Morales
Reader mail! And man, am I posting frequently lately or what. Jerry Ek asks:
I was reading an article in the NY post about Cuban defector Kendry Morales. It mentioned that he was working out for teams this week in the Dominical Republic, and that he could sign with a club very soon. I have heard conflicting information about the M’s interest in this guy. Do you guys have an insider info on whether the M’s are looking at this guy, and if so, what there level of interest is?
The Mariners have been interested in Cuban defectors in the past but never at the price they go at. This is a good thing: when do these guys ever live up to the contracts they get? Maybe you can argue El Duque, but even he turned out to be older and his contract wasn’t a consistent value. I think the M’s would be interested if the price was right, but correctly look at Cuban players like Morales as being too costly to be worth the risk.
As to Morales’ possible value: I’ve stopped paying attention to these guys. Until we have some kind of actual reference point for thier performance, I’m going to hold off on making judgements, in the same way I would for a guy who had a great season in short-season rookie ball. Dave may have something to offer here.
Since the 2004 season is such a bust, and the fans are not happy, why can’t the M’s divert some of the ‘Sasaki Money’ and the unused payroll to offer this kid a big signing bonus. He could end up being the 1B player of the future, and he can play 3B and both corner infield spots as well. Since he is 21, he probably won’t be ready for a bit. But at least it would give the hard-core fan-base something to talk about besides Ichiro’s hunt for the hits record.
It’s true, they could do this, but… they won’t. They’ve already said that money saved can’t be carried over for next year, so it would seem to make sense that they could spend it on player acquisition costs, but remember from the strange Matsui speculation that the Mariners consider foreign player costs as some weird semi-off-budget category of spending, and so they’re unlikely to raid account #1 to do something interesting with account #2.
Comments
33 Responses to “Morales”
are there any good off budget prospects from Japan the mariners might spend money on?
Probably the best Japanese players are picthers Iwakuma and Matsuzuki. I doubt both will be posted soon since both are very young, though I think Matsuzaka asked to be posted last offseason but was declined. So it’ll probably a couple of more years before you see these guys in the states . The only position player I could see coming to the states this year is Tadahito Iguchi, who drew interest from the Angels and Dodgers (maybe the Mariners as well?). He’ll be thirty one (I think) next year and plays second and short. If he’s posted, I could see the M’s taking a flier on him. He’s never really lived up to his potential though when he was taken first in the Japanese draft.
Asian stars aren’t always the answer though, look at Lee Seung Yeop. The self proclaimed “Homerun King” is struggling mightily in Japan. I’d rather have the M’s try to sign at least two big free agents like Nomar, Beltre, Beltran, Clement or Pedro.
oops, its Matsuzaka not Matsuzuki. Matsuzaka is 24 and Iwakuma is 23. I think you need eight years before you can be a free agent, and Matsuzaka is in his sixth and Iwakuma is in his fourth. When Matsuzaka is posted, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mariners go after him strong. I’m no expert on this though, your best bet is to get in contact with someone like Robert Whiting or Michael Westbay.
I think that Morales is a different situation than other Cuban players. With Conteras and El Duque, both guys came in older (both are listed as 32, but those ages are suspect at best). They were at the ends or past their primes, and were supposed to come in as elite players right away. Really, both pitchers have been good. El Duque has been awesome for the Yankees at various times, and Conteras is pitching very well since getting out of NY. Morales is a very different player.
Morales is only 21, and has been called the best Cuban hitter in a while. Since he is so young, he is more like an advanced college player than a guy who should be expected to be a star right away. He could start off in San Antonio or Tacoma next year, and the team could really evaluate which position he would be best at and what he needs to work on to have some success in MLB.
