Offseason Review: The Seattle Mariners

Seattle's new designated hitter Kendrys Morales

These poor guys.  The Seattle Mariner's have been trying for the past couple seasons to make a splash but have come up pretty much empty.  Safeco Field is an absolute cavern, and consequently a deterrent to free agent sluggers like Prince Fielder or Josh Hamilton, both of whom were courted by Seattle but ended up signing elsewhere.  This offseason they couldn't even bring in Justin Upton via trade even after the Diamondbacks agreed to terms that would ship the slugging outfielder to Seattle for a bundle of premium prospects, including excellent pitching prospect Taijuan Walker.  Not to be discouraged, the Mariners still acquired the services of Michael Morse, Kendrys Morales and a rebuilding project in Jason Bay in hopes of adding some much needed pop to the lineup.  

Seattle's General Manager Jack Zduriencik did flex some of the Mariners spending power by extending their homegrown ace Felix Hernandez through 2019 for $175MM dollars, officially making him the highest paid right handed pitcher in baseball history. This move was criticized by many around the baseball community, but if you consider what the price of premium pitching is, and where it is going, I think you can find a logic in this sign.  First off, there are few better players in baseball that combine age and quality as perfectly as Felix Hernandez.  Secondly, he's a homegrown talent which makes him a perfect candidate to be a player to build around.  Finally, the Mariners farm system is loaded with excellent young arms like Taijuan Walker, Danny Hultzen and James Paxton who can take away invaluable mentorship from King Felix.

The M's are building in to something formidable, and doing so in timely fashion.  The Rangers appear to be on the decline, and there is only so much time before the Angels age and overspending catches up with them.  The most difficult thing that Seattle has to do with manage their own impatience.  By rejecting the trade to the Mariners, Justin Upton may have saved Jack Zduriencik's job.  The Mariners have their ace and they have their cornerstone, now all they have to do is wait for their young talent to develop and then strike.  It's pretty much a guarantee that Seattle won't see the postseason in 2013, but if they can keep it together for a couple more years, their history of mediocrity will be a thing of the past.

TRADED! Mike Carp

To the Red Sox for a PTBNL

After being made expendable via the Michael Morse acquistion, the Mariner's shipped Mike Carp off to Boston.  Carp posted a .255/.327/.413 line over four seasons with the Seattle Mariners, hitting 18 home runs in just over 600 plate appearances.  While the Boston Red Sox have relatively steep depth at first base, this acquisition makes sense for them.  First off, while Carp's numbers are modest, he has proven especially effective against left handed pitching, hitting a solid .300.  Secondly, Carp was acquired for very little.  The Red Sox can obviously afford to eat his contract if he tanks, and any sort of prospect that could be acquired for Carp is almost guaranteed to have little Major League potential.

Finally, and perhaps most interestingly for the rest of baseball, acquiring Mike Carp makes other Sox players expendable.  That relative interest I mentioned in Carp earlier in the article, belongs to teams like the Astros, Brewers and Twins; which suggests that teams are looking for a good bench bat or first basemen.  The Red Sox signed Lyle Overbay only a few weeks ago in hopes of securing some first base/DH security, but with Carp joining the team Overbay may become disposable.  The Red Sox, recognizing these teams desire for first basemen, could ask a higher-than-regular piece for a player like Overbay.  The Brewers recently lost Mat Gamel to a torn ACL and are waiting for Corey Hart to return from surgery, which makes them a hot target.  The Crew targeted Overbay before he agreed to terms with Boston, but he opted for the American League team so as to get more at bats via the designated hitter role.  With Gamel out, Milwaukee could reasonably be in a position of relative desperation and be forced to send a low-level prospect out in exchange for Overbay's season, effectively paying a price for their own inability to pull the trigger when he was a free agent. 

EXTENDED! Felix Hernandez

By the Seattle Mariners for five years and $135.5MM

The "official" confirmation isn't quite out yet, but all signs are pointing to the fact that the 2010 AL Cy Young award winner for the Mariners will be staying in Seattle for a very long time.  Felix Hernandez, unquestionably Seattle's best and brightest talent and debatably one of the two three pitchers in baseball,  added five years on to the two years remaining in his current contract.  The move is a polarizing one, as the Mariners are not expected to contend in the brutal AL West for years, but I believe that Jack Zduriencik pulled a smart string with this move. If this offseason has proven anything it's that premium pitching in free agency has a huge price, and it's only going up.

Just because the Mariners are struggling now doesn't mean they will for the next seven years, and what's a better piece to build a team around than a young, bonafide ace?  Players like Mike Zunino and Taijuan Walker aren't too far away from being major league ready, and players like Dustin Ackley and Justin Smoak are still young enough to develop in to substantial players.  Middle and small market teams like the Seattle Mariners require a lot of patience to develop in to legitimate contenders, especially when they are facing divisional adversaries as consistently strong as the Rangers or Angels.  A huge sign like this is an indication that the Mariners have a ton of faith in their ace and their up and coming young talent, and a move like that deserves praise.

SIGNED! Kelly Shoppach

To the Mariners. One year for $1.5MM

The Mariners took a hit offensively when they dealt catcher John Jaso to the A's in part of the three team trade that brought Michael Morse to Seattle. The signing of Kelly Shoppach positions him as a viable catching option in case Jesus Montero (arguably a natural DH) proves himself unable or unready to perform full time catching duties. Shoppach will be reuniting with manager Eric Wedge who he played for during his time with the Cleveland Indians. The Mariners also signed Ronny Paulino to a minor league contract as depth move in light of the Jaso trade.

TRADED! Michael Morse

To the Mariners from the Nationals in a three team trade
with the Athletics.

The Mariners acquire: OF/1B Michael Morse
The Nationals acquire: RHPs A.J. Cole and Blake Treinen
The Athletics acquire: C John Jaso

After Adam LaRoche re-signed with Washington earlier this month it was essentially a done deal that Morse would be traded.  Morse, who had built a mediocre career as a Mariner from 2005-2008, will be a key addition the offense starved Seattle Mariners. The Mariners had tried and failed to pry Justin Upton from the Diamondbacks, and had in fact completed a deal, but were denied by proxy of Upton having Seattle on his no trade list. Seattle also expressed heavy interest in Josh Hamilton before he signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

This trade makes sense for all teams. A.J. Cole was originally drafted by the Nationals and traded to the A's for Gio Gonzalez. John Jaso is a very serviceable (and in my opinion underrated) catcher who will provide good depth for the Athletics and turn George Kottaras in to a possible trade chip. Michael Morse's offense is much improved from his first term in Seattle and will be hugely appreciated in 2013. This is also the only logical way Morse will be able to perform as an every day player.

Offseason Review: Seattle Mariners

Last year's Mariners MVP Dustin Ackley

In terms of fast-acting impact moves the Mariners were quiet this offseason. They shed rapist shit bag Josh Lueke by trading for John Jaso and signed a bunch of depth players. There is very little to say about any of this. The strategy Seattle needs to enact is in development, and aside from hoping Hong-Chih Kuo pitches well and can stave off injury long enough to become tradeable, these moves don't necessitate much analysis.