Well, except for a few teams, the 2007 is officially over. The Hot Stove League, then, for the Mariners is in full effect. With that, I have a few questions...
1) If A-Rod opts out of his contract, will Texas still be on the hook? My guess is that they won't be. That may not be good for the Mariners. If he ends up in Anaheim, it could be a double-whammy...
2) So, Jeff Pentland is the only coach to survive McLaren's scythe. What exactly is it about Jeff Pentland that deemed him worthy of being spared? Will he remain as hitting coach, or will he slide over to another coaching spot?
3) Where in the heck will Bavasi find starting pitching? He's not thinking about what USSM and other folks are thinking -- tapping into Tampa Bay's resources. I can almost guarantee that. Can he make a worse move than the one made for Horacio Ramirez? Anything's possible...
Sorry I have a hard time being positive, but I think if you consider which pitchers might be more questionable to sign or who might represent "sideways" moves, those are the kind of moves Bavasi will probably make.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he will look at pitchers like Kyle Lohse, Carlos Silva and Josh Fogg once he is through turning away all the would-be trade partners who will demand Adam Jones, Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow, Jeff Clement, Wladimir Balentien, etc. be included in any deal.
I could also see Bavasi throwing too much money at a crusty veteran like Paul Byrd, Freddy Garcia, Kip Wells, John Thomson or Rodrigo Lopez.
There is always the possibility the Mariners could take a flyer on 32-year-old Hiroki Kuroda of Japan. Another Japanese pitcher, Koji Uehara might also be available. If they signed both of them, I think chances would be good that at least one of the would work out o.k. My guess is that Bavasi will make a questionable trade for a starting pitcher of questionable quality, sign a questionable free-agent starting pitcher of questionable quality, and call it good. That would leave us with a rotation that might look something like Hernandez, Batista, Washburn, Kip Wells, and maybe Koroda. If he could get someone in exchange for Washburn, maybe we would see Morrow or Rowland-Smith in the rotation, who knows... But with Bavasi, even though the blind squirrel finds the nut sometimes, I'm learning not to expect anything too great or earth-shaking.
As for A-Rod going to the Angels, that would be a big-time bummer. Better that he should go to the Red Sox or the Cubs. Please, anywhere but back in our division!