Morales would be more like an additional first-round draft pick than a high-profile free agent. Thus, I think that the should be paid like one. The M’s could just give him a big signing bonus, then put him in the minors. If some other team offers him a starting position right away, he might go for it. But since he is anything but a sure thing, I would think that he and his agent would jump at a big, lump-sum signing bonus. If he fails, oh well. It would not be much different from a 1st-round draft pick bombing, which is not at all rare (Michael Garciaparra?).
If this kid looks decent, I hope that the M’s go for him. He would add some depth to the farm system, and could develop into a star. Plus, he plays four positions, so the team could fit him in somewhere.
Most importantly, the M’s have lost a lot of draft picks by signing free agents, and will definitely loose some more picks this year. Morales could help add some depth to the farm system. He is not a guy that is going to come in and be an allstar right away. But if you view him as a prospect, he could be a great signing.
On another note, the talk about Japanese players brings up a topic that has been discussed on another blog. The Met’s might be willing to trade Kaz Matsui in the right deal. He has struggled in NY this year, but he has a lot more potential than any Japanese position player that I have heard of recently. The Met’s are not at all happy with him, as he has played bad defense, been reluctant to shift to 2B, and has not really bonded with the team. The NY fans boo him a lot, which I think could be tough on a guy who was a star in Japan.
Since the Met’s have already publicly proclaimed that he will move to 2B next year, and since the fans are about to riot after the Met’s recent moves, I could see them moving him for Bret Boone. Boone is a proven guy at 2B, and only has one year on his contract. His salary is not much more than Matsui’s next season, so the financial issue is not as important as it would seem. The Met’s would probably be interested in cutting their losses with Matsui, and might even be willing to include a prospect.
Matsui is a big risk, but I also think that he is a prime candidate for a breakout season. His defense will almost definitely improve dramatically. He was a gold-glove SS in Japan, and many scouts who have seen him were saying that he would be among the best SSs in the US this year. Obviously they were wrong. But defense is a part of the game that transfers well. I think that his problems have been due to his obvious adjustment difficulties. Since Seattle is a much more mellow environment, and there is a core of Japanese players here (three and counting), it might be a good place for Matsui to start over. If he can bounce back and play like he was expected to (.300, 25HR, with speed and great defense), he could be a great option.
If Matsui regains his defensive skills, he could play SS, with Lopez moving to 2B like many scouts have predicted. Or, they could leave Lopez at SS and shift Matsui to 2B (which is a forgone conclusion if he stays in NY). His contract is less than Boone’s, so financially it would be a good decision. Boone could bounce back next year, but it is just as likely that he will play to his career averages (.275ish, 20HRs) given his age (36). If you play the percentages, Matsui is much more likely to perform better, and Boone is more likely to decline.
The OF is one place where the M’s need to improve. In many scenarios, I think that Winn will become expendable. Matsui could fill the #2 hole in the lineup, and would provide an option at 2B for a few years. Since 2B is a position with relatively little talent available right now, I think that it is a good risk. It would be a ballsy move, but it could really be a steal if Matsui plays like everyone expected him to play.
Not a bad theory Jerry. I seriously doubt the Mets would throw in a prospect for Boone, who only has a year left on his deal and is in decline, but I don’t think we’d need a prospect for it to be a worthwhile gamble. I say go for it Bavasi.
IIRC, one of the things they are doing is dedicating the extra money this year to paying off Cirillo’s 2005 money (the M’s are still paying him some for 2005). I unfortunately do not recall where I read or heard this.
Which makes me go “So isn’t that carrying the money over to next year?”…but expecting consistency from this Mariner management is a futile hope.
Anyone trading for Boone is clearly operating on the “greater fool” theory (as in you sell a stock you think is a dog to a bigger fool than you). Boone’s stats this year are out of line for 2001-2003, but they are NOT out of line for his career outside of those years and 1994. .260/20/75 is something you could easily expect, and isn’t too bad for a 2B…but the low OBP and 9 million would mean the Mets might do better signing a FA for 3 million and setting fire to a couple million dollars, because they’d have a couple million more to use come July at the trade deadline.
jerry,
why do we need outfield help we have reed,winn,ibanez,ichiro,and
choo.What we need are corner outfielders and matsui is not needed.
