Let’s forget, for a moment, where the Mariners’ starting rotation will stand when/if the Brandon Morrow trade goes through.
The Mariners will be getting a high-velocity reliever, Brandon League, who on paper should be a great fit in Safeco Field. (Didn’t we say that two years ago about a certain rotund right-handed starter — Carlos Silva — when the Mariners handed him a $48 million deal?)
Of balls put in play against League this year, 53 percent were on the ground. And, while opposing hitters batted .257 against him for the season, he held them to a .194 average on natural grass. League pitched one perfect inning this year against the Mariners at Safeco Field, and for his career there he has held the M’s to a .130 average in 25 plate appearances with six strikeouts.
“He throws a power sinker and a mean split. He gets a ton of ground balls,” said Bill Murphy, a former Blue Jays reliever who pitched with League both in Toronto and at Triple-A Syracuse. “He’s a real good dude, a quality guy. He’s a guy who keeps to himself a lot, but he works hard.”
While it seems League will be a nice addition to the Mariners’ late-inning relief, the fact they gave up Morrow for him and a Class A hitter (Johermyn Chavez) with power potential but an undiciplined plate approach makes you wonder if there’s more to come.
Without Morrow, who might have slid into the No. 3 spot in the rotation (separating left-handers Cliff Lee and Ryan Rowland-Smith), there seems a definite need for another decent starter. So fire up the Jarrod Washburn/Jon Garland/Joel Pineiro/name-your-starter rumors.
It also stirs a few concerns about the health of reliever Sean White’s right shoulder.
White was a ground-ball monster and absorbed a huge workload in the first half of this season — pitching 34 games. But he pitched only 18 games after the All-Star break, none after Aug. 28 because of what the team described as tendinitis in his right shoulder.
I spoke this afternoon with one Mariner who has thrown with White throughout this offseason, and he said White’s shoulder was feeling fine. That’s good news and, with about two months remaining before spring training, White will have more time to strengthen the shoulder.
However, nobody will truly know how sound White’s shoulder is until at least midway through March, after he’s gotten some outings and he’s had time to experience, recover and repeat the strain of game conditions.
So, setting aside what the Mariners are giving up in this trade, adding an arm like League’s could be huge for one of the most important aspects of the team, the bullpen. There’s still no true situational left-hander, but the Mariners have some true power for the seventh, eighth and ninth innings with Shawn Kelley, League, Mark Lowe and closer David Aardsma.
Last I looked, not many teams reached the postseason with an iffy bullpen. In fact, I seem to recall a 2001 Mariners team that didn’t exactly throw out the Five Horsemen in their rotation. but if the M’s had a lead after six innings, the big three relievers of Jeff Nelson, Arthur Rhodes and Kazuhiro Sasaki usually held it.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
