SEATTLE – The changes that are sweeping through the veterans’ quarters of the Seattle Mariners’ clubhouse claimed their most prominent player Thursday.
First baseman John Olerud is gone.
The Mariners designated Olerud for assignment – meaning they have 10 days to trade him, assign him to the minor leagues or release him – and called up slugging designated hitter-first baseman Bucky Jacobsen.
The M’s also designated backup catcher Pat Borders for assignment and recalled catcher Miguel Olivo from the disabled list, and they called up left-handed relief pitcher George Sherrill to take the roster spot held by pitcher Matt Thornton, who was sent back to Tacoma early this week.
Last week, the Mariners designated struggling shortstop Rich Aurilia for assignment and promised more changes.
Thursday, they dispatched Olerud, who was batting .248 with five home runs and 22 RBI.
“It’s a difficult day,” said Olerud, in street clothes at Safeco Field as his former teammates worked out before their game against the Cleveland Indians. “I’m disappointed, but I’m disappointed I put the team in that position. I’m not thrilled about the idea, but I understand.”
Olerud, who won two World Series rings and an American League batting title in the 1990s with the Toronto Blue Jays, signed as a free agent with the Mariners before the 2000 season.
He batted .285, .302 and .300 his first three seasons, but slumped in the second half last year and finished at .269. He has searched for his stroke ever since.
“Believe me, I’ve been thinking a lot about it,” he said. “Honestly, I felt like I’ve been taking good swings at times. I just haven’t been able to get hits and just haven’t had many breaks. I don’t have a good explanation.”
Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi met with Olerud at Toronto during the last road trip, then told him Sunday at Chicago that he would drop him from the roster on Thursday. It ended Olerud’s 41/2 years with the Mariners and put a question mark on whether his career, in its 16th season, will continue.
Olerud, the Mariners’ second-highest-paid player at $7.7 million, said he wants to finish this season with some team even though he rejected a recent trade. The Mariners had a deal with the San Francisco Giants that would have sent first baseman J.T. Snow to Seattle, but Olerud invoked his no-trade clause.
“This is home and I wasn’t real interested in leaving home,” Olerud said. “But now, the option of staying home isn’t an option. We’ll wait to see what other options I do have.”
Olerud wasn’t specific in what situation he wants from another team, although he said the Giants trade would have been more appealing if his 6-year-old Garrett had been allowed to shag balls in the outfield and accompany his dad on team flights.
“I plan on finishing out this year, assuming somebody wants me to play for them,” Olerud said. “If they don’t, I guess that’s a pretty clear sign I’m done.”
Bavasi doubts the M’s will be able to trade Olerud within the 10-day window, but he believes another team will sign him.
“In this case and cases like it, the leverage you have to make a deal goes away when you designate the guy,” Bavasi said. “He’s going to help somebody this year.”
Olerud, who hasn’t played a day in the minor leagues, was replaced on the roster by a player who hadn’t spent a day in the majors.
Jacobsen, a 29-year-old who has played 81/2 years in the minors, said he was stunned to near tears when he learned Wednesday that he was being called up.
“It’s still kind of hard to believe,” he said.
Despite huge power numbers – 26 home runs and 86 RBI at Tacoma – Jacobsen wasn’t sure the Mariners ever would call him up.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind,” he said. “I just tried to keep my head up.”
Mariners manager Bob Melvin said Jacobsen will get most of his playing time at DH, which will cut into the number of at-bats for regular DH Edgar Martinez. Jacobsen will play some first base, but knee problems have kept that to a minimum this year at Tacoma.
His challenge will be the major league curveball. Jacobsen has long been shadowed by the notion that he struggles against breaking pitches, although he disputes that.
“It used to be a problem, but shoot, there were years when hitting the fastball was a problem,” he said.
Hitting anything has been a team-wide problem this year for the Mariners, who are determined to evaluate their best minor league players the final 21/2 months at the expense of their veterans.
Aurilia was last week’s victim; Olerud this week.
And, with middle infield prospect Jose Lopez about two weeks from being ready after suffering a knee injury, another veteran could lose his job to make room. Bavasi is looking at trade possibilities before the July 31 deadline.
It’s a scenario that shocks Olerud.
“If someone had said we’d have the record we have right now and that Rich and myself would be designated for assignment, we’ve have never guessed it” he said.
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