Seattle Mariners 2011 preview

[kdawg2980]

SeattleSportsBlog: 2011 Seattle Mariners season preview

I break down the projected healthy opening day starting nine, our starting five man rotation, top two relievers and give a season outlook. Took me over three hours to write and now I'm depressed.

If you don't want to be depressed read the Felix and Pineda sections then you'll be excited.

 

[bobflipaburger]

There's some to be excited about. Our defense is going to be amongst the best in the league, I think Cust, Smoak, and Olivo is better than any 4 hitters we could string together last year, I think Figgins will have a better year back at 3B, Saunders is only getting better, Guti should be better than he was last year, Dustin Ackley may break camp with us, if Bedard can stay healthy and Piñeda comes up early and pitches well we could have one of the better rotations in the league. There's no way we should be as bas as we were last year. 70 wins is a resonable expectation.

 

[kdawg2980]

70 wins is still a 92 loss season. Yes the young guys will be exciting when they come up that is true. For this year though we are going to have another loooooooooooong season. Another year wasting Felix Hernandez talents. Another year where scoring runs is going to be very tough.

Will the team improve? Probably can't be much worse IMO. I do think Wedge is a better manager than Wak but don't know how much of a difference that will make.

I'm sorry but when Milton Bradley is your #3 hitter and Jack Cust is your #4 hitter just hard to get excited. With that said I'll still waste my money on a few games that Felix, Bedard or Pineda pitch.

 

[bobflipaburger]

I don't even want Bradley to play. If he wasn't making so much Saunders would be our everyday left fielder.

 

[tonos253]

thats why we need to trade hernandez for a some bats, prospects and a few decent pitchers. We are wasting him and we could get alot for him.

 

[bobflipaburger]

They shopped him a little, but unless they get overwhelmed with an offer he's not going anywhere. This team is being built for 2012, that's when a lot of salary gets freed up so we can actually go after some free agents and all our young players should have at leasst the majority of a season under their belts. If things don't go well in 2012 we'll trade Felix.

 

[kdawg2980]

I think you trade Felix after next year. If we still have 90+ losses after next year trade him or if someone offers you a godfather like deal(an offer you can't refuse) I say take that too.

This organization has no balls or vision so they won't ever think of that same with Ichiro.

 

[bobflipaburger]

Ichiro is making too much. Felix is still cheap for the production he offers. I think Z has a vision, he just had a lot of work to do just to start from scratch. But 2012 is going to be when the impact of all of Bavasi's terrible moves stop being felt and we can really see what Z can do. I mean he's 3 for 3 on big trades so far... Well, the Smoak deal is hard to judge right now. But considering Lee would have been gone anyways, I consider it a win. And although we didn't win with Lee, again considering what we gave up and what we turned him into I consider the trade FOR him win. The three way deal with the Mets and Indians was highway robbery. So I have no question he'll know when the time is right to trade Felix and he'll get the best deal he can get for him.

 

[kdawg2980]

His Morrow for League trade was a loss. Although we gave up nothing taking on the Wilson/Snell salary wasn't that good either. Z overall has done a good job I believe.

I'm not saying give Felix away but the problem is this current group won't even entertain the idea. Same with Ichiro they wouldn't even consider trading him ever.

 

[bobflipaburger]

Still don't totally get the Morrow trade... Beyond that I don't get drafting Morrow when Lincecum was still there, but that was Bavasi's fuck up. The Snell/Wilson deal didn't pan out, but we didn't give up a whole lot since. I don't think anyone thought Snell would just fall apart like he did.

Again Ichiro isn't a desirable trade target because of his salary.

 

[kdawg2980]

Ichiro has no value now but the time to trade him was back in 2008-2009 range if not earlier.

The whole Morrow situation gets me in a pissed off mood. The draft picking, how we handled him, then trading him.

 

[Seattlehawk94]

At the time I agreed with the Morrow pick, most blind homers didn't because like Willie the local mascot Bloomquist, Tuiohsosucko, and many others they wanted local over pro ready (see:Jakemarcus Locker)....At the time Lincecum's daddy Marv Marinovich Part II basically TOLD MLB teams how his son would pitch and how HE was the final say on his mechanics..

I remember Dr. Frank Jobe basically PROMISING that with those mechanics he would suffer a complete catastrophic injury to his Rotator Cuff at some point early in his career, that's why OTHER TEAMS also stayed away..It's been proven wrong (so far) but Morrow unlike Lincecum was the safer pick....

Kelly Leak has turned into a Cy Young winner but who's to say staying at home with Moroner "coaching" his lispy feminine ass would've have worked out as well as it has in Gay Bay?

Morrow was shit as a closer, if any of you remember I called him "The Diabetic Coma" (and "The Gutless Wonder") on here many times because the guy made you wish he'd go into one...He got fucked around so much he was ruined by Moroner "coaches" and "management" he shoulda been starting from Day 1 like Leak they screwed him up so bad he's going to have to scrap just to salvage some sort of a MLB career...

As for trading Felix, you do it THIS YEAR..If you are going after prospects this upcoming lost season is the time to do it, next year they should be looking at contending not bringing in more prospects by giving up your ace...

 

[bobflipaburger]

The prospects are here this year. Next year we can start adding pieces around them, although we could see Nick Franklin next year.

 

[Seattlehawk94]

That's why if you trade him, you do it now...

 

[bobflipaburger]

He's got a lot of time left on his contract which, if we trade him now we better get a SHITLOAD. That would pretty much have to to include a team's top two prospects and more. Otherwise trading him would be very premature.

 

[tonos253]

I didn't even know that we passed on tim lincecum stunning since he was born in bellevue. that is crazy

 

[kdawg2980]

I think we were destined to botch that situation. Lincecum would have been a bust too if we handled him like we did with Morrow.

Have him skip the minors to be an 8th inning setup man because two guys were trying to save their asses(Hargrove and Bavasi), then following year send him down for like six weeks to call up him. He almost no-hits the Yankees in his first career start. So what do we do? We make him our closer the following year. After struggling we option him to minors and call him up as a starter. He was hit some but also produced some great starts too. Then we traded him away.

We didn't put Morrow in a position to succeed at all.