Why couldnt we use reed or choo in the two hole?I dont think we should get morales unless we can get him for a big bargain.It would be
better to get an establised guy like sexson or delgado.
The younger Cuban “stars” haven’t worked out that great, either. Anybody remember the hype surrounding Rene Arocha and Ariel Prieto … as opposed to their actual major league performances. After a brief initial splash, their leagues caught up to them with a vengeance and they never made the counter-adjustments.
Arocha was 26 when he was signed after his defection; it was hughe news at the time because he was considered a star. He did well enough as a rookie for the 1993 Cardinals (11-8, 3.78 ERA, 31 walks and 96Ks in 188 innings) but never again found consistency despite good control. He washed out in 1997 with an 18-17 lifetime mark.
Ariel Prieto was much the same story a few years later, signing at 25 as a suggested star. Only he didn’t have the good first season, despite flashes of good stuff, and his control record stunk. (Remind you of any other ballyhooed Cuban pitching stars?) He last surfaced in 2001 with the Devil Rays (being a teammate of Jason Tyner can only hurt your resume) and I believe that at 34 he’s still flailing around Triple-A.
Derek’s right. There hasn’t been one real Cuban success story, YET, and until there is, there’s no basis for accurate assessment.
Kaz Matsui making another adjustment to Safeco and another new league next year? I wouldn’t expect a break out at all. But he isn’t at the past-his-prime age – trading Boonie in decline in his final year for Kaz seems a good deal. But how dumb are the Mets? They were dumb enough to trade for pitchers in a lost season…
I watched the Rainiers in a double header last night, and the M’s system could use some more warm bodies. If the Cuban comes moderately cheap, let’s pop him in the system.
Daisuke Matsuzaka had a glorious first year in the Japanese bigs in which he was criminally overused and abused. What makes me nervous is that he’s a product of the classic Japanese system of having really young pitchers (and he was so young he was barely shaving) throw long and hard for the entire season, not to mention “spring” training which starts in January. He’s got a lot more miileage on his arm than he should. Of course, if we could get to kick the tires like we did with a couple of Orix pitchers one spring…
I don’t think all Cuban defectors have been flops. I’m writing a BP column on this, but to sort of hamstring myself… while the vast majority of money sunk into Cubans who become free agents might as well be put on the bonfire for all the good it does, there are instances where the money pays off: the $4m the Marlins paid for Livan Hernandez, for instance.
There just haven’t been any in a long, long time. And in the aggregate, almost none of them have been worth the money they received.
Ah, yes. Livan La Vida Loca … he was a five-year flop after 1997, and now he’s the amazing pitch-count-defying wonder. Someday somebody is going to write one hell of an interesting book about the Hernandez brothers.
There have been some good Cuban pitchers (the Hernandez’s, Conteras), but these guys don’t really have much to do with Morales at all. There really is no good analog to compare him to. It would be like saying that Jeremy Reed will not play well because Nageotte has struggled. They are both coming up from Tacoma, but have little to nothing else in common.
Matt,
Again, it is best to think of Morales as a first-round pick instead of a free agent. Although he is technically a free agent, he will spend some time in the minors. Since the M’s have lost a lot of picks lately, it would give them a chance to add depth to a farm system that has been thoroughly raided this season. Besides, I think that CF and 3B are the best places to spend the big bucks. Sign Beltre and Beltran, and trade for a cheaper alternative at 1B.
I like this lineup:
-trade for Phillies 1B Ryan Howard
-trade Boone for Matsui
-trade bait: Winn, Franklin, Leone, many of our rookie relievers
-sign Adrian Beltre, Carlos Beltran, Odalis Perez, Derek Lowe, and Scott Williamson in free agency
Ichiro RF
Matsui 2B/SS
Beltran CF
Beltre 3B
Ibanez LF
Bucky DH
Howard 1B
Olivo C
Lopez SS/2B
If Howard sucks, they could move Ibanez to 1B and put Reed or Choo in LF.
