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I got a few things in the mix for later on this afternoon. But just a few things to go with your coffee

First off  you have the ever awesome Rick Randal who conducted an interview with Chris Gwynn. As always Rick is a great interviewer and the questions are pretty much better than anything I could come up. I’ve been waiting to for Gwynn to do an interview since he has taken the job as Director of Player Development in place of Pedro Grifol. Mr. Gwynn doesn’t go into anything really earth shattering but as usual it’s a great read.

Also, CttP’s own Lew Freedman has a great piece on Ichiro.  Again, nothing that is earth shattering but I enjoy an outsiders perspective on the situation.

Take some time and give them a read.

So the Mariners signed yet another relief arm that is potentially (with a bit of hope) a replacement level pitcher. The problem is that while he might be this years Jamey Wright, he’s more likely to be this years Mike Koplove, Yusmeiro Petit or even Justin Miller. None of which were very useful. Though, reading the tweets from Mike Curto (Tacoma Rainiers broadcaster) it seems that he’s a pretty big fan of Brian.

There are all of three things I remember about Brian Sweeney.

1) He’s from New York

2) He made his 2010 debut in New York and his family was all there… or maybe they had come the day prior… my memory is kind of fuzzy on this.

3) He was part of an increadibly weak 2010 bullpen staff in a season that absloutely sucked. So while Sweeney wasn’t terrible, I just associate suck with him. Poor guy.

Oh, and speaking of minor league deals. It seems that Luke French is heading to the Twins, Matt Tuiasosopo is off to the Mets and it appears that Chaz Roe also got a 50 game suspension for using… something banned.

That’s it that’s all I have…

I appreciate snark. To various degrees and put more aptly, when it’s done in a way that doesn’t generate a rise out of me. I’m not very good and disguising any type of snark in written form or in real life speak. Normally, if I have something to say and it’s not going to be nice it ends up being either one of two things. A) It comes across a bit whiny or B) it’s blurted out rather bludgeoned. Similar to using the jack in Thief. It just… just… well it didn’t kill anyone but obviously it would come across as a bit crass and if I didn’t get plumbed, I certainly didn’t make friends.

Well, see I enjoy putting together little posts over certain subjects that I had believed and others had said I was “wrong” for thinking.  I don’t mind being wrong but discovering proof that your previous line of thought was correct, gives you too much ammo to sit on. So, at times, I’ve been known to throw something together and come across rather pompous.

Hey it’s my blog and if you think that no one else does that well… that would be a stupid opinion. I’m human and I like proving I’m not entirely stupid. My writing of course does that for me.

Yet, this time it kind of backfired a bit. It started after both Keith and Marqman responded in the comments about Hector Noesi. I basically called him a better more serviceable starter than Blake Beavan, because Beavan basically sucks in my mind. While others keep bringing up Doug Fister and talking about how Beavan might morph into what Fister has become. I’m hesitant to agree and that’s where things go wrong on my end.

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First and very foremost, a big shout out to the incomparable Keith Myers, whom kept the lights burning strong while I was out gallivanting around Rome, Italy with the wife. It was an very, very good time and I highly suggest a person taking the time to see such amazing historical sights that lie in the valley of Pasta and Pizza.

1) We of all are aware that the Mariners have finalized the Jesus Montero/Michael Pineda trade. I still like it, I’m not sure I love it. But, it’s truely impossible to really understand the value that this trade provides either team. I’m excited about seeing dingers, sad about seeing less K’s. Montero is going to be a very good hitter and Noesi is a better pitcher than Blake Beavan and should slide into the rotation as #3 or #4 starter with the immediate pitchers available.

2) Kevin Millwood signed a minor league deal. I LOVE this deal. I know someone is going to see that I “liked” the trade but “loved” this deal and make a big deal. Whatever. The two aren’t comparable and are on two different levels. The most important thing to remember is that this has no risk and at worst case scenario he gets cut in Spring Training but more likely gets the 5th starter role as in my mind he’s a better at being Blake Beavan than Blake Bevan.

3) This doesn’t directly effect the Mariners, but I saw that the Boston Red Sox are in need of a move to clear a roster spot for Cody Ross and considering the Mariners are in search of arms for the rotation I thought “Hey, wouldn’t Andrew Miller be an interesting move?” That’s just pure speculation on my behalf and it’s not like the Red Sox seem absolutely sold on keeping him for 2012. One of my many crazy thoughts.

4) Prince Fielder sign that huge monster contract…

You know whats funny? I remember a few years ago when Buster Olney mention the new Seattle Mariners GM, Jack Zduriencik, in association with acquring Miguel Cabrera. The Tigers had thrown Cabrera out on the trade block and it was widely presumed that the Red Sox were going to make a move for him or Gonzalez. It was believed that Detroit couldn’t sustain such a high payroll. Now they are sporting a line-up of Cabrera, Fielder and Victor Martinez are all going to some how co-exist while absorbing roughly 55 million dollars of the payroll. This is crazy. CRAZY.

