a line of .252/.284/.355 with 11 HR and 62 RBI. The power numbers stayed, but the rest of his line took a huge hit. If he was playing Golf Glove caliber defence, than maybe we could take a pass on the .250 BA, but he played very poor defence. I'd say that the past Miguel Cairo signing may come as a releif, because he probably would've played just as well as Lopez did.

Now looking ahead to the future. Lopez is set to be the Mariners' starting 2B, but with Willie Bloomquist, and Miguel Cairo biting at his but. Don't expect the first half of 2006 out of Lopez, and solid defence, but we should try to be optomistic, as Lopez is a young player, with a long way to go.

Mariners Talking Extension With Bedard

As most of us should expect, the Mariners are working on a contract that would keep newly acquired pitcher Erik Bedard in Seattle for more than the next two years, according to Ken Rosenthal. It is still uncertain on whether or not the Orioles tried to give Bedard an extension before they traded him.

What is a guy like Bedard going to cost? The bar for an ace pitcher under 30 years of age, is between $18-20M annually. Bedard could easily get that much. I hate that as soon as a player has a great season, he is considered to be an ace. Anyway, Bedard's closest comparable would likely be CC Sabathia, who has one more year left before he can reach free agency.

MLBTradeRumors says:

If Bedard wants to maximize his dollars and has confidence in his 2008 season, he'll be best-served to wait and see what Sabathia does.

Poll: How Many Games Will Erik Bedard Win in 2008?

Our next poll is: How Many Games Will Erik Bedard Win in 2008?
You now what to do. Four answers pick one.

<10
10-15
16-20
21+

Again, let's try to beat last week's record of 12 votes.

Poll Results:Who Will Be the Mariners' Starting Right Fielder?

The results from our most recent poll, Who Will Be the Mariners' Starting Right Fielder?

Brad Wilkerson 5- 42%

Wladimir Baltentien 5-42%

Adam Jones 2-16%

Other 0-0%

I'd agree too that it will be one of Wilkerson and Balentien that gets the starting job. I also wouldn't be surprised if they platoon. Leave any ideas for future polls in the comments.

Erik Bedard Trade Official

Finally, the Mariners have finished their trade for Erik Bedard. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports confirms that Bedard passed his physical completeing the trade that has gone on for a while now. The players going over to Baltimore are Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Kameron Mickolio, and Tony Butler. The Cubs will be looking to get a deal to bring Brian Roberts to the Chicago. The Erik Bedard trade being completed should mean that a Brian Roberts trade will be happening soon. Wow. Now that this trade is over, most of the Mariners' hot-stove will finished. My whole Erik Bedard tag will basically come to an end. It's hard to believe that this trade almost took a month.

My reaction to the Bedard trade? I like Bedard, especially the fact that he relieves the pressure off of Felix Hernendez to be the ace. If Bedard can stay healthy, he could win 20 games. I really like what Bedard brings to the table, and gives the Mariners a very formidable rotation. I'm in favour of the Mariners going for it now, seeing as they have the pieces together, it makes sense. I'd say that maybe not in 2008, or in 2009, but if Bedard leaves two year from now, and Adam Jones is tearing it up, there will be some hate-mail in Bill Bavasi's inbox. Your reactions?

Spring Training Watch: Jeremy Reed

Next up in the Spring Training Watch series, is outfielder Jeremy Reed, as requested a while back. Before I get the ball rolling, how is this series? Do you, the reader enjoy them? Feedback is much appreciated, especially seeing as this is a younger blog. Anyways...

Reed will be 27 in June of this year, so he can't be really be considered a prospect anymore. On most MLB teams, Reed would be atleast a number four outfielder, but with Ichiro, Raul Ibanez, Jose Guillen and Adam Jones blocking the way, it would be hard for him to go too high on the depth chart. Now he has to contend with Brad Wilkerson and Wladimir Baltentien for an outfield spot. Also the fact that the Mariners may be bringing three catchers up north, it will be even harder.

