Published: Monday, January 5, 2009
Mariners' to-do list
Here are the important areas within the Mariners that remain unsettled:
Continue to upgrade the offense: The addition of Branyan was a start, although he has never been a major league regular because of his strikeouts and streaky nature. The Mariners are looking for offensive thump at DH and left field.
Where will that come from? Several free agents remain available, including an intriguing guy named Ken Griffey Jr. The Mariners have held conversations with Griffey's agent and things could go beyond wishful thinking by the end of this month if Griffey remains available and the Mariners haven't signed anyone.
Find a closer: The bullpen, already with holes to fill, suffered even more in the trade that sent closer J.J. Putz and right-handed setup man Sean Green to the Mets.
The next closer is likely to be someone already in-house. Brandon Morrow saved 10 games last year when Putz was hurt, but he was converted into a starter and really doesn't want to go back to the bullpen. Aaron Heilman, obtained from the Mets, could close although he wasn't enamored with relieving last year. Mark Lowe, who pitched a full season without health issues for the first time following major elbow surgery in 2006, badly wants the closer job.
Rebuild the bullpen: The closer may be the most important job to be determined in the pen, but it's not the only one. There's no left-handed specialist or a clear-cut leader for the right-handed setup job. Fortunately, bullpen jobs tend to sort themselves out during spring training and the Mariners will look at plenty of arms, including some youngsters in the minor league system.
Continue to upgrade the offense: The addition of Branyan was a start, although he has never been a major league regular because of his strikeouts and streaky nature. The Mariners are looking for offensive thump at DH and left field.
Where will that come from? Several free agents remain available, including an intriguing guy named Ken Griffey Jr. The Mariners have held conversations with Griffey's agent and things could go beyond wishful thinking by the end of this month if Griffey remains available and the Mariners haven't signed anyone.
Find a closer: The bullpen, already with holes to fill, suffered even more in the trade that sent closer J.J. Putz and right-handed setup man Sean Green to the Mets.
The next closer is likely to be someone already in-house. Brandon Morrow saved 10 games last year when Putz was hurt, but he was converted into a starter and really doesn't want to go back to the bullpen. Aaron Heilman, obtained from the Mets, could close although he wasn't enamored with relieving last year. Mark Lowe, who pitched a full season without health issues for the first time following major elbow surgery in 2006, badly wants the closer job.
Rebuild the bullpen: The closer may be the most important job to be determined in the pen, but it's not the only one. There's no left-handed specialist or a clear-cut leader for the right-handed setup job. Fortunately, bullpen jobs tend to sort themselves out during spring training and the Mariners will look at plenty of arms, including some youngsters in the minor league system.
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