Mariners Rumors

Celebrating Ken Griffey Jr.

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 3, 2010 at 10:15am CDT

After 22 seasons and 630 home runs, it's over - Ken Griffey Jr. has announced his retirement. Here are some links that start evaluating Griffey's place in the game's history:

Tom Singer and Doug Miller of MLB.com note that Griffey and the 1995 Mariners may have "saved baseball in the Emerald City and basically built Safeco Field."
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says fans will remember Griffey for being clean. Junior was never linked to performance enhancing drugs.
Scott Miller of CBS Sports says Griffey had two lives in Seattle: the "very first baseball all-timer Seattle could call its own" and the elder statesman.
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports points out that Griffey retired 75 years to the day after Babe Ruth did.
Tim Lincecum tells Steve Kroner of the San Francisco Chronicle that Junior was "the epitome of Seattle baseball."
Jay Bruce grew up idolizing Griffey and eventually became his teammate, as MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.
Yahoo's Tim Brown says Griffey "had no peers" on the baseball diamond.
ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says "maybe [Griffey] wasn't as good as he could have been. But he was better than almost everyone else."

Odds & Ends: Griffey, Padres, Suzuki, Pedroia, Haren

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 2, 2010 at 9:03pm CDT

Hard to believe that Ken Griffey Jr.'s retirement will only be the second biggest story of the day. Here are some more links to check out…

Speaking of Griffey, Bob Nightengale of USA Today says (via Twitter) that he will remain with the Mariners in a front office role.
Big League Stew lists ten players who could be traded before the deadline, headlined by Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee.
Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse grades the Padres' offseason pickups.
The Red Sox almost drafted Kurt Suzuki instead of Dustin Pedroia in the second round of the 2004 draft, according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier.
D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes did not deny that Dan Haren may be dealt this summer, according to Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link).
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick presents the nine most-hyped draft picks of all time.
Ben Goessling of MASN.com imagines what a Roy Oswalt-Nationals swap might look like, just as MLBTR's Howard Megdal did. Last night we heard that Oswalt would consider a deal to Washington.
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports that Randy Wells switched agents "a while ago," leaving the Beverly Hills Sports Council for ACES (Twitter link).
Lynn Henning of the Detroit News believes Oswalt and Cliff Lee would cost more than the Tigers can afford to give up.
Scott Boras told Scott Miller of CBS Sports that Tony Gwynn was an "extraordinary" coach for Stephen Strasburg at San Diego State University.
Boras doesn't want Bryce Harper to catch, but ESPN.com's Keith Law points out that Harper's bat is worth much more behind the plate than anywhere else.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle predicts that Pat Burrell may make his Giants debut as soon as this weekend.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan describes the journey Colby Lewis took from the majors to Japan and back.
The Rangers need a reliable catcher more than anything else, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
The Indians had no interest in Dontrelle Willis, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
But other teams are eyeing an Indians starter. One executive told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Jake Westbrook is "everything you look for if you want to add an arm down the stretch."

Ken Griffey Jr. Announces Retirement

By Mike Axisa | June 2, 2010 at 6:35pm CDT

Ken Griffey Jr. has announced his retirement effective immediately, reports John Hickey of AOL FanHouse. He did not report to Safeco Field for the Mariners' game against the Twins tonight, saying "it's over." Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times provides a transcript of Griffey's statement.

Griffey has been in the news quite a bit this season, but not for the reasons the team hoped. There was talk that the Mariners could release him last month following an incident in which he slept through a pinch hitting appearance, and overall he hit just .184/.250/.204 on the year.

Regardless of what happened in 2010, Griffey was one of the greatest players to ever play the game. He retired as a .284/.370/.538 career hitter with 630 homers, good the fifth most all time. During his prime years from 1993-1998, Griffey hit .300/.388/.620 and played a Gold Glove caliber center field, which is the definition of a superstar.

After spending the first 11 seasons of his career in Seattle, Griffey was traded to the Reds for a four player package headlined by Mike Cameron. He signed a nine year, $116.5MM contract shortly thereafter, though his time in Cincinnati was plagued by injury. After a short stint with the White Sox, Griffey returned to the Mariners last season.

Junior earned more than $151MM during his career according to Baseball-Reference.com. The next stop for him is Cooperstown.

Mariners, Rangers, White Sox Interested In Lowell

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 2, 2010 at 10:20am CDT

The Angels are not going to trade for Mike Lowell, but a couple of their division rivals are interested. Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com hears from a Red Sox source that the Mariners, Rangers and White Sox are among the teams that have contacted the Red Sox about Lowell. Nothing is imminent, but if the Red Sox deal Lowell, they will almost certainly pay most of the $8MM or so remaining on his contract.

