The trade of Adam Jones for Erik Bedard of the Orioles is big controversy here because, as usual, fans have latched on the next big thing and are acting like it would be sacrilegious to trade him. It's not that I don't like Jones; I actually think he has a big upside, but I don't think anyone is untradeable on this team except Felix and JJ Putz. My main concern is that they are giving up more for Bedard than the Mets gave the Twins for Johan Santana. In other words, the Mariners are making a good trade in a bad way.

The holes in the Mariners are the starting pitching and offense. They have a good bullpen and play good defense but their offense is very weak. It comes down to watching too many strike outs.

Filling those holes will be difficult for Bavasi considering they are the same holes they've had for a few years and he hasn't been able to fill them yet.

Will Bedard fill the hole in the rotation? Yes, I believe he will, but anything is better than trotting Jeff Weaver out there every five days.

Will Sexson, a decent defensive first baseman, finally stop striking out two gazillion times a year? No, I don't think he will.

Who will play right field, the black hole of the Mariners for decades, if they trade Jones? In left field, Raul Ibanez is solid.

Yes, the M's have problems, the biggest one that they are selling out the future with Adam Jones for winning now. Can they win now? After all, they still have Ichiro (by law, a writer cannot write a full article on the Mariners without mentioning Ichiro) and Felix. An injury to either one of them becomes a death knell on the season, but a lot of teams can say that.

It will reasonably take 95 wins to catch the Angels. If they get better than average years from Sexson, Wilkerson, and Adrian Beltre on offense and Bedard delivers enough with Felix to keep the pressure off of the bullpen, then yes, it's possible. Will it happen? I would love to believe it but I'm having a hard time pulling it off. Still, that's why they play the games.