Miguel Cairo has become a classic bench player — a guy who can play all four infield positions, plus a little outfield, runs well and hits .260 or so. That combination is good enough for the Mariners, who signed the 33-year-old Cairo to a one-year contract on Tuesday.
They’re getting an experienced utility player, but also someone who fills another role: a prod to Jose Lopez’s motivation. General manager Bill Bavasi said in November that the Mariners need to improve at second base, either with more consistent play from Lopez or another player in his spot.
Bavasi, while maintaining that Cairo is here to bolster the bench, wouldn’t discount the notion that he could become an everyday player.
“Miguel can challenge (for a starting role), but more important we’re trying to guard against injury,” Bavasi said. “Clubs rarely get through a season all the way completely healthy. It’s good to have a veteran guy in that role.”
Cairo’s arrival means the Mariners can use Willie Bloomquist more as an outfield backup. If Adam Jones starts the season in right field, there’s no other suitable backup to center fielder Ichiro Suzuki than Bloomquist.
Depending on the Mariners’ other offseasons moves, the odd man out in the Cairo signing could be utility player Mike Morse. Cairo and Bloomquist occupy two of the four bench spots, and Jamie Burke is likely to return as the backup catcher (he’s the only one who has caught a knuckleball pitcher, having handled newly-signed Mariner R.A. Dickey in the Rangers’ minor league system when he was learning the knuckler).
That leaves room for one more bench player, and it almost surely will be a left-handed hitter because all the other bench players are righties. Among the left-handed hitters who remain on the 40-man roster — catcher Jeff Clement, infielder Bryan LaHair and outfielder Jeremy Reed — don’t be surprised if Clement makes the team. Clement unloaded his big bat a couple of times in late September last year, but coming off the bench is a difficult chore for a young player, especially in the American League, where reserve players sometimes go a week without an at-bat. Makes a person wish Ben Broussard, who signed with the Rangers for $3.8 million after the M’s traded him there, were still around.
What if the Mariners make a deal with the Orioles for their prime target, pitcher Erik Bedard, and trade away Adam Jones and Jeff Clement? What happens in right field? One player whose name has been discussed in the front office is free agent outfielder Brad Wilkerson, the left-handed hitter who had 20 homers and 62 RBI in 119 games last year with the Texas Rangers.
The nostalgic Mariners fan may look at Mike Cameron, available as a free agent, and envision a Cameron-Ichiro tandem in the outfield, just like 2001. But Cameron, in addition to the baggage of his 25-game suspension for human growth hormone, is capable of 150 or more strikeouts. With Richie Sexson having the same strikeout potential, those can be two huge roadblocks to the Mariners’ offense. Of course, Wilkerson has whiffed 147 or more times in four of his 6 1/2 major league seasons.
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