Cabrera is only signed for another 4 years and that takes him up to his 33rd year. I wonder, should this third base experiment not work out, what the future holds for him in the Motor City… Again, just simple conjecture on my behalf.

At some point in this offseason, Harrison and I are going to sit down and record a pod-cast about the worst trades in Seattle Mariner history. We don’t have anything planned, I can just sense that it’s coming. It’s kind of like back when Bill Bavasi was the Mariners GM, and you knew that a horrible contract was on the way, you just didn’t know who it was that was going to be signed or for how much cash, but you knew it was going to be bad. It’s kind of like that.

There are a few awful trade that everyone remembers, like the one that sent Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek to Boston for Heathcliff Slocumb, or the trade that sent  Rafael Soriano to Atlanta for Horacio Ramirez. Those were historically bad trades, but I wanted to point out a few that were a bit older the some of you might not remember.

David Arias to Minnesota for Dave Hollins (8/29/96)

Arias later changed his name to David Ortiz and then developed into one of the best power hitters of the last decade. Hollins was a pointless addition for an ill-fated playoff push that didn’t happen.

Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson, and Jim Mecir to New York Yankees for Sterling Hitchcock and Russ Davis 

Money forced the M’s to move Martinez. He was due a huge pay raise that the M’s couldn’t afford, so the moved him a year earlier to try and get something out of him. The Problem was that they didn’t get anything back. Davis had power, but never developed into a decent hitter or defender, and Hitchcock flopped and was never more than a replacement level starter.

Mike Hampton and Mike Felder to Houston for Eric Anthony  Continue reading this post »

Prince Fielder finally agreed to terms with a team for a new contract. Yesterday, he signed a deal for 9 years, $214 Million with the Detroit Tigers.

The Mariners can finally move on. Personally I think they should have dropped the idea months ago, but that’ just me.

The truth is that the M’s got priced out of this a few days ago. When the terms being discussed were for a 6 or 7 year deal, the M’s were very much players in the discussion. Once the Nationals added an 8th year on Monday, it was over for the M’s. They didn’t really want to go 7, so 8 was out of line.

The fact that Boras convinced MoTown to throw in a 9th year into this deal is downright absurd. With Fielder’s weight problems and body type, there’s no way he’ll still be worth that type of money at 37. While this deal is not nearly as stupid as a Albert Pujols contract, it is still downright silly.

To the “sign Prince Fielder or else” crowd in the M’s fanbase, I don’t know what to tell you. This was never really going to happen, so getting your panties in such a bunch over this type of player is your own fault.

While the M’s aren’t better without Fielder, they are definitely better off. He is now so overpaid that his contract will cripple the Tigers for a decade. The M’s can now smartly use that money on 2-3 players that combined will easily out produce Fielder and wont tie up 23% of the teams payroll in a single player.

The Seattle Mariners finalized a minor league deal with Kevin Millwood. The 37 year old will be given every opportunity to win a spot in the 2012 rotation. The minor league deal is not not your average deal of this type. Millwood will get $1 million if he makes the 40 man roster, and can earn up to 750k more in incentives.

A couple years ago, signing Millwood would have been a big deal. Today, well, not so much. Millwood posted an FIP over 4.8 in both 2009 and 2010. In 2011 he bounced around the minor league systems of the Yankees then the Red Sox, then back to the Yankees before finally getting a chance to make 9 starts for the Rockies.

Millwood was actually surprisingly effective in those 9 stats. He went 4 – 3, with a 4.3 FIP and a 3.55 xFIP. Both were his best numbers in a long time. He also averaged over 6 innings per start. If he can match those numbers then he will be a useful member of the Mariner’s rotation.

Sometimes I feel like we focus on all the bad things rather than on all the good things that have happened in the past to this organization which we support. The Mariners as we know were born out of a very ugly situation between the Pilots, a fragile ownership group that had fallen apart and Major League Baseball being stuck in the middle of a very difficult situation. While we all have the experience of the Sonics leaving fresh in our mind that was hardly the scenerio, at least in regards to the league.

But, let’s not dwell on what took the Pilots away and focus on the Mariners, the team that replaced them. I want to take sometime to look at the best of the 70′s + 80′s had for the Mariners. The teams produced in this area weren’t very good but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t have players to remember.

Many of these individuals came and went leaving little lasting effect with the ball club. It’s funny and I guess in part I don’t just blame the organization or the media, but also the fans. It seems to me that many people allowed them to be forgotten. I shouldn’t really say “blame” that’s kind of a rude word and it incorrectly associates responsibility. Hey, I was at the very most 6 years old at the time so I know I can’t be held accountable and that’s really whats important here. But then 6 year old Harrison is just like 27 year old Harrison. Avoiding accountability.