Reed has been able to succeed in the minors, and has had some success in the Bigs with the Mariners. Back in 2005, he got 488 AB's and put up a line of .254/.322/.352 with 3 HR and 45 RBI. His career line (MLB, 775) of .253/.314/.366 is almost parrallel to that 2005 season. His minor league stats make you think, why he didn't get that much of a shot in 2007? His minor league totals don't lie, a career minor league line of .318/.386/.469 in 1747 career minor league AB's. In 2006, Reed played the role of the fourth outfielder with some starting time, but put up a poor line of .217/.260/.377 in 212 AB's. His stats don't lie, he is a great player at AAA, but only an okay player at the MLB level.

It's not too hard to predict where Reed will end up come April. I'd say that he would be lucky to break camp with the big team, because as I earlier mentioned, Balentien and Wilkerson seem to have the third and fourth outfielder spots taken, and the Mariners could be bringing three catchers up north, there's just no room. I would say he starts 2008 as a Rainers (AAA) starting outfielder, but will either end up with the Mariners come September, or if there is an injury.

Bedard In Seattle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally. The Seattle PI is reporting that Erik Bedard was heading to Seattle as of Thursday morning for a physical. The Baltimore Sun says that Bedard is in Seattle for the physical, which will likely carry over into tomorrow. If Bedard is in Seattle, it looks like Baltimore was satisfied with George Sherrill and Adam Jones' physicals.

I'm not surprised that Bedard's physical could go into tomorrow. If I was trading for a player of that magnitude, and giving up what the Mariners are, I'd be checking over Bedard for the rest of February. It looks like the Mariners will be sending Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Kam Mickilio, and Tony Butler. I still think that that's a lot to give up. Hopefully Bedard gets an extension soon.

Almost over........

Spring Training Watch: Richie Sexson

Next up in the Spring Training Watch series, is Richie Sexson.

Normally, and so far in this series, we watch rookies/prospects and younger players, not neccissarily sluggers making $12M and see how they progress. Instead, we will be looking at a 33 year old who is coming off of a poor season in which he had a .205/.295/.399 line with 21 HR and 63 RBI. Not bad for someone named Ben Broussard, who's line was better at .275/.330/.404. Sexson is in the last year of his deal, so is a contract year going to bring out the best in Sexson?

Sexson has hit 45 HR twice is his career, and more than 30 HR in three other seasons. He has the power, but because of his 6'7'' 208lb pound frame, he is bound to have a few holes in his swing. In his career, Sexson has managed a total of 294 HR and 907 RBI in about 4600 AB's. He has the ability, that's for sure. In his first two seasons as a Mariners he managed 39 and 34 HR. Exactly what was expected of him. Then only launching 21 last season? Something happened. It could be that Sexson had significantly less AB's in 2007, versus the two season previous, he had about 175 less AB's than about what his average would be in his first two seasons in a Mariners' uniform. It's not rocket science to realize that if a player gets almost 200 AB's less than what the had the previous season, their HR total probably won't be two close to the season before. But when that player is barely above a .200 BA, what can you do? If you have a 6'7'' hole in the middle of the lineup, you can't just hope that it goes away.

Sexson should be on pace for a decent season. I don't see his BA going too far over about .260 or so. He could and should get 30+ HR and maybe closer to 100 RBI. That could be that one notch that needs to be kicked up in the lineup to make it formidable. Bleeding Blue and Teal has their projection of Sexson. Writer Dustin Shires predicts:

Average: .258

Home Runs: 34

RBIs: 101

OBP: .387

Walks Drawn: 75

Ks: 142

That makes sense. Hopefully the Mariners can get something like that out of Sexson. Keep a watch on him. On the fantasy side, Sexson could be a good mid-late round sleeper pick that is ignored by most. If you have that extra pick, pick him up. Also, I was wondering if their was any interest in starting up a Fantast Baseball League for this blog. If you have any interest, leave it in the comments.