Rotation:
Perez, Pinero, Lowe, Moyer, Meche/Madritsch
Bullpen: Guardado, Williamson, Sherrill, Mateo, Putz, Shiggy, Madritsch
Bench: Cabrera, Spiezio, Bloomquist, Wilson
HAHA! Not sure the M’s have the $50 million to pull that one off. Also not sure that the entire rest of the league would settle for letting the Mariners take nearly every single high-profile free agent, plus the Phillies giving up a top prospect for a bunch of our leftover crap…
I like all your creativity Jerry…but that was a little much.
Jerry, I think your heart is in the right place, because Beltre, Beltran and Perez should be priorities 1a, 1b and 1c this offseason. Signing those 3 players would be as good a haul as Anaheim getting Vlad/Guillen/Colon.
That being said…
– Boone is unlikely to be taken off our hands this offseason. 2B don’t age well (see Alomar, Roberto or Sandberg, Ryne), and I think it highly unlikely we’ll see the 2001 or 2003 Boone ever again, the 2002 Boone’s none too likely either (if we got .290/25/90 from Boone in 2005 I’d be thrilled)…and while his 2004 performance is in line with a lot of his career BEFORE he came to Seattle, I think he might not even hit that- his injuries and wear and tear are starting to catch up to him. The other 29 major league teams are going to figure that out too.
– Ditto Franklin. Almost EVERY minor league system has a Ryan Franklin, a pitcher who’s hung around the minors for years with some effectiveness and can be a decent 5th starter or bullpen long man on a good team with a good defense. You can pay that guy 300K. Why pay Ryan Franklin almost 2 million instead, coming off a horrible year with an ERA over 5 in a pitchers park?
– You will be lucky to fit Perez, Beltran and Beltre into the M’s FA budget for 2005 (with maybe enough cash to strengthen the bench, see below), and swap Winn out for bullpen help (Reed would be a fine replacement for him). If you want Lowe and Williamson, be prepared to go to $100 million.
– That bench is horrible, because it’s the same damn bench the M’s have had since 2001- guys who can’t hit water falling out of a boat, and who aren’t that talented on defense either. It would be nice if, for once, the M’s HAD a major league hitter who is capable of slugging .450 in part time play on their bench. I’d want a Stairs or Hansen on there, minimum.
– Isn’t Howard a minor league FA at the end of the year?
Jerry — the M’s won’t be losing any draft picks this year. One of the “bonuses” of finishing so poorly this year is that no matter how many free agents they sign they won’t lose the picks (if you finish in the bottom half of MLB teams).
For those looking for Morales updates:
Went 7 for 16 with 2 HR in two games with other Dominican players this past Tuesday and Wednesday.
Went 6 for 8, hitting for the cycle, in a workout with an disclosed team a couple weeks ago.
15-20 teams watched him on Tuesday and Wednesday, although I can’t confirm if any Mariner personnel were in attendance.
Eponymous Coward:
I am not too sure about the Matsui move either. But the other moves make a ton of sense, and are totally possible. These are the high estimate figures for what I think that those free agents will cost:
Beltran: 6 years, 70 million. That would be ~12mil/year average, but could end up being something like 10mil 2005, 11 mil 2006-8, 12mil 2009, option for 15mil 2010
Beltre: 5 years, 55 million, with lots of performance based incentives. That would be something like base salaries of 8 million, with bonuses for all-star appearances, gold gloves, and plate appearances. This would also include options on the last year. He would probably cost about 10mil next year.
