CBS Sports: Seattle Mariners Franchise Best and Worst

The folks over at CBSSports.com have been putting together a series of each franchise’s best and worst. Matt Snyder has the most recent post, of the Seattle Mariners.

At the bottom of that page, you can find links to the other teams they have already finished. I highly recommend spending a few hours looking through them, it’s a nice compilation.

I won’t go over all of the picks Matt had for the Mariners, but I would like to point out a few and see what you think of them and if you would change any of them.

Worst Team: 2010

Matt argues that this Mariners team was the worst because of the offense finishing in dead last in almost every statistical category that season.

And while this team DID lose 101 games that year, Felix Hernandez won the Cy Young award. It’s kind of hard to say that they were the worst team, when at least they had that to look back on.

In my opinion, it would have to be the 2008 Mariners. The first team in Major League Baseball history to spend over $100 million in payroll and lose over 100 games (61-101).

Based on the Pythagorean Theory of baseball. That team should have won 67 games. Not a huge improvement, but they underachieved in EVERY aspect of the game.

The 2010 team should have only won 57 games. Despite the fact that they were bad, they still won four more games than their run differential indicated.

Worst Trade: Erik Bedard

It’s hard to argue with this one. However, there are so many bad trades that the Mariners have made in their history that one can wonder if THAT was the worst.

Three future All-Stars went to Baltimore (George Sherrill, Chris Tillman (pictured above) and Adam Jones) for Bedard who only made 30 starts over the course of three injury-plagued seasons in Seattle.

And to be fair, Snyder does name a few other of Seattle’s bad trades. In my opinion, the worst trade is still the Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek for Heathcliff Slocumb trade.

Though, in both of these examples, it is hindsight that makes them bad. At the time, not many people were complaining about the deal.

If we had to look at the worst “in the moment” trade that immediately looked bad, that would have to be the 1995 trade that sent Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson to the Yankees for Sterling Hitchcock and Russ Davis.

The Mariners had just gone to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and they trade their first baseman and a solid reliever to the Yankees – the team they had just beat in the ALDS – for a average at best third baseman and an average starting pitcher.

More from Mariners News

• 2023 Steamer Projections: Teoscar Hernandez could see a drop in Seattle
• Steamer Projections: Julio Rodriguez to enter rarified air in 2023
• What if the Mariners traded FOR Tyler O’Neill this time?
• Mariners starting pitching is being overlooked by MLB
• Baking the Cake: An Adjusted Mariners Offseason Plan

The next year, the Yankees win the World Series with Nelson in the bullpen and Tino manning first in the Bronx. It looked bad at the start and it ended even worse in hindsight.

Best and Worst signings: Ichiro Suzuki and Carlos Silva

It’s hard to argue the impact Ichiro had on the city and the organization when the Mariners signed him in 2001. It’s also hard to argue that the signing of Carlos Silva was one of the biggest head-scratchers of all time.

Who knows? History may be re-written in a few years and the Robinson Cano or Nelson Cruz signings could end up proving to be the best in the franchise’s history. After all, if they end up winning the World Series, how could you argue against it?

But let’s look at other BAD signings. Again, Snyder mentions Richie Sexson and Chone Figgins as having to be in the discussion. Bleacher Report had a post back in 2012 that listed – in the writer’s opinion – the worst 10 signings by the M’s.

At number two, was Scott Spiezio:

"Well, at least the contract wasn’t too freaking bad. The Mariners signed 3rd basemen Scott Spiezio to a three year contract worth 9.15 million back in 2004. In his first year with the Mariners, Spiezio had a batting average of .215, a .288 on base percentage, and had 36 walks compared to 60 strikeouts. But it was his second year that was perhaps the worst in Seattle Mariner’s history, even though he only played in 29 games for the 2005 Mariners.In 2005, Scott Spiezio hit…wait for it….064. 3 hits in 47 at-bats. .137 on base percentage. 4 walks, and 18 strikeouts. He drove in 1 run. He scored 2 runs. How that was possible, I still don’t know.But do you how what hurts the most? He got picked up the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006, while still being paid by the Mariners, and in 119 games, he batted .272 with a .366 on base percentage. Thanks a lot, Scott."

In that post, they did pick Silva as the worst. And like I say, it’s hard to argue that one. Though it WAS in the Bill Bavasi era and just about every move was questionable.

So what do you think M’s fans? Who would you pick for these categories? Let us know in the comment section below or on our Facebook page or on Twitter (info below).