SEATTLE — Besides the big-picture issues like run production and bullpen roles, the Seattle Mariners have more on their list of things to accomplish by the start of spring training.
They addressed two of those Wednesday.
The Mariners added depth to their middle infield and pitching when they acquired utility player Ronny Cedeno and left-handed pitcher Garrett Olson from the Chicago Cubs.
To get them, the Mariners traded away pitcher Aaron Heilman, a guy they’d barely gotten to know. Acquired from the New York Mets in the J.J. Putz trade in December, Heilman made it clear he wanted to be a starter, not a reliever, even though the Mariners are overstocked with starting pitchers.
Following the trade, the Mariners released right-handed pitcher Randy Messenger to get back down to the 40-man roster limit.
Cedeno not only gives the Mariners a major leaguer they’d sought as a middle infield backup, he might provide a motivational burr to starting shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and second baseman Jose Lopez.
“When you have competition, that’s a good thing,” Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said.
The trade does little, if anything, to address the Mariners’ need for more offense this year. Cedeno has a career .252 average with 13 home runs and 88 runs batted in over four big-league seasons.
Zduriencik said the Marines continue to look for offense via both free agents and trades, although nothing seems imminent.
“We have conversations going,” he said. “It’s no different today than a week ago. We’re talking to free agents and other clubs, but when things happen is hard to say. Will it happen? We don’t know, but we’re making sure that we’re exhausting every option.”
Olson, who the Cubs obtained from the Orioles last month, has 33 major league starts, including 26 last year when he went 9-10 with a 6.65 earned run average. He hasn’t pitched out of the bullpen since his first minor league season in 2005, although that could be his role on a Mariners team overstocked with starting pitchers.
However, Zduriencik said Olson will compete for a starting job at spring training, just as he’d promised Heilman.
“I would like every player on the roster to know they are going to be given their best shot,” Zduriencik said. “We’re going to run our best guys out there.”
That’s a message the Mariners hope Betancourt and Lopez, their double-play combination the past three years, hear clearly.
Betancourt in particular had gained a reputation for avoiding the extra work needed to make himself both the defensive and offensive force the Mariners envisioned when they made him their shortstop in 2006.
Betancourt batted .279 last year and showed his impatience with only 17 walks, although he improved in the final two months. He drew 11 walks in August and September and batted .343 in the final month.
In the field, Betancourt committed 21 errors in 153 games, again falling short of being the defensive wizard that the Mariners had projected him to be.
Cedeno, despite the notion that he’ll provide stiff competition for both Betancourt and Lopez, made 23 errors in 134 games at shortstop for the Cubs in 2006, his last full big-league season. He has a .966 career fielding percentage.
“My goal is for Cedeno to come in and push these guys, give it his best shot, and let the pieces fall where they may.”
Cedeno also might give manager Don Wakamatsu an opportunity to play Lopez at first base, especially if that position turns into a platoon with left-handed hitting Russell Branyan.
It’s a situation that may take a meeting or two because Lopez, who played 13 games at first base late last season, said after the finale that he wouldn’t play there in 2009.
Beyond that, the trade continues to follow Zduriencik’s plan to strengthen the Mariners’ talent base, even if it doesn’t address their bigger needs.
“It was a trade that fit,” he said. “It allows us to acquire a young, left-handed starting pitcher with major league experience that we will control for five seasons. At the same time, by adding Cedeno, we have a player who is very versatile, gives us protection and depth, and can compete for a job at second base and shortstop immediately.”
Read Kirby Arnold’s blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
