Well, the Mariners have officially made the trade to acquire catcher Jesus Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi from the New York Yankees for pitcher Michael Pineda and pitcher Jose Campos. You might be wondering how I see this trade or what I think of it. Well, I don’t like it, at least right now. If you think about it, we traded an All-Star pitcher, and a good young pitching prospect, for a hitting prospect and a relief pitcher with no outstanding qualities. We traded an All-Star, and we got only “potential” in return. If I was a GM, this is exactly the kind of trade I would never make, especially considering that “All-Star” is still only 23 years old. Another way I look at it is this: You have 9 hitters in your lineup, but only 5 (and it goes down to 3 or 4 in the postseason) starting pitchers. To me, starting pitchers are more valuable than hitters.
But we also must consider Montero’s potential. He is widely considered not only the best catching prospect, but one of the game’s best future hitters. His only concern is if he can handle the position of catcher, given his size. But Montero is one of the surest young hitters, and almost all baseball writers and insiders believe he will be an All-Star someday. He has all the tools to be a .300 avg, 30+ HR and 100+ RBI guy.
But that’s the problem I have with it. Montero COULD and SHOULD be an All-Star someday, but WILL he? You can’t guarantee it. We’ve seen young Mariner hitters struggle coming up from the minor leagues. He also might not like playing in Seattle very much. Even if he does produce, he could want out of here once his contract expires, and then what? We traded an All-Star for a couple of years of a young catcher.
GM Jack Zduriencik made this trade because we had a need: A need for a power hitter at either LF, 3B, 1B/DH, or Catcher. He filled one of those needs. We couldn’t get Fielder, but we got someone with more years left to play. But my problem with this is what we had to give up: Michael Pineda. I can almost guarantee Pineda will end up beating the Mariners, perhaps even in the playoffs. I’d be a little happier with this trade if it was with an NL club, so we wouldn’t have to face Pineda. But Montero was on an AL team, the Yankees, and now the Yankees have added a huge young arm to their rotation, to go along with their monster hitters. And we can’t forget giving up pitcher Jose Campos, who could also turn out to be a decent pitcher.
I’ve witnessed many Mariner trades in my lifetime, from the Big Unit trade, to the Griffey trade, to the Erik Bedard trade. But really none of them made me feel this uncomfortable about our future. This trade will really have an impact on the legacy of “Trader Jack” as GM for the Mariners, just like the Bedard trade did for Bill Bavasi. I just have a feeling we gave up a future Cy Young award winner for a catcher who will sign elsewhere when he can. I’ll just try to assure myself that we will be able to fill Pineda’s spot in the rotation and that Montero will be another young hitter that will help this team get back to the playoffs.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Mariners Don’t Need Fielder
With the Seahawks season over and no basketball team here in Seattle, one of the focuses of the Seattle sports landscape is on the Mariners and their pursuit of Prince Fielder. I’m here to offer my opinion on the matter: It would be better if we didn’t sign Fielder. Yes, he’s only 27, but he is a whopping 285 pounds and has slow speed and very little range at first base. But that’s just the negatives about his playing abilities.
Signing Fielder would really only benefit the Mariners if they were able to sign him to a 2-4 year contract. That way, if he drops off after a couple seasons, the Mariners could then trade him and not lose much or just simply let him go after his contract expires. Investing 7 years and over $200 million in him is extremely risky and would become a huge burden if Fielder were to struggle, which I think he would. The unfortunate thing is, Fielder only wants a contract of around 7 years in length, which makes it tougher to decide.
If Prince Fielder was a Mariner, he would more than likely see a drop in his statistics. One reason being the home park he would play in, Safeco Field, which is known to be a pitcher’s park. Also, he would not be protected by any other bats in the lineup (He had Ryan Braun in Milwaukee). Also, the Mariners certainly have not had recent success with free agents, with all of the following considered to be busts: Chone Figgins, Richie Sexson, and even Adrian Beltre. Those are the three players who have earned the largest Free Agent Contracts from the Mariners in the past decade, and all three underperformed. Two of the three, the two power hitters Sexson and Beltre, came from the National League, which Fielder would be coming from as well. The odds are against Fielder repeating his success.
