Now What?
by Jon Shields ~ May 13th, 2008
The Seattle Mariners started digging themselves into a hole within the first couple of games this season and haven’t stopped. Their best winning streak has been just three games, and that happened once in April. At eleven games under .500, Seattle is the owner of the worst record in all of baseball.
Seattle is still in the AL West race, mathematically, and the so-so play of the Angels and A’s leave Seattle within reach. It is only May, and stranger things have happened. Teams get hot while other teams freefall. The 2007 NL East and Wild Card races should still be fresh in our minds, not to mention Seattle’s refuse to lose squad of ‘95. Am I predicting a late surge from these Mariners that propels them to AL West glory? No, but it’s not over ’til it’s over.
So what now? With GM Bill Bavasi’s job possibly on the line, I have to think he’s trying to figure out a way to win this year, and the one thing Seattle needs more than anything else is a big bat in the middle of the order. Jose Lopez hit fifth tonight, Jose Vidro has hit there often and rookie Jeff Clement has hit there as well. That isn’t good enough when other teams have legitimate producers in that spot.
At this point it will take a much bigger run producer than what sits in the bargain bin, putting the organization in a catch-22. Do you spend valuable prospects for a top tiered run producer for a chance at an unlikely comeback, go out and get the presumably cheaper Ken Griffey for a smaller upgrade in an effort to at least rejuvenate the fan base, do you stand pat and forfeit the season, or do you look ahead and try and trade some veteran players in hopes of bolstering the farm system? Here’s a hint: there is no right answer, but there is probably a wrong one.
5 Responses to Now What?
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1 May 14th, 2008 at 8:26 am
I say we go get Griffey to atleast put some butts back in the seats…
2 May 14th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I am not sure if anything can be done. I am a diehard Mariners fan and I just can’t figure it out. Did they overachieve last year to make them contenders this year? It drives me nuts to watch them night in and night out not do the little things to either get a rally going or to sustain it. I watch other teams and they string a few hits together or get a walk or to but we can’t do anything right it seems. Once we get down, it seems like the team just does not want to play.
Is it the players or does the answer lye on the bench with Mclarane. I never liked Mclarane to begin with. I feel that he should have been an interim coach and someone should have been brought in. He is no Pinella by any means and not even close to the job Hargrove has done. I think we need to find a coach and go from there.
3 May 14th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Bavasi isn’t the only one with the job on the line, it’s McLaren. If you can’t win with the talent on this team you can’t win with any team
4 May 14th, 2008 at 11:51 am
McLaren has a longer leash than Bavasi, but with the way this team has been sinking they should both be on the hotseat. Seattle’s coaching staff has three former big league managers in Riggleman, Perlozzo and Elia, so finding a replacement, interim or permanent, wouldn’t be so difficult.
As far as replacing Bavasi goes, all indications are that it will be a promote from within thing, meaning that Bavasi could be fired mid-season. I don’t think that will happen though. Also, having a rookie GM is a little scary. We already saw how Minnesota’s rookie GM butchered the Santana trade.
5 May 14th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I say we either trade for grif (as long as it’s reasonable) or start building towards the future. Either way is fine with me. I don’t think we should desperately try to get a big bat and overpay a bunch. I don’t think we should stand pat, and i would not be devastated if we rebuilt from the top down (adios bavasi and mclaren!)