Odalis Perez and Derek Lowe: 3 years, 24 million for Perez. There are lot of pitchers comperable to Perez, including Eric Milton, Brad Radke, Matt Morris, Carl Pavano, Russ Ortiz, and Matt Clement. These guys are very good, but not Cy Young candidates right now. So 3 years, 24 million will sign at least one of these guys. Lowe will go for significantly less, because of his 2004 performance. He could be gotten for 2 years, 10 million. Matt Morris is a similar guy. His W/L record makes him look like a better player than he really is, and this might elevate his value. The point is, there is a good crop of second tier pitchers. Perez could be gotten for 8 mil, and Lowe for possibly as low at 4-5 mil/year. If not, the team could get by without Lowe.
The Mariners have 51 million committed right now for 2005. Lincoln told the press that the team payroll for 2005 would be at least 95 million (the 2004 figure), which comes out to 88 million plus 7 million in contigency cash. That leaves 37 million free. Moving Winn and Franklin would free up 6 million more. The M’s could thus sign Beltran for up to 12 mil, Beltre for up to 12 mil, Perez for 8 mil, Lowe for 5 mil and Scott Williamson for 3 mil without going over budget. Even at the highest likely figures, that adds up to 40 million. It is within the M’s means to sign these guys. They just have to get some balls and do it.
Trading Winn and Franklin would not be hard. Neither have long or expensive contracts. Franklin only has one year for 2 mil remaining. He has had success in the past and always pitches lots of innings. He would be a good pitcher for a small-market team with big holes in its rotation, as a 4th or 5th starter. The M’s could trade him for a mediocre prospect(s). Winn is a solid player, and can play CF. Plus, he has two years for 3mil/year left on his contract. That is pretty reasonable. He has decent numbers this year, and is a good #2 hitter. Both guys are very tradable.
I think that the Phillies would possibly trade Howard for Winn straight up. Howard is not a free agent. He hasn’t even started his clock towards arbitration, and would have three years of cheap service for the M’s before he is eligable for arbitration. The Phillies can’t use Howard, and they need a CF player. They also need relievers. If the Phillies won’t accept Winn straight up, you could include one of our relievers (Thornton, Mateo, Sherrill, Taylor, or someone else). The Phillies have no use for Howard, so they would be filling needs for a player that has no future with the club.
Regarding the bench, who really cares? Cabrera can play almost any position, and has been great this year. So he is solid, and a lot younger than Mark McLemore was. We are stuck with Spiezio, who can fill in at 1B and 3B, plus PH on occasion. I think that he will bounce back from 2004, and will probably come close to his career averages. Bloomquist is a decent defensive replacement or pinch runner. Wilson is a great backup catcher, perhaps the best in the league. If the team decides to go with 11 pitchers, they could bring up Bocachica, Snelling, or Strong as OF bench players. Really, pinch hitters are far more important for NL teams. The M’s had trouble getting Hansen into games this year. Cabrera has hit almost as well as Hansen did, and Spiezio could PH as well. If Snelling is healthy, he is another option. So I don’t see a need to sign any other bench players.
The M’s need to make most of their moves through free agency this year. They don’t have many expendable veterans to move in trades this offseason. They will have more players coming off the books after 2005, so they need to sign young guys and begin building for a run in 2006. That is why I would like to see the M’s say away from Sexson and Delgado, and instead try to fill the 1B hole by acquiring a young player in a trade. Howard is the perfect candidate. Then, they can sign Beltre and Beltran, who would fill multiple needs: both play positions we need help at, both are defensive upgrades at key positions, both hit for power, both are young, and they would fill the biggest holes in our lineup at #3 and #4. It makes too much sense. Why sign Sexson or Delgado for 8 million, when you can get both Howard and Beltre for only 3 million more?
The M’s can put themselves into a very good position to contend by 2005 or 2006. They have more money coming off the books after 2005 (Moyer, Boone, Cirrillo, ect). Even if they have to go a little over their budget this year (to 100 million perhaps), they can always cut back payroll next, similar to what Anahiem will probably do this year after their splurge last offseason. It worked out well for them, as they will probably be good for years now.