I’m also worried about the possible signing because of his character. The tattoos don’t bother me too much (Josh Hamilton has a lot and he’s a good player), but he has a bit of a sour attitude, doesn’t get along with his dad (former Major League Cecil Fielder), and he could turn into a sour apple much like Chone Figgins has. I could easily see a mutual hate between the fans and Fielder come to fruition.
Personally, I don’t think we will sign him. Sure, he has a good connection with our GM Jack Zduriencik (Jack used to be the Assistant GM of the Brewers), but he wants to stay in the NL and play for an organization that could win a championship. The Cubs are a trendy pick because of their long history, and the Nationals are building up a lot of good young players, including Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasberg. The Mariners are not appealing enough, especially to a power hitter, and at this point I’d be shocked if he chose the Mariners.
If by some weird outcome the Mariners did sign him, I do think they’d have a real good chance of being competitive. But that’s what we’ve said every year after our big moves, such as signing Beltre, Sexson, Figgins, and when we made trades for Erik Bedard and Cliff Lee. Each of the seasons after acquiring those five players was a huge disappointment. If the Mariners signed Fielder, I really do believe we would have to start the rebuilding process over again, because we’d be tied down to his contract. We’ve done this process over and over. The Mariners need to take things slowly this time. There are a lot of good, young players still developing, and this team needs to continue to draft and sign young players who will have a positive impact. Now is not the time to sign a power bat, especially one that would cost the M’s over $200 million over the next seven years.
I will however say the Mariners need a power bat. It’s obvious. This team is really made up of slappy singles and doubles hitters, with Ichiro being the prime example. But I think the Mariners will have to get a power bat from 3 other methods: 1) Draft/promote someone from the minor leagues, 2) Trade for one, or 3) Wait until the next offseason. Look, the Mariners are not going to be suddenly good in 2012. We don’t have to put all our eggs in one basket. It’s going to take some more time. I think Jack Zduriencik will make a trade for a power hitter at some point, either later this offseason, before the trading deadline (if the Mariners are competitive), or next offseason. Or perhaps Mike Carp, Casper Wells, or someone else will emerge as a power hitter and hit 25 or more home runs.
Next season is not going to be about winning it all, or even getting to the playoffs. The Mariners are still in a rebuilding mode, and like it or not, signing Prince Fielder would be a huge mistake, at least down the road. Fortunately, the Mariners should be close to the end of their rebuilding process soon and should be a competitive team by 2013 at the latest. And let’s not forget, Jack Zduriencik could still surprise us and trade for a big bat before even 2012 starts. Time will tell. Don’t give up hope, M’s fans, even if we don’t get Fielder, because we can live without him.
Signing Fielder would really only benefit the Mariners if they were able to sign him to a 2-4 year contract. That way, if he drops off after a couple seasons, the Mariners could then trade him and not lose much or just simply let him go after his contract expires. Investing 7 years and over $200 million in him is extremely risky and would become a huge burden if Fielder were to struggle, which I think he would. The unfortunate thing is, Fielder only wants a contract of around 7 years in length, which makes it tougher to decide.
If Prince Fielder was a Mariner, he would more than likely see a drop in his statistics. One reason being the home park he would play in, Safeco Field, which is known to be a pitcher’s park. Also, he would not be protected by any other bats in the lineup (He had Ryan Braun in Milwaukee). Also, the Mariners certainly have not had recent success with free agents, with all of the following considered to be busts: Chone Figgins, Richie Sexson, and even Adrian Beltre. Those are the three players who have earned the largest Free Agent Contracts from the Mariners in the past decade, and all three underperformed. Two of the three, the two power hitters Sexson and Beltre, came from the National League, which Fielder would be coming from as well. The odds are against Fielder repeating his success.
I’m also worried about the possible signing because of his character. The tattoos don’t bother me too much (Josh Hamilton has a lot and he’s a good player), but he has a bit of a sour attitude, doesn’t get along with his dad (former Major League Cecil Fielder), and he could turn into a sour apple much like Chone Figgins has. I could easily see a mutual hate between the fans and Fielder come to fruition.
