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Mariners Release Josh Wilson

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The Mariners released infielder Josh Wilson, tweets MLB.com's Greg Johns.  Wilson, 30, hit .227/.278/.29 in 388 plate appearances for the Mariners last year, logging 839 innings at shortstop.  By cutting him now, the Mariners owe only 45 days termination pay.  On a $725K salary that amounts to about $179K.

The Everett Herald's Kirby Arnold tweeted earlier today that the Mariners selected the contracts of Chris Ray and Jamey Wright, so today's purchase of Adam Kennedy's contract fills up the team's 40-man roster.  Wilson told Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times the Mariners are keeping non-roster invitee Luis Rodriguez as well, which can be made possible by placing Mauricio Robles on the 60-day DL.

What They Said When The Mariners Signed Silva

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Former Mariners GM Bill Bavasi signed Carlos Silva to a four-year, $48MM deal in December of 2007.  Two years later, Jack Zduriencik sent Silva and $9MM to the Cubs for Milton Bradley in a bad contract swap.  Yesterday, Silva was released by the Cubs with $13.5MM remaining on the contract.  Silva, known as an innings eater at the time of the signing, has provided a 5.82 ERA over 296 2/3 frames over the last three years.  Let's see what was being said at the time of the signing…

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Tim Dierkes, MLB Trade Rumors

This is the new price of a big league innings eater.  Silva may not be anything special, but he's shown the ability to eat American League innings.  Those guys don't grow on trees.

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Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner

The strike throwing, no outpitch hurler is just a very easy skillset to find in a pitcher. Throwing a huge amount of money at Carlos Silva simply because he’s proven is a gigantic waste of resources.

This was actually written before the Mariners signed Silva, but it still sums up Cameron's evaluation of the deal.

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Jeff Sullivan, Lookout Landing

There's no doubt in my mind that this is a financially irresponsible contract, and that you could get 90-100% of Silva's production going forward from someone else for a tiny fraction of the price. Of that I don't think there's any question. But overpaying is nothing new for this team, and at the end of the day, I would so much rather pay too much money than give away too much talent.

Note: this was Jeff coming to terms with the deal, after saying worse things about it previously.

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Geoff Baker, Seattle Times

Did the M's truly overpay for Silva? We'll know the answer in a couple of years if he misses a season with a blown out elbow ligament. But if he stays healthy, the way Washburn and Batista have to this point, you get a slightly above-average pitcher for what should be a below-market rate.

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Keith Law, ESPN

If we set the length of the contract aside for a moment, the signing of Carlos Silva makes some sense…The contract itself, however, is lunacy…While he's likely to be an immediate upgrade over the internal options Seattle had, the odds of him turning out to be a good investment over a four-year period — even before we consider the chance he suffers a major injury — are low, and if the Mariners' defense declines via a trade of Adam Jones or Adrian Beltre, Silva's performance will take a direct hit.

The three quotes I pulled out from Law's blog post are best read in context, if you have ESPN Insider.  The entire post is a good read.

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Silva ended up performing worse than any of us thought he would.  Most writers agreed when he signed that he made the Mariners better, which never happened.  Aside from missing the mark on Silva's ability to continue eating innings, I also failed to recognize that his contract was an outlier rather than the new standard for innings eaters.  Three years later, innings eater types are only getting $4-8MM per year and one or two years.

Mariners Release Gabe Gross

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Gabe Gross requested and has been granted his release from the Mariners reports MLB.com's Greg Johns (on Twitter). The outfielder hit just .077/.200/.231 in 23 at-bats this spring after signing a minor league deal last month.

Gross, 31, hit just .239/.290/.311 for the A's last year. He's a .239/.330/.385 hitter in 1,680 career plate appearances, though his defense in right field has been particularly strong.

Mariners Return Rule 5 Pick Jose Flores To Indians

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The Mariners announced that they returned right-hander Jose Flores to the Indians (Twitter link). Seattle had to offer the Rule 5 pick back or keep him on the 25-man roster all season long and Cleveland accepted Flores back and assigned him to minor league camp.

The 21-year-old, who signed with Cleveland as a non-drafted free agent in 2005, posted a 12.27 ERA in four relief appearances this spring. He has a 3.92 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 79 minor league games, but has yet to pitch above Class A.

Cleveland could re-obtain another Rule 5 pick before long, as the Pirates may not have roster space for infielder Josh Rodriguez. Oddly, the Mariners still have two pitchers named Jose Flores in their system even after today's transaction.

AL West Notes: Feliz, Young, Angels, Felix

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Here's the latest from the reigning American League champions and their divisional rivals…

  • After the news broke earlier today that Neftali Feliz would remain the Rangers' closer this season, Nolan Ryan said the team is aiming to have Feliz join the rotation for the 2012 season.  "I think if we weren't in such a need for him as a closer, he would be starting for us this year," Ryan said in a radio interview on ESPN 103.3 FM's Galloway and Company (and reported on by Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com).  "I think what it means is that we have a year to find somebody within our system or through trade or a free agent acquisition to come in and take that role [as closer]."
  • Jon Daniels and Michael Young have met twice this spring to "clear the air," tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Daniels expressed regret over not communicating better with Young, and also regretted that the veteran infielder received "undeserved criticism" for his trade request, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.  Daniels doesn't think Young will be dealt before Opening Day but "he hasn't ruled out anything."
  • The Angels fired scouting director Eddie Bane last fall, a decision that ESPN's Keith Law criticized in an e-mail to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  Law thought Bane's firing "smacked of internal politics, and furthered Tony Reagins' reputation in the game as a difficult person to work for and someone who only values opinions that match his own." 
  • The Mariners have been adamant that they have no intention of trading Felix Hernandez, and Scott Miller of CBSSports.com commends the M's for their stance.

Rosenthal On Bell, Gonzalez, Marlins, A’s

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There are still no signs that the Padres are willing to trade Heath Bell before Opening Day, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Padres have started discussing an extension with their closer, who hopes to continue his career in San Diego. Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s rumors, including more on the Padres:

  • The Mariners made a strong push for Adrian Gonzalez last Spring Training, according to Rosenthal.
  • The Marlins aren’t likely to look outside of the organization for help if they demote Matt Dominguez, according to Rosenthal. Florida’s front office does not have much payroll flexibility.
  • The Padres and A’s are looking for backup infielders who can play short. We heard over the weekend that the Padres are looking at Alberto Gonzalez and Robert Andino. Luis Hernandez of the Mets is also drawing trade interest, possibly from Oakland and San Diego.

Twins Willing To Trade Kevin Slowey For Relief

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Now that they have decided on Scott Baker as their No. 5 starter, the Twins are willing to trade Kevin Slowey for a late-inning reliever, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

However, the Twins don’t have many promising trade possibilities, since two of the teams looking for a starter, the Brewers and Mariners, don’t have relievers to spare. The Cardinals, Dodgers, Blue Jays and White Sox seem inclined to replace injured starters with pitchers already in their respective organizations, according to FOX Sports. 

Meanwhile, Pirates and Diamondbacks officials say they aren’t actively looking to trade for starting pitchers. As Morosi and Rosenthal point out, the Twins are able to consider moving a quality starter like Slowey because they have promising minor league starter Kyle Gibson.

Slowey didn't seem like a fit for the Blue Jays earlier in the spring, partly because Toronto already had a number of legitimate rotation options. Now that Brandon Morrow will start the season on the DL, the Jays could use the starting depth, but injuries to their relievers limit the likelihood that they can part with a late-inning arm.

Here's a list of other potentially available starters.

Quick Hits: Carlos Guillen, Dennys Reyes, Mets

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Opening Day is just ten days away!  Our latest collection of links:

Pirates Claim Garrett Olson

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The Pirates claimed Garrett Olson off of waivers from the Mariners, the teams have announced.

Olsen, 27, posted a 4.54 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 37.1% ground ball rate in 37 2/3 innings of relief for the Mariners last year. It was his second season in Seattle after two seasons with the Orioles, the organization that drafted him in the first round of the 2005 draft.

Olson figures to compete with Joe Beimel and Scott Olsen for left-handed relief jobs in manager Clint Hurdle's bullpen once he arrives in Pirates camp. Kirby Arnold of the Daily Herald first reported the claim.

Rosenthal On Rockies, Mariners, Garrett Olson

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Spring Training notes from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • The Rockies appear to have the rotation depth to trade starter Aaron Cook, once he's healthy.  Of course, they weren't able to move Cook last year.  The 32-year-old sinkerballer is dealing with shoulder and finger injuries, and could be back around May 15th.  He's owed $9.25MM this year, plus another million bucks if traded and a potential $500K buyout after the season.  I think it'll have to be a bad contract swap if another team is to take him in June or July.
  • Rosenthal explains that at least five non-roster players "stand reasonable chances" of making the Mariners, meaning they may have to do some major 40-man roster housecleaning.  27-year-old southpaw Garrett Olson is already on waivers.  The former first-round pick tossed 37 2/3 relief innings for Seattle last year, and he continued to be plagued by the longball.  Olson was better in Triple-A, but it was his fourth stint at the level.
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