The M’s have lots of free payroll. Beltre and Beltran are special players. They are the types of guys that you build a team around for years. I hope that they learn from their mistakes and make some moves for elite players. It is entirely possible. They just need to pull the trigger.
Trent,
Are you sure about that? I know that they won’t loose their first pick, but I thought that they would loose their 2nd and 3rd picks. I hope that you are right, though.
If the above moves don’t work out, how about substituting JD Drew for Beltran, and scrapping the Matsui idea. Then the M’s would have:
Ichiro CF
Olivo C
Drew RF
Beltre 3B
Ibanez LF
Boone 2B
Howard 1B
Bucky/Snelling DH
Lopez SS
Rotation: Perez, Lowe, Pinero, Moyer, Madritsch/Meche
Bullpen: Guardado, Williamson, Sherrill, Putz, Shiggy, Mateo/Taylor/Thronton
Franklin has little to no trade value. It is going to take a lot more then Winn and Thornton to get Ryan Howard.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=1872924
In a perfect world the M’s sign Beltran, Beltre, Lowe and Perez. In reality, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mariners signed Koskie, Travis Lee, Todd Hollandsworth, Mike Dejean, and overpay for Kevin Millwood.
Melvin,
What Philly is looking for will depend on what they do this offseason. But if the M’s have to, it would be worth it to send a better prospect(s), like Choo, Reed, Blackley, Nageotte, or a combination. But I really think that Winn and a pitcher like Atchison, Thornton, or Mateo would do it. Howard has no major league experience, and he is the type of player that a lot of teams will be wary of (lots of K’s, lack of flexiblity in positions).
Winn is going to be more attractive than you might think. Especially when each team has made it’s big signings. Players like Franklin, Winn, Ibanez, and our young relievers might bring something back in return. Especially for smaller market teams. But the main thing is moving payroll. Even if we get marginal prospects for Franklin, we have better pitchers than him if we sign another solid starter. I think that Reed will probably be a similar player as Winn, but will cost less. Plus, he could be much better (even .320, .400OBP, 25HRs). We have seen the best of Winn. Why not move these guys now and get some players that can help us in the long-term.
If I were Bavasi, I would just call up the Phillies in the offseason and see what they are looking for. I am sure that they could work something out. The Phillies are always playing for the present, and have no use for Howard. Since he won’t get much playing time this season, his stock is not likely to go up.
melvin,
actually I would take travis lee,and dejean as last second resorts.
But do you think the mariners are that dumb to overpay for millwood?
But I really think that we will be productive this year.
My predictions we sign,chad fox,adrian beltre,matt clement,ritchie sexson,and dave hansen.That is around thirty three million.
Matt,
The orpblem with your predictions is that all of those names are NL guys. The M’s are gonna be VERY cautious about putting all their “eggs” into the NL basket again after the last few disasters.
Jon Wells,
You are incorrect concerning the loss of draft picks the Mariners would sustain should they sign Major League Free Agents this off season. The M’s can’t lose their 1st round pick because of their record but they can lose picks in the 2nd or 3rd rounds depending on the number and type of free agents the team signs. As an example Baltimore (2003 record 71-91) lost it’s 2nd round pick this year to Oakland for signing Miguel Tejada last winter. A team can’t lose more than one pick for any one free agent signed, however the team that loses the free agent player may get as many as two draft picks (example, a 1st round sandwich pick {between round 1 and round 2} which is never a pick stripped away from another team plus the free agent’s new team’s first or second round pick).
Compensation for free agents is determined by the player’s ML ranking such as a Type “A” free agent, a Type “B” free agent or a Type “C” free agent. For potential free agents who are not offered arbitration by their current team, there is no draft compensation.
