Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Safeco Field has been seriously revamping the Seattle Mariners stadium. The outfield wall is being moved in and closer to home plate. The park is getting a giant HD video screen; and Edgar’s restaurant is moving into the left field area complete with a cantina and a terrace. Giant piles of dirt abound in the Mariners’ home stadium as work is underway to get the stadium ready for the 2013 season.

The new HDTV is well underway. It is set to be the largest such screen in Major League Baseball. The board will measure a total of 11,425 square feet (That’s like 10 standard size suburban houses or large apartments stacked together in a rectangle). It is just about 57′ high and just over 201′ wide. That, my friends, is a HUGE honkin’ TV/scoreboard.

Edgar’s is well-underway, and it will be going under where the old manual scoreboard used to be. 384 seats have been removed to make room for this outdoor south-of-the border inspired restaurant.  There will be a lounge area as well and a dining room where guests can sit and enjoy themselves during the game.

The outfield walls are being moved in between 4′ and 17′ between the right and left fields, including center field. Now if someone hits a run into left field, guests seated in Edgar’s may have a good shot at grabbing the ball – if they get to the park early enough!

It will be great to see the completed results of all this construction in the new season.

Sep 19, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) pitches to the Baltimore Orioles at Safeco Field. Baltimore defeated Seattle 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY SportsMa

Safeco Field has been suffering from poor attendance numbers. While some might attribute this to a wavering economy, many attribute this to a wavering interest in the Seattle Mariners – after all, when was the last time the won a pennant? The team seems to be comfortable keeping the bottom slot on the AL West rankings warm.

“King” Felix Hernandez certainly has star power, and with his perfect game last season, many may line up just to watch him strike out the opponent batters. However, it’s not clear this isn’t enough to bring people into the stands. I can’t help but think of the film Fever Pitch - not the original, but the remake based on the Boston Red Sox. What the team needs, frankly speaking, is a good strong season.

In 2012, the Oakland Athletics launched to baseball stardom int he second half of the season. They came back from trailing behind the Texas Rangers to win the AL West Division Championship. Talks of moving the team to San Jose were staved off once the Oakland Colosseum was filled. What the Mariners need is something of that magnitude. They need some good wins. They need some star players.  Frankly, they need to shake the bottom of the AL West reputation they’ve dug themselves into.

In order to do this, the Mariners will really need a lot more than some hitters who were strong players in the past. They’re going to need a solid team that really plays like a unit. They’ll need strong pitching, they’ll need strong hitters, and they’ll need guys who can get on base and make it around the infield. They’ll need infielders and outfielders who can hustle. The Ms have definitely had some stars over the years, but for it to be their time at the World Series, they’re going to need to turn those stars into a fully functional team.

I think they can do it. They’ve been to the playoffs before, they can get there again. They can fill Safeco Field. Sure they can rely on some of their silly commercials and on the various promotional days – but they will also need a solid season to attract the attention of the Seattle crowd who has given up on the team. They’ll need to rely upon those fans who have been sleeping through the past several seasons to wake up and care about their hometown team.

What do you think? What can the Mariners do to help fill Safeco Field with fans?

Dec 6, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik answers questions on the MLB.com set during the MLB winter meetings at Hilton Anatole. What will happen during the 2012 MLB winter meeting and will Zduriencik be able to bring home a team that will win this year? Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no secret that the Seattle Mariners are in big need of some strong offense. General Manager Jack Zduriencik is very active at the 2012 winter MLB meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rumor has it that there are three prospects for pitchers for the Seattle team: Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, and Taijuan Walker who may be up for trade when the Mariners go batter-hunting. While the Mariners do have some funds freed up to pick up a free agent this year, they may still need to pull some trade strings to get someone who will work hard for their team. It boils down to a big decision for the Mariners’ team management: Trade away young, unproven prospects for players that have shown their stuff or spend more money on their payroll for the roster.

With attendance falling, and confidence in the team low, the pressure is on for Zduriencik to build a team that can compete. A lot more than bringing in the walls at SafeCo Field is necessary in order to develop a winning team. The question is, will the team be able to gain the members it needs in order to compete against big-budget teams like the New York Yankees?

If the Oakland Athletics could pull out of a slump to become the AL West Champions this past year under the logic put forth by the Billy Beane Moneyball tactics that changed the face of baseball, perhaps the Mariners need to start thinking in an out-of-the box way as well.Who will get on base, and more importantly, once on base, who will be able to get home for the all-important score?

Some of the players the Mariners are rumored to be interested in include:

• Josh Hamilton
• Justin Upton
• Mike Napoli
• Nick Swisher
• Cody Ross
• Ryan Ludwick
• Mark Reynolds
• Garrett Jones

A lot of this will be contingent upon how much the M’s are able to put forward financially and who they are willing to trade for the various players on their wish list. What do you think the beloved Seattle team should be looking at in order to get to a pennant win in the 2013 season?