A year ago, the Seattle Mariners proudly proclaimed that anything short of reaching the playoffs would be a major disappointment. Then they turned those expectations into 101 losses.
Thursday, there was no such boasting at the Mariners’ annual pre-spring training media briefing at Safeco Field.
The Mariners unveiled their rally cry for 2009 — “A new day. A new way” — then turned the program over to the man trying to turn things around, general manager Jack Zduriencik.
His overall message: “Be patient.”
“I can’t sit here today and look at this club and feel warm and fuzzy about it,” Zduriencik said. “I see potential. I see things I like about this club. I also see things that need to be improved.”
The Mariners will have a new first baseman, left fielder and center fielder, and the bullpen will be a work in progress as several roles, including closer, are to be determined. There’s still no guarantee that the offense, which lost 110 RBI when Raul Ibanez departed via free agency, is appreciably changed.
“I would never misrepresent what we are trying to accomplish,” Zduriencik said. “We want this organization to move forward. My promise is we are going to put a product on the field that (fans) are going to be proud of.
“Is it going to happen overnight or will it take some time? If things fall into place, some guys have exceptional years and the right things happen here and there, it could happen sooner rather than later,” Zduriencik said. “But I can’t sit here and say we are going to be playing into October or November. I hope that happens; I would love to see that happen. But there has to be a degree of patience. There is a plan in place.”
In other words: A new day. A new way.
“Whatever that means, there are a lot of new faces here,” Zduriencik said. “There are a lot of talented people we have brought aboard that know how to do their jobs. If we surround ourselves with talented people, we’ll have a better chance of turning this around sooner than later.”
If the season started today, Russell Branyan would start at first base, Endy Chavez in left field and Franklin Gutierrez in center. All are new acquisitions, although only Branyan offers hope for much-needed power. He has been prone to slumps, one reason he’s never been a major league regular.
Zduriencik said he continues to have discussions with free agents but the market so far has been stagnant. He wouldn’t comment specifically on Ken Griffey Jr., although he did talk with Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, earlier this offseason.
“I realize how much that touches home here,” he said. “But you have to remove yourself from the situation and evaluate what is best for the ballclub. To get specific about any particular player doesn’t serve us well and doesn’t serve that particular player well.”
Zduriencik said there could be more moves before, or during, spring training. He’d like to add an infielder to push shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and second baseman Jose Lopez, and he’ll continue to work on the offense.
“Maybe we have done that if guys like Branyan or Jeff Clement step forward,” he said. “Maybe Gutierrez will fall into his own, which we hope he does offensively.”
Zduriencik also wouldn’t say how the bullpen might fall together, although his preference for now is to leave Brandon Morrow in the rotation and not consider him as a closer.
“If the top three (starters) are Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Brandon Morrow, that’s a pretty good three,” he said.
He hopes a closer emerges at spring training. The possibilities are Mark Lowe, Roy Corcoran, David Aardsma, Tyler Walker, Miguel Batista and Aaron Heilman — although Heilman prefers to start.
“Maybe someone will step up,” Zduriencik said. “It’s a process that we’ll go through in spring training.”
The first workout, for pitchers and catchers, is 22 days away on Feb. 14. Zduriencik expects them to show up in shape and prepared to play hard.
“Any club that moves forward and takes it to the next level, players need to have good years,” he said. “If we are fortunate to have that happen to us, I think we are headed in the right direction. The biggest key is that we have to increase talent level in the organization.”
Read Kirby Arnold’s blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com.
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