Your 2005 Seattle Mariners
manager – Jimy Williams
1. Ichiro RF
2. Reed CF
3. Ibanez LF
4. Boone 2b
5. Koskie 3b
6. Jacobsen DH
7. Lee 1b
8. Olivo C
9. Lopez SS
Bench
1. Wilson C
2. Bloomquist UT
3. Cabrera UT
4. Winn OF
5. Spiezio IF
Rotation
1. Millwood R
2. Moyer L
3. Madritsch R
4. Meche R
5. Nageotte R
Closer
Dejean R
Bullpen
1. Taylor R
2. Mateo R
3. Sherrill L
4. Putz R
5. Hasegawa R
DL – Blackley, Soriano, Guardado
Record
77-85
I don’t think the Mariners would even try to trade for Kaz Matsui, do you think two Japanese prima donnas would want to play together? Plus, he has a bad back and would have to learn how to play second.
Melvin Bob,
Don’t take this the wrong way, but that is the worst lineup I have ever seen posted by any person on any M’s blog. If the team did that, you would have to conclude that they were intentionally trying to loose games and fans in order to move the team. No way. That will never ever happen in a million billion years.
Basically, you are saying that the only free agents the team will sign are Koskie, DeJean, and Millwood. What are they going to do with the other 20 million in payroll? Why would any person sign those players? I hope that you are joking.
You expect the Mariners to go out and sign top free agents? When was the last time they did that? Do you really think the Mariners can outbid the Yankees, Dodgers and Orioles for Beltran, the Yankees, Orioles and Braves for Drew or the Dodgers and Angels for Beltre? Do you think the Mariners will have a change of heart and start dishing out five plus year contracts? I’d love to see them sign Beltran and Beltre, but it is not going to happen. They’ll probably come close to signing Beltran, Drew or Beltre but will give the tired “Hey, we tried”. After that, expect them to sign “contributors” like Koskie, Catalanotto, Loazia, Tony Clark, Dan Miceli, John Vander Wal, Todd Hollandsworth or Travis Lee. If the front office makes a “splash”. I can seriously see Dumb and Dumber (Lincoln and Bavasi, you be the judge who is dumber) overpaying for Glaus, Delgado, Sexson or Ordenez.
Don’t know or especially have an opinion on who Lincoln/Bavasi will pick, but given the letter from Lincoln cited and analyzed at great length in one of the previous USS Mariner articles, I’m guessing that the Mariners will sign at least one high profile free agent and probably two (to show they’re serious). Don’t expect the picks to be well thought out except for, perhaps, Beltran. I think even the most denial-ridden GMs and Executives can see that Winn doesn’t throw out anybody and that the M’s outfield defense simply doesn’t work. That, more than any other reason, would be why they would acquire Beltran.
Don’t be surprised if they sign Vizquel (a great fan favorite and no doubt a fine family man and community leader) whom the Mariner announcers today were saying has had one of his best years at the plate and is still playing “Gold Glove” shortstop. Neither is the case, of course, but whenever has that stopped the Mariners? How many guys that old have ever played great defensive shortstop?
Finally, and this is driving me crazy, can anybody think of even a dumb reason why Melvin would start Bloomquist at first? Make more sense to start him at catcher if you’re going to do something outre. Given the contemporary obsession with having an entire battalion of short relievers, having a utility player able to function as an emergency third catcher would give you a virtual third catcher to use and increase your pinch-hitting opportunities.
I dont have much money but i would bet this guy is no where near 21???Just like all the other cuban hype machines that havent done a frikint hing!!!
Melvin Bob,
Ibanez batting 3rd? Boone batting 4th? An unproven rookie batting 2nd? That is a recipe for disaster — something like this year, as a matter of fact.
Hey, that’s not the idealistic lineup, but the REALISTIC lineup. You guys are only fooling yourselves if you think the Mariners will sign Carlos Beltran AND(!) Adrian Beltre. If they do go out and make a “splash”, expect Nomar Garciaparra and Carlos Delgado.