Get Your Pitchforks Out...

Okay, no, I'm not talking about getting the pitchforks and torches out and storming Howard's Safeco Field office (though it's tempting). This time I'm referring to getting the pitchfork out to do something you normally non-violently do with it -- turn over dirt in the garden to help get weeds out and stuff. Of course, you can also use a pitchfork in a manure pit...

Looks like the moves have begun. Olivo's down in Tacoma, which probably won't help him long-term, but that's certainly subject for debate. USS Mariner and Lookout Landing are reporting that Morse is on his way up to Seattle, too. That will require a roster move (40 man?), and obviously Valdez' days are numbered. With the Aardsma+Williams for Hawkins trade, it's now open season on the trade market. I agree that we could get some value for Guardado and perhaps some other guys.

Since at least half of us M's bloggers are self-proclaimed armchair GMs (and most of the other half are still in the closet), there are at least three opinions on this blog, if not more (but only three have access to the "edit" button) on what the M's should do to help this team both in the short and long terms.

PositivePaul's moves:

1) DFA either Dobbs or Hansen. Lefty-batting corner infield pinch hitters who can't hit are a luxury. We don't need both of them.
2) Use the above 40-man and 25-man spot for Ryan Christianson. Since Leone is on the shelf, and Christianson can actually play catcher (however poorly), we need a right-handed bat with some power on the bench -- an emergency catcher that has some catching experience. Keep Rivera around to spell Borders, but add Christianson to the roster because he can actually hit. He might be an interesting platoon option at DH until Leone and Bucky are healthy enough to play.
3) Move Beltre out of the 3-hole. Now. Not sure if I want Ibanez, Reed, or Boone there. Obviously having three lefties in a row (Ichiro, Winn, Ibanez/Reed) would be a problem, but something's got to be done to jolt Beltre into hitting. Getting him out of the 3-hole might do it.
4) Trade. I don't care who, for whom precisely I don't really know either. Here's what we need:

• Reliable, young starting pitcher
• Shortstop who can hit and field decently for the next 3-4 years (until Cabrera/Jones/Tui/Morse/etc. decide who can actually play)
• Long-term catching solution. The team has obviously (in spite of Bavasi's comments) given up on Olivo. Sending him back to Tacoma (in my opinion, of course) is a bad thing, and will only hurt his confidence even more.
  
• Power hitting outfielder. Winn and Reed are very much redundant (though I'd take Reed 12 days a week). Ichiro is Ichiro and will always be Ichiro.

So, Corco, feel free to punch that "edit" button and add your list of moves. I imagine yours will be much more thorough and detailed. I haven't had a ton of time to really be into baseball a whole lot, and I imagine that Citizen K hasn't either. Being away from a computer (other than my PDA phone, of course) for four days didn't help, too. If either of you are out there today, feel

David J. Corcoran's moves:

For the Rest of this Season

Players to Leave

• Jeff Nelson (Designated for Assignment with the purpose of granting him his unconditional release)
  
• Greg Dobbs (Optioned to AAA Tacoma)
• Jamal Strong (Sent Outright to AAA Tacoma)
• Rene Rivera (Optioned to AA San Antonio)
• Matt Thornton (DFA'd, sent outright to AAA Tacoma)*
• Willie Bloomquist (Traded to Arizona for a box of saltine crackers/Optioned to AAA Tacoma)**
• Bret Boone (Try to trade him, if not, DFA'd for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release)***
• Ron Villone (Designated for Assignment for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release)
• Scott Spiezio (Designated for Assignment for the purpose of granting him his unconditional release)

New Faces

• SS Mike Morse Recalled (happened today, didn't like it at first, now I don't see any harm)
• Acquire C Danny Ardoin from COL for PTBNL/Cash
  
• Claimed OF Ryan Ludwick off waivers from Cleveland
• Recall George Sherrill*
• Recall Justin Leone**
• Recall Jose Lopez
• Recall Jorge Campillo
  

*Once Sherrill is healthy. **Once Leone is healthy ***Once Lopez is Healthy
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We don't need multiple sucky lefties. I'd rather have righties that can get guys out than lefties that can't. So Sherrill will suffice as the only non-closer lefty. This may be a bit over exaggerated as a youth movement. This may not work. But in terms of stopgap measures, this should work. Ludwick is an effective player, Leone, Sherrill, and Campillo can also contribute. Morse will be given the oppurtunity to win the starting SS job in '06. If not, we make a run at Furcal in the offseason. DFA'ing all of these players also opens spots for the glut of men that will come off the 60DL pretty soon. Meche would move into the bullpen. He has lights out stuff and seems as if he would be an effective righty setup guy. Overpriced, yes, and probably not much better than Putz. But I'd give it a shot. If Pineiro ends up on the DL, Baek is recalled to start. Felix does NOT come up until July 15th at the earliest. Danny Ardoin becomes a decent stopgap catcher until Olivo comes back or until we acquire a better catcher. I am not giving up on Olivo yet. However, it may be time to start to think of him as the "backup catcher of the future" instead of the "catcher of the future." I agree with PositivePaul's list of things to acquire, and I also agree with moving Beltre out of the three hole. My father also brought up an interesting point last night when he suggested hitting Winn third, so it becomes more likely that there are people on base when Sexson is up. I like this thought. I'd be running this lineup out right now:

RF Ichiro
CF Reed
LF Winn
1B Sexson
DH Ibanez/Ludwick
3B Beltre
2B Lopez
SS Morse
C Borders/Ardoin

Ibanez and Ludwick would platoon, and both would get ample playing time.