The 20-31 Mariners have not seen Casey Kotchman and Jose Lopez provide much offense at the corners, though Lopez homered yesterday and has been hitting better recently. Their designated hitters have combined for a .207/.266/.318 line, so Lowell's numbers (.239/.329/.358) look good in comparison, even though his power and on base percentage are lower than usual.

The Rangers, who are in a virtual tie for first place in the AL West, have seen Justin Smoak struggle through 136 plate appearances this year (.190/.301/.353 line). They had interest in Lowell last winter, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them pursue him once again.

White Sox GM Kenny Williams says he doesn't expect to start making moves, but third baseman Mark Teahen is out with a broken finger, so the Sox are short an infielder. The White Sox could bring Lowell aboard to play third if they aren't comfortable with Jayson Nix, Omar Vizquel and Brent Lillibridge at the hot corner.

Several Teams Interested In Luis Heredia

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 2, 2010 at 7:23am CDT

Seven teams are interested in Mexican right-hander Luis Heredia, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 6'4'' teenager is part of this year's July 2 class, so he will be able to sign exactly one month from today if the Mexican team that controls Heredia's rights makes him available. The Pirates, Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Blue Jays, Rangers and Mariners are interested, but acquiring the 15-year-old pitcher could cost as much as $2MM.

The Pirates have pursued international free agents aggressively under GM Neal Huntington. The club nearly signed Miguel Sano last summer, before the Dominican signed with the Twins. Alex Anthopoulos has also pursued international talent aggressively since taking over as Blue Jays GM last fall.

Jack Hannahan Clears Waivers

By Luke Adams 2 | June 1, 2010 at 1:41pm CDT

TUESDAY, 1:41pm: Hannahan cleared waivers and will head to Triple A, according to a press release.

FRIDAY, 5:37pm: The Mariners have designated Jack Hannahan for assignment, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. The move cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for Eliezer Alfonzo, who was selected from Triple A Tacoma.

Hannahan suffered a groin injury in spring training and, despite the Mariners' offensive struggles, was unable to earn a shot with the big-league club this season. Baker writes that Hannahan appeared to be a lock to make Seattle's roster as a utility player, but the 30-year-old hit just .190/.297/.270 in 118 plate appearances for Tacoma.

Mariners Designate Colome, Texeira For Assignment

By Tim Dierkes | June 1, 2010 at 7:21am CDT

The Mariners designated pitchers Jesus Colome and Kanekoa Texeira for assignment, according to a team press release. The moves freed up spots for Garrett Olson and Sean White.

Colome, 32, posted a 5.29 ERA, 8.5 K/9, and 5.8 BB/9 in 17 innings this year, allowing only one home run despite a low groundball rate. The Mariners had signed the hard-throwing righty to a minor league deal in February. Baseball America ranked Colome the 53rd best prospect in baseball in 2000, a few spots above Adam Dunn and C.C. Sabathia. The next year he ranked 69th, just beating Francisco Rodriguez and Carl Crawford.

Texeira, 24, has a 5.30 ERA, 6.8 K/9, and 4.8 BB/9 in 18.6 innings, with no home runs allowed. He was taken in December's Rule 5 draft from the Yankees, so any team acquiring him must keep him on the Major League roster all season. Before outrighting him to the minors, he'd need to be offered back to the Yankees for $25K. Baseball America ranked Texeira 26th among Mariners prospects heading into the season, describing him as a deceptive sinker/slider reliever who "could have value in a lower leverage role." Jack Zduriencik had drafted Texeira out of a Hawaii high school in '04, but the righty did not sign with the Brewers.

Rosenthal On Cardinals, Silva, Yankees

By Tim Dierkes | May 31, 2010 at 2:32pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports leads his latest column by noting that the Angels' problems extend beyond the loss of first baseman Kendry Morales. On the business side, I wonder how Morales' abbreviated 2010 will affect his first-time arbitration payday after the season. A few other hot stove notes from Rosenthal…

Rosenthal would not be surprised to see the Cardinals add a starting pitcher. They've got payroll flexibility but a reluctance to move more prospects. In my opinion, that points toward an acquisition of someone like Jake Westbrook.
Carlos Silva has surpassed all expectations, and you have to credit Cubs GM Jim Hendry for saving money and getting a useful player for Milton Bradley. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said to Rosenthal, "We didn't see any flashes of him doing what he's doing now. It just didn't feel like it was going to work here."
Rosenthal finds it likely that the Yankees will attempt to acquire a bat as well as bullpen help.
Could Phillies first base prospect Jonathan Singleton become trade bait? Rosenthal spoke to one scout who raved about Singleton, who the Phillies drafted out of high school in the eighth round last year. Singleton, ranked 20th among Phils prospects heading into the season by Baseball America, is off to a strong start in Low A.

