Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Mariners now are, well, interesting

Seattle is building for the future, not just next season, but it remains to be seen if any progress has been made.

By Kirby Arnold
Herald Writer

 If the baseball season started today, the Seattle Mariners would field a team filled with the promise of youth but stained by many of the same issues that plagued them in 2008.

For all that general manager Jack Zduriencik accomplished at the winter meetings last week, there's still no sense that the offense is any better than this year's abomination, and the bullpen right now is a late-inning disaster waiting to happen.

Thank goodness the season doesn't start today.

That, along with faith in Zduriencik's plan for rebuilding the franchise with an eye toward the future and not just next year, should make the 2009 Mariners interesting to watch.

Zduriencik has gotten off to a nice start in replenishing the talent level at both the major league and minor league levels.

The 12-player trade that cost the Mariners closer J.J. Putz, reliever Sean Green, outfielder Jeremy Reed and minor league infielder Luis Valbuena brought seven players in return.

If we're to believe the hype, Franklin Gutierrez is the next coming of Mike Cameron as a defensive center fielder. Endy Chavez brings speed and a nice glove to left field and, with Ichiro Suzuki in right, the Mariners may have assembled an outfield that's better suited for Safeco Field than any they've had since the ballpark opened in 1999.

The Mariners are hoping right-handed pitcher Aaron Heilman experiences a rebirth after a rough experience with the Mets. He'll probably pitch in relief but can start if there's a need.

The Mariners added two other pieces Thursday in the Rule 5 draft -- middle infielder Reegie Corona, who will back up Yuniesky Betancourt and hopefully push him a little, and left-handed pitcher Jose Lugo, who was drafted by the Royals and then purchased by the M's. Both of those players must stay on the major league roster all season or be offered back to their original teams.

Yes, Zduriencik accomplished more in sheer numbers last week than ever by the Mariners at the winter meetings. But that doesn't mean they're ready to start the season today, and that's a good thing. There's so much more to do and, frankly, it probably will take more than this offseason to do it.

The offense remains largely untouched and the bullpen is a bigger wreck than it was at the end of the season.

Yeah, the Ms did sign free-agent first baseman Russell Branyan, but he's never been an everyday player and his other-worldly left-handed power has been offset by strikeout numbers to the tune of one every 2½ times at-bat.

The changes in the outfield, while an upgrade defensively, represent a net loss when you consider the 110 RBI lost when Raul Ibanez signed with the Phillies. Unless Zduriencik has plans to sign a big bopper for left field and make Chavez a fourth outfielder, there's no power out there.

There's room for upgrade at DH and until the Mariners fill that job, Ken Griffey Jr. will always be a possibility. The chances of Griffey signing this offseason are somewhere between being realistic and a pipe dream, but it's certainly possible. If the M's haven't addressed the DH job and Griffey remains unsigned well into January, then we can start thinking it might really happen.

The bullpen is wide open for change.

Without Putz, there Mariners have no closer. Without Green, there's one less dependable right-handed setup man (sure, he struggled late this year but he was over-used early in the season and mis-used late). They also need a left-handed specialist.

Who's the new closer? Let's hope it's not Brandon Morrow. The poor guy has bounced from reliever to starter to reliever and back to starter in the past year, and he suffered a bout of shoulder pain because of it.

If the M's need to fill that job in-house, here's an idea mentioned by a friend whose insight into the team is much better than mine. Make Ryan Rowland-Smith the closer.

Like Morrow, Rowland-Smith is tabled for the starting rotation next year. But unlike Morrow, he's a horse at 6 feet 3 inches and 240 pounds and is as durable as anyone on the pitching staff. And don't let his smiling, aw-shucks off-field appearance fool you. This guy becomes a seething bulldog who isn't afraid of anything once he steps on the mound.

With Rowland-Smith and Mark Lowe returning to the pen, along with right-handers Roy Corcoran and Heilman, Zduriencik can use the rest of this offseason and spring training to find the power arms he'll need in relief.

And that's not taking into account Josh Fields, the unsigned first-round draft pick from this year. The loss of Putz may accelerate the need to sign the hard-throwing Fields, whose money demands reportedly are about $500,000 more than what the Mariners are willing to pay. The M's may not be so eager to up the ante, however, knowing they'll get an additional first-round draft pick in 2009 if Fields doesn't sign.

Zduriencik has nearly four months to round out the Mariners before their April 6 opener at Minnesota. The changes so far have been encouraging, but there's clearly a lot of work that remains.

Read Kirby Arnold's blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA