Mariners Rumors

Quick Hits: Schieffer, Ranaudo, Cust

By Tim Dierkes | April 26, 2011 at 2:20pm CDT

Lance Berkman's return to Houston is a popular topic today, with the best takes I've found coming from Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Astros senior director of digital media Alyson Footer. On to today's links:

Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times explains that new Dodgers trustee Tom Schieffer is "a hands-off-the-roster guy, famous for leaving the Rangers baseball folks alone during his tenure there, one of the main reasons he was chosen for this job." GM Ned Colletti will only have to make a case to Schieffer if he wants to go over budget.
We have to recalculate our expectations of position players in their late 30s in the post-PED era, writes SI's Tom Verducci.
WEEI's Alex Speier discusses the timeline of top Red Sox pitching prospect Anthony Ranaudo.
The cases of Phil Hughes and Philip Humber demonstrate "the fickle nature of pitching," writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times wonders how much time the Mariners will give Jack Cust to start hitting. So far he's at .171/.326/.186 in 86 plate appearances, which means he's outhitting Carlos Pena.
Player's union head Michael Weiner told ESPN's Jayson Stark the players are open to adding more playoff teams, but no proposals have been made and "it's just too early in the bargaining process to predict or guess where it's going to land." For much more on the topic, check out Stark's Rumblings and Grumblings column.

Draft Notes: Bradley, Bauer, Wong, Springer

By Tim Dierkes | April 25, 2011 at 10:36pm CDT

We're 41 days away from the amateur draft! The Pirates, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Royals will lead off with the first five picks. Click here to see the entire draft order. Several of the links below require subscriptions, which we heartily recommend purchasing. Today's notes:

ESPN's Keith Law hears that South Carolina outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. has a torn ligament in his wrist and could miss the rest of the spring (Twitter link). Bradley was expected to be a first round pick before the injury.
Baseball America's John Manuel, Jim Callis, and Conor Glassey make picks for the first round – not projections, but their own preferences.
UCLA righty Trevor Bauer is a top five candidate, writes Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, but there are concerns over his workload. Talking to ESPN's Jason A. Churchill, one assistant GM admitted he's worried about Bauer's pitch counts. He's averaged 124.5 pitches per start, according to Churchill.
In a draft heavy on pitching, Goldstein says second baseman Kolten Wong out of Hawaii "is now getting late first round consideration."
Connecticut outfielder George Springer has bounced back lately, perhaps enough to put him within the first ten picks, says Churchill. For more on Springer, check out Ben Nicholson-Smith's interview. Ben's other prospective draft pick interviews include Sonny Gray, Matt Purke, Danny Hultzen, and the elusive Gerrit Cole.
Current buzz from Churchill still has Rice's Anthony Rendon going to the Mariners at #2 overall.

Mariners Release Justin Miller

By Mike Axisa | April 25, 2011 at 5:57pm CDT

The Mariners have released Justin Miller according to Ryan Divish of The Tacoma News Tribune (on Twitter). Miller informed the team that he planned to exercise the May 1st opt-out clause in his contract, so they told him he could leave now.

The 33-year-old right-hander appeared in six games for Seattle's Triple-A affiliate this year, striking out seven and walking five in 8 2/3 relief innings. He last appeared in the big leagues with the Dodgers last season, when he posted impressive strikeout (11.1 K/9) and walk (3.0 BB/9) rates in 24 1/3 innings. Miller has also pitched for Giants, Marlins, and Blue Jays in an MLB career that started back in 2002.

2012 Contract Issues: Seattle Mariners

By Tim Dierkes | April 22, 2011 at 8:24am CDT

The Mariners are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series. Here's what the team faces after the 2011 season:

Eligible For Free Agency (7)

Relievers Chris Ray and Jamey Wright will be eligible for free agency after the season, though at the rate he's been going Ray might not get to six years service time. Wright has been effective as a setup man in a very small sample this year, and if his success continues perhaps the team will re-sign him affordably.
Well-paid veterans Milton Bradley and Jack Wilson don't figure to be back in 2012. They also seem like long shots to accumulate trade value.
Erik Bedard is at least healthy and striking people out at the moment, but he's been knocked around badly. If he shows signs of his former self and remains healthy into July, he'll probably be traded.
Adam Kennedy and Ryan Langerhans will also be eligible for free agency.

Contract Options: None

Arbitration Eligible (7)

First time: Aaron Laffey, Shawn Kelley
Second time: Jason Vargas
Third time: David Aardsma, Jack Cust, Luis Rodriguez
Fourth time: Brandon League

Standard disclaimer: not all of these players will rack up the necessary service time or make it to the point of being tendered contracts. Vargas and League could jump past $4MM, while Aardsma should pass $6MM. Cust seems in line for his annual non-tender. The pitchers in this group would make for decent trade bait, but if the Mariners have an eye on contending in 2012 they might prefer to keep a few around. Assuming the key arbitration eligibles stay I'll peg the group for around $15MM.

2012 Payroll Obligation

The Mariners' 2012 payroll obligation, according to Cot's, is $59.513MM. If the major arbitration eligibles are retained the team could be around $75MM, roughly $20MM short of their '11 payroll. The club's payroll situation is tough to project, though, because we don't know who will be traded or whether they're planning a serious contention push for '12.

AL West Notes: Felix, Leonys Martin, Brandon Wood

By Tim Dierkes | April 20, 2011 at 3:36pm CDT

The Rangers and Angels are currently tied for first place in the AL West, with 11-6 records. The latest from the division:

For what seems like the hundredth time, Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik explained why he is not looking to trade ace Felix Hernandez. His latest comments came today on the Brock and Salk Show on 710 ESPN Seattle.
The Rangers made a series of roster moves today, purchasing Brett Tomko's contract, recalling catcher Taylor Teagarden, putting Mason Tobin on the DL, and optioning Michael Kirkman. In the opinion of Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, they're likely to create a 40-man roster spot for Tomko by moving Wilmer Font to the 60-day DL.
Leonys Martin awaits a work permit before his $15.5MM deal with Texas can be made official, reports Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (link in Spanish). A source close to the negotiations told Ebro, "Everything should come through in one or two weeks, but the deal is still on, without any problems."
MLB.com's Lyle Spencer fills us in on Brandon Wood, who was recently designated for assignment by the Angels. Spencer says Wood "is a shortstop in his heart and mind," and likes the Padres and Diamondbacks as fits for him. For a look at other possible matches for Wood, check out my article from earlier today.

Minor League Signings: Lawrence, Place, Salome

By Tim Dierkes | April 20, 2011 at 1:48pm CDT

Baseball America's Matt Eddy tweets a few minor league signings of note:

The Angels released Virgil Vasquez and signed Brian Lawrence. Lawrence, 34, hasn't pitched in the Majors since '07. He racked up 142 2/3 innings for the Marlins Triple-A affiliate last year, posting a 4.42 ERA. Lawrence was a staple in the Padres' rotation from 2002-05, even winning 15 games in '04.
Right fielder Jason Place, released by the Red Sox in Spring Training, was signed by the Yankees. Place was drafted 27th overall in 2006, one spot ahead of Daniel Bard. 18 of the 44 first-rounders from that draft have yet to play in the Majors, Place among them.
The Mariners signed catcher/right fielder Angel Salome. Salome was a fairly well-regarded catching prospect as recently as a year ago, but he was removed from the Brewers' 40-man roster last July after taking an extended leave for the birth of his child and requesting a switch to the outfield upon his return (Tom Haudricourt reporting for Baseball America).