Personally, I don’t think we will sign him. Sure, he has a good connection with our GM Jack Zduriencik (Jack used to be the Assistant GM of the Brewers), but he wants to stay in the NL and play for an organization that could win a championship. The Cubs are a trendy pick because of their long history, and the Nationals are building up a lot of good young players, including Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasberg. The Mariners are not appealing enough, especially to a power hitter, and at this point I’d be shocked if he chose the Mariners.
If by some weird outcome the Mariners did sign him, I do think they’d have a real good chance of being competitive. But that’s what we’ve said every year after our big moves, such as signing Beltre, Sexson, Figgins, and when we made trades for Erik Bedard and Cliff Lee. Each of the seasons after acquiring those five players was a huge disappointment. If the Mariners signed Fielder, I really do believe we would have to start the rebuilding process over again, because we’d be tied down to his contract. We’ve done this process over and over. The Mariners need to take things slowly this time. There are a lot of good, young players still developing, and this team needs to continue to draft and sign young players who will have a positive impact. Now is not the time to sign a power bat, especially one that would cost the M’s over $200 million over the next seven years.
I will however say the Mariners need a power bat. It’s obvious. This team is really made up of slappy singles and doubles hitters, with Ichiro being the prime example. But I think the Mariners will have to get a power bat from 3 other methods: 1) Draft/promote someone from the minor leagues, 2) Trade for one, or 3) Wait until the next offseason. Look, the Mariners are not going to be suddenly good in 2012. We don’t have to put all our eggs in one basket. It’s going to take some more time. I think Jack Zduriencik will make a trade for a power hitter at some point, either later this offseason, before the trading deadline (if the Mariners are competitive), or next offseason. Or perhaps Mike Carp, Casper Wells, or someone else will emerge as a power hitter and hit 25 or more home runs.
Next season is not going to be about winning it all, or even getting to the playoffs. The Mariners are still in a rebuilding mode, and like it or not, signing Prince Fielder would be a huge mistake, at least down the road. Fortunately, the Mariners should be close to the end of their rebuilding process soon and should be a competitive team by 2013 at the latest. And let’s not forget, Jack Zduriencik could still surprise us and trade for a big bat before even 2012 starts. Time will tell. Don’t give up hope, M’s fans, even if we don’t get Fielder, because we can live without him.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Seahawks Can't Fly with T-Jack
I have been largely critical of Tarvaris Jackson, the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. And let's face it, with all the injuries the Seahawks have sustained, you can't really say the guy has done a poor job. However, there have been many things standing out this season against the guy, the most notable being he failed to lead us on a game-winning drive all season. In the seven Seahawk victories, 2 were games the defense protected the lead just barely, and the rest were blowouts thanks to mainly the efforts of Marshawn Lynch and the defense. And of the 9 losses, 5 were games where he and the offense had the ball in the final quarter with a chance to tie or take the lead. Not once did the offense do that. Good quarterbacks win at least 1 or 2 of those games. But Tarvaris failed each time to lead the team on a game-winning or tying drive.
Now we can't pin this all on Tarvaris, but anyone watching the Seahawks this year has noticed some semi-bonehead moves on his part, such as holding onto the football too long or throwing to checkdown receivers unnecessarily. Folks, there's a reason the Vikings didn't want him anymore. There's a reason tons of Vikings fans didn't like him as their quarterback. He's just not a franchise quarterback. He is not a guy who will ever lead a team to the Super Bowl. So why are we sticking with him?
I understand why the Seahawks signed him this past offseason. There was the lockout, plus the Seahawks were able to get the offensive coordinator Jackson had worked with in Minnesota, Darrell Bevell. He was a short-term fix for losing Hasselbeck. But now what? Scary as it may seem, but head coach Pete Carroll has been saying things like "Tarvaris is our guy", making us wonder if there's something we're not seeing. Tarvaris should be nothing more than a short-term fix.
