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.
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Article comments
1 - M's Fan
Right Field...a black hole for decades???
Does the name Jay Buhner mean anything to you?
2 - Russ Evenhuis
Commentor #1: Not sure what to say to you since any kind of productive discussion is obviously beyond your being. Thanks for reading though.
Commentor #2: Yes, indeed! Jay Buhner is one of my all time favorite Mariners, but he hasn't played for the M's since 2001. You're right, I did overstate the problem with the hole in right field but honestly, I feel like the historic in left just moved to right when Ichiro moved to center, a move that should have been made a couple of years before instead of the Jeremy Reed experiment.
Thanks for reading!
3 - Tan The Man
Sexson sure has been a disappointment... how many more years on his contract?
4 - Russ Evenhuis
A quick check on Cot's Baseball Contracts page (mlbcontracts.blogspot.com) shows Mr. Sexson signed through 2008 and due to make $14 million this year. He ranks as the 6th highest paid first baseman in baseball.
5 - J.R.
"They have a good bullpen and play good defense but their offense is very weak."
Actually, they have one of the worse defenses in baseball. Outside of Ichiro and Beltre there is not a defender on the team above average at their position. Sexson and Ibanez are a complete disaster with the glove, and trading away a great, young defensive outfielder (Jones) and replacing him with a 31 year old with busted knees (Wilkerson) is going to do awful things for our 3-5 starting pitchers, just watch.