Quick Hits: Felix, Brewers, MLBPA

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 19, 2011 at 5:34pm CDT

Links for Tuesday on a night that NL hitters have to face Roy Halladay, Josh Johnson and Ubaldo Jimenez…

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says the Mariners aren't going to trade Felix Hernandez this summer, even though they won’t be in contention. They probably won’t be contenders in 2012, either so Baker wonders if GM Jack Zduriencik will consider trading his ace next summer.
Erick Almonte of the Brewers is one of many MLB players to graduate from independent leagues to the majors, as MLB.com’s Doug Miller explains. I took a look at the path from Indy ball to the majors last summer.
MLB and the MLBPA say they are set to announce an agreement regarding former players and Ronald Blum of the AP reports that the sides have agreed to increase pensions for older retired players (via the Miami Herald).

Quick Hits: Gonzalez, Padres, Rays, Mariners

By Luke Adams 2 | April 17, 2011 at 11:04pm CDT

Links for Sunday, as Grady Sizemore homers versus the Orioles in his return to the Indians' lineup….

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports explains why Adrian Gonzalez's contract extension makes sense for the Red Sox.
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker takes a look back at his favorite offseason trades.
The Padres have hired former Major League outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds as a professional scout, writes MLB.com's Corey Brock. Hammonds was the #4 overall pick in the 1992 draft by the Orioles and represented the Rockies in the 2000 All-Star Game in his best season.
The Rays may add a bat to replace Manny Ramirez, but it likely won't happen anytime soon, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Not only will the trade market develop as the season progresses, but the Rays should also have a better idea in a couple months whether they'll be buyers or sellers.
The Brewers have signed Luis Figueroa to a minor league deal, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. The infielder has only seen 16 big league plate appearances, most recently in 2007, but hit .319/.354/.429 in nearly 500 Triple-A PAs last season.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link) wonders if Jack Zduriencik and Felix Hernandez will be a part of the Mariners' next winning team.
Adrian Gonzalez's extension with the Red Sox is another example of baseball's stars gravitating to a handful of high-payroll teams, writes Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer fields questions about Sizemore, Nick Johnson, and potential contract extensions in an Indians mailbag.
The Rangers' rotation is holding its own without Cliff Lee so far, says Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Indians, Orioles

By Zachary Links | April 16, 2011 at 3:25pm CDT

Links on a rainy Saturday afternoon in New York..

Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter) believes that Jack Zduriencik's challenge with the Mariners is a lot like Neal Huntington's when he took over with the Pirates. Both GMs, he says, had to work from almost nothing in the farm system.
The Indians will have to make a move to create a roster spot for the returning Grady Sizemore, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. The Tribe could theoretically shed spare outfielders Austin Kearns or Shelley Duncan but will most likely demote Travis Buck as he has an option remaining.
Steve Melewski of MASNSports writes that Orioles newcomers Vlad Guerrero and Derrek Lee usually get off to solid starts. Early on in 2011, both veterans have struggled at the plate.

Quick Hits: Purcey, Mariners, Cruz, Rays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 15, 2011 at 6:08pm CDT

Links for Friday, as we celebrate the anniversary of Jackie Robinson's MLB debut. Robinson's Hall of Fame career began 64 years ago today, when he broke baseball's color barrier…

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos continues to talk to teams about David Purcey and tells Rogers Sportnet's Shi Davidi (Twitter link) that there is "very strong" interest in the left-hander. Purcey was designated for assignment earlier this week, and Anthopoulos said he expects to use all 10 days of Purcey's DFA period exploring trades.
The Mariners are still searching in vain for a cleanup hitter to anchor their lineup, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.
Jonah Keri of Fangraphs looks at some players who parlayed "a small sample of greatness — a stretch-run tear, monster playoff performance, even a single game or play — to big paydays" and how none of these signings worked out for their respective teams.
Now that Josh Hamilton is on the disabled list, it's Nelson Cruz's chance to carry the Rangers, Jon Paul Morosi writes at FOX Sports.com.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that the Rays figure to have a tougher climb to the top of the AL East standings than the Red Sox.
Is Troy Tulowitzki the best player in baseball? Rob Neyer of SB Nation asks a legitimate question and says it'd be hard to argue that there's a better player to be found right now.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

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