The Seahawks are in a difficult spot with their quarterback situation. They have two choices. Stick with Tarvaris and hope he can somehow get better in the clutch, or get someone else who will have to learn a new system and a whole new offense. Neither is extremely appealing. But the idea of another unfulfilling season with Jackson at quarterback is extremely depressing. But just look at what ROOKIE Andy Dalton has done with the Bengals. He's in the playoffs, even with the lockout and the fact that he is a rookie. If the Bengals can do it, so can the Seahawks.
Here's what I ask: That the Seahawks draft, sign, or trade for a quarterback this offseason. Charlie Whitehurst's contract will be up and he probably won't be resigned. So, the Seahawks will need a new #2. I want the Seahawks to acquire a quarterback fans like myself can get excited about. Someone like a Matt Flynn, Landry Jones, or a Jimmy Clausen to get us thinking we can be in this for the long haul. The Seahawks won't be in it for the long haul if they stick with Jackson. I'm not asking that we get rid of Jackson, but I don't want to see him declared the #1 starter in training camp like he was this season.
I'm tired of settling. There will be a lot of noise for the Seahawks next season, and not just in CenturyLink Field. And there will be even more noise if the Seahawks acquire a franchise quarterback. My pledge is this: If the Seahawks get a QB that can someday be a franchise quarterback, I will continue to believe and follow in this team. However, if we keep Jackson, and either resign Whitehurst or bring in another ho-hum quarterback, then I am done. I won't follow this team, because I refuse to get let down--again. Your move, Pete, John, and Co. Get us a franchise quarterback, or you can kiss the playoffs in 2012 goodbye.
Now we can't pin this all on Tarvaris, but anyone watching the Seahawks this year has noticed some semi-bonehead moves on his part, such as holding onto the football too long or throwing to checkdown receivers unnecessarily. Folks, there's a reason the Vikings didn't want him anymore. There's a reason tons of Vikings fans didn't like him as their quarterback. He's just not a franchise quarterback. He is not a guy who will ever lead a team to the Super Bowl. So why are we sticking with him?
I understand why the Seahawks signed him this past offseason. There was the lockout, plus the Seahawks were able to get the offensive coordinator Jackson had worked with in Minnesota, Darrell Bevell. He was a short-term fix for losing Hasselbeck. But now what? Scary as it may seem, but head coach Pete Carroll has been saying things like "Tarvaris is our guy", making us wonder if there's something we're not seeing. Tarvaris should be nothing more than a short-term fix.
The Seahawks are in a difficult spot with their quarterback situation. They have two choices. Stick with Tarvaris and hope he can somehow get better in the clutch, or get someone else who will have to learn a new system and a whole new offense. Neither is extremely appealing. But the idea of another unfulfilling season with Jackson at quarterback is extremely depressing. But just look at what ROOKIE Andy Dalton has done with the Bengals. He's in the playoffs, even with the lockout and the fact that he is a rookie. If the Bengals can do it, so can the Seahawks.
Here's what I ask: That the Seahawks draft, sign, or trade for a quarterback this offseason. Charlie Whitehurst's contract will be up and he probably won't be resigned. So, the Seahawks will need a new #2. I want the Seahawks to acquire a quarterback fans like myself can get excited about. Someone like a Matt Flynn, Landry Jones, or a Jimmy Clausen to get us thinking we can be in this for the long haul. The Seahawks won't be in it for the long haul if they stick with Jackson. I'm not asking that we get rid of Jackson, but I don't want to see him declared the #1 starter in training camp like he was this season.
I'm tired of settling. There will be a lot of noise for the Seahawks next season, and not just in CenturyLink Field. And there will be even more noise if the Seahawks acquire a franchise quarterback. My pledge is this: If the Seahawks get a QB that can someday be a franchise quarterback, I will continue to believe and follow in this team. However, if we keep Jackson, and either resign Whitehurst or bring in another ho-hum quarterback, then I am done. I won't follow this team, because I refuse to get let down--again. Your move, Pete, John, and Co. Get us a franchise quarterback, or you can kiss the playoffs in 2012 goodbye.
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