Remembering the 1990 Trade Deadline

By Howard Megdal | May 28, 2010 at 2:42pm CDT

Ah, 1990. Times were very different then. Ken Griffey Jr. played for the Seattle Mariners. The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live were on the air. And Congress passed a bill in response to an unprecedented oil spill.

But even if that all seems familiar, the trade deadline of 1990 certainly won't. The action came later in the season, with most of the biggest trades actually taking place in August. Let's meet at the corner of Transaction Avenue and Memory Lane…

The Boston Red Sox, keen on acquiring a first baseman, grabbed Mike Marshall from the Mets on July 27 for three minor leaguers, headlined by Greg Hansell. Marshall was actually pretty effective for Boston, with a .464 slugging percentage in 117 plate appearances, though he was near the end of his career.
An August 3 deal between the Braves and Phillies had hidden implications. The immediate deal? Dale Murphy for Jeff Parrett. Both teams also included players to be named later. Atlanta got Jim Vatcher and Victor Rosario. Philadelphia got Tommy Greene, who posted a 3.66 ERA from 1991-93 and and pitched a no-hitter in 1991.
In a Doyle Alexander-for-John Smoltz-like trade, the Pirates acquired Zane Smith from the Expos for Willie Greene, Scott Ruskin and a player to be named later. At first, the deal seemed one-sided, as Smith went 6-2 with a 1.30 ERA for Pittsburgh as the Pirates won the NL East. However, the PTBNL turned out to be… Moises Alou.
The Athletics, en route to a World Series appearance, made a pair of interesting moves just before postseason rosters could be set. On August 29, they acquired Harold Baines from the Texas Rangers for Joe Bitker and Scott Chiamparino. The same day, they traded top prospect Felix Jose, Stan Royer and Daryl Green to the Cardinals for Willie McGee. The move froze McGee's National League batting average at .335- he'd go on to win the batting title in absentia. Good thing, too- his .274 mark with Oakland brought his season line down to .324, meaning under today's rules, which combine NL and AL totals, he'd have finished behind Eddie Murray (.330), Dave Magadan (.328) and Lenny Dykstra (.325).
And the Houston Astros, on August 31, made a blockbuster move, trading longtime second baseman Bill Doran to the eventual World Champion Cincinnati Reds for Terry McGriff, Keith Kaiser and Butch Henry. Oh, and also, they made a throwaway trade, dealing reliever Larry Andersen to the Boston Red Sox for so-so prospect Jeff Bagwell.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Braves, Mets, Oswalt

By Mike Axisa | May 28, 2010 at 10:37am CDT

On this date 12 years ago, Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter ordered closer Gregg Olsen to intentionally walk Barry Bonds with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Arizona was leading the Giants 8-6 at the time, and the move not only forced in a run, but also put the winning run in scoring position. The next batter, Brent Mayne, flew out to deep center field to end the inning and give the D'Backs the 8-7 win. It was just the third time in history that a batter was intentionally walked with the bases loaded, though the Rays' Joe Maddon turned the same trick with Josh Hamilton in August 2008.

Coincidentally, Bonds hit his 715th career homer to pass Babe Ruth for sole possession of second place on the all-time list on this same date back in 2006. Anyway, here's a collection of links from around the baseball blogiverse…

Prospect Insider examines the Cliff Lee trade market.
Capitol Avenue Club lists six players the Braves could select with their first pick, #35 overall, in next month's draft. Atlanta sent their first round pick, #20 overall, to the Red Sox as compensation for signing Billy Wagner.
Mets Paradise looks at the internal candidates the Mets could turn to if they need to fill another rotation spot.
Yankeeist reviews some players the Yankees either let go or passed on last offseason, plus some players they could pursue next winter.
Dodger Dugout tries to figure out what Ned Colletti might be thinking as the trade deadline slowly approaches.
Meanwhile, The Baseball Opinion speculates about Roy Oswalt landing with the Dodgers.
The Bottom Line says that John Lackey's curve has been lacking with the Red Sox.
River Ave. Blues takes a deeper look at some draft prospects the Yankees have been linked to.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

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