Anyhow, regardless of how and who forgot them I want to take some time and remember some of these guys. Obviously not all of them because to write out anything more than a sentence, talking about the significant contributions of  Manny Castillo would be pointless.

For those of you who don’t know who Manny Castillo is, he was a switch hitting third basemen who produced -2.0 WAR between 767 PA over 3 seasons.  Wow, so now I’ve written a pointless paragraph on the ever pointless career of Chone Figgins Manny Castillo let’s talk about some honor able mentions and my Top-10 players of the first 13 years of the organization.

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I think it’s pretty clear that the Mariners need to upgrade third base. It’s currently their biggest weakness, and the need to upgrade this offense is still there, even after the addition of Jesus Montero. The problem is that there just isn’t anyone available.

The best Free Agent available still is Wilson Betemit, and while he can hit,  he is pretty much the worst defensive third baseman in baseball. All the other options available via free agency aren’t really an upgrade over the Chone Figgins/Kyle Seager duo the M’s currently have.

That means that in order to upgrade the position, the Jack Zdurencik will have to engineer a trade. The best available player, Pablo Sandoval, is no longer available since he finally received a contract extension from the Giants. After that there is no obvious player available. Zdurencik is going to have to pull off a completely unexpected trade similar to his acquisition of Brendan Ryan a year ago.

So after digging through the rosters of almost every single major league team, I think I’ve found a player that Zdurencik could target that would make me happy to have on the Mariners. The player I’m referring to Daniel Murphy of the Mets. The Mets have been struggling to find Murphy playing time because he’s trapped behind David Wright, having to play him in the outfield at times just to get him at bats. The Mets also really need pitching, so the M’s have what it takes to get this deal done, but it will take a lot to pry him away from the Mets.

At 27, Murphy is young to continue improving. In 2011, Murphy posted a .350 wOBA and  and 124 wRC+ so clearly he can hit. On the defensive side, he’s plenty good enough, posting positive UZR values at 1B, 2B and 3B. His UZR/150 at third was 6.3, but there’s a small sample size warning there.

In my mind, Murphy is one of the truly good young players at the position in all a baseball. Obtaining him wont be cheap. What type of package would it take? I’m not sure. Kyle Seager would almost certainly be in any package. A Short stop like Carlos Triunfel might also be enticing, but the true lure of a deal here would have to be MLB ready pitching. Jason Vargas could be dangled out there, and possible a young pitcher like Hector Noesi, Charlie Furbush, Erasmo Ramirez or Forrest Snow.

It seems pretty clear that the Seattle Mariners are in a waiting game in terms of Prince Fielder. While there is a lot of debate as to whether or not signing him is a good idea, it is clear that the Mariners are interested. It is also clear that many other teams are interested, so I actually highly doubt that Fielder comes to Seattle.

So instead, I thought I’d look at other Free Agents that are left on the market that the M’s might look to as a backup plan. The M’s still need some offensive help, and luckily there’s still some help out there on the market.

If you assume that Jesus Montero is going to spend most of his time at catcher, then the possibilities of adding a DH are definitely out there.

The first option in my mind would be Wilson Betemit. The 30 year old would hopefully come to Seattle as a DH, though he can man the hot corner on occasion. Betemit is an above average bat who could hit in the center of the Mariner’s lineup. The problem with him is that he’s one of the worst defenders at third in all of baseball, but having him play DH would eliminate that issue in Seattle.

Other options for DH would be Johnny Damon and Derrek Lee. Both were above average offensively, last seasona nd should be able to contribute in 2012 as well. Hideki Matsui and Vlad Guerrero are out there as well, but both were below average hitters in 2011, and appear to be at the end of the line. And before you ask, I wouldn’t touch Manny Ramirez with a 10 ft pole.

The M’s could also look to outfielders like Cody Ross or Kosuke Fukudome. Both can be part time outfielders and spend time at DH. Both also offer just slightly above average offense, but don’t offer more than Casper Wells should bring to the table.

The problem the Mariners run into is what to do if Montero doesn’t stick at catcher. If Montero eats up all the DH at-bats, it really limits their options. In that scenario, Mike Carp would be moved back out to left field, which means that both the outfield and DH spots would be filled already. The only place the M’s would have open would be third base, and there just aren’t a lot of options out there at third.

I already mentioned Betemit, but he’s so awful defensively that he wouldn’t be a good idea. Carlos Guillen is available, but is only an average hitter at this point in his career. The best option might be Miguel Tejada, and he hasn’t been good since 2009. Nope, If the Mariners need someone at 3B, they wont be finding any help via free agency.