Maybe Lincoln should be on the hot seat
Published 10:58 am Friday, September 28, 2007
In the end, Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln saw more positives than negatives in bringing back manager John McLaren and general manager Bill Bavasi.
I can see bringing back McLaren, although some of his lineups he put out there defied logic. He did take over the team under the worst possible circumstances. Mike Hargrove, three months after he said he was hungrier to get at it than he’d ever been, decided he wanted to go fishing, or whatever he does with his spare time.
Half a year isn’t enough to fairly evaluate McLaren. Save it for next season.
We already know what Bavasi’s about, which is why keeping him makes zero sense.
Bavasi saw fit to trade prospect Asdrubal Cabrera to Cleveland for Eduardo Perez. Cabrera, 21, is the Indians’ everyday second baseman and hitting nearly .290. He may win a World Series ring next month. Perez works for ESPN.
That’s just one boneheaded move Bavasi’s made in his tenure. Does the name “Richie Sexson” ring a bell? How about Horacio Ramirez, whom Bavasi brought here for Rafael Soriano. Soriano had a fine year. Ramirez was yanked from the starting rotation weeks ago.
The list goes on, starting with Jeff Weaver, poster boy for a starting rotation that has the third-worst ERA in the American League. Holy Miguel Olivo! Holy Jeremy Reed!
Looking back, the M’s were ripe for a 2-15 September collapse. The horrible starting rotation finally overworked the bullpen, and next thing you know, the M’s are out of the pennant race.
And yet, Lincoln trusts Bavasi to fix what needs fixing: at least two starting pitchers, someone with speed on the basepaths, and a decision about what to do with up and coming stars Adam Jones, Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien.
Give credit where it’s due. The M’s will finish second in the division and will finish above .500. Improvement is evident. Bavasi gambled on Jose Guillen and Jose Vidro and won.
But there’s much work to be done before the team can compete with the Angels.
Lincoln put Bavasi and Hargrove on the hot seat after last season. In light of him keeping Bavasi, maybe Lincoln should take Hargrove’s place there.
