Flip:  The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, as good-guy Ronny rips along at .132/.185/.250. 

25 strikeouts and 4 walks, despite the cut-down swing, has the ref stepping in for another standing 8-count.  Stop da fight. 

The Mariners just claimed an infielder off waivers.

Chop:  You might get a chuckle out of this Jan. 28 SSI take on the Aaron Heilman trade.   Heilman was dealt for "just the kind of player the Mariners should be acquiring."  Definitely, if your goal is to get relegated so that you can stomp the league below yours.

D-O-V's position, day of trade, was that Cedeno was a writeoff.  Let's close this one out :- )

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To be fair, Aaron Heilman has had a mediocre first half, and much to my amazement, Don Wakamatsu has somehow wrung champagne out of a turnip in the late innings.   And, admittedly, Aaron Heilman's personality is nothing like Cedeno's or Olson's.  Capt Jack had a big job to do, in overhauling the ballclub's chemistry.  In retrospect, I don't blame him for prioritizing chemistry over talent.   The dry rot had to be torn out and fresh lumber laid in.  He's done that masterfully.

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But the D-O-V shtick doesn't shy away from the far edge of the tree limb.  The limb here, coming into 2009, was that Ronny Cedeno had absolutely no chance to help the Mariners.  A 62 OPS bat in the National League isn't going to suddenly become a respectable stick in the American League, much less Safeco.

Capt Jack's idea was evidently to overhaul the attitude, to press Betancourt, and Cedeno helped do that.   But as our assessment was uncompromising then, so it is now:  cut Ronny Cedeno.

He seems like a good guy, and he did his part in the 180-degree culture reversal.  He'll hang around the bigs for a long time, I betcha.  My guess is, in the NL as a 4th infielder, and he may get a couple of fulltime seasons.

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San-Man aptly challenged us, when does Betancourt cease to be a prospect.  My $0.02 is, a while ago.  If I could get a no-hit glove wizard for SS and powerflush the incumbent, I'd do it yesterday.

Is Josh Wilson the kind of waterbug-with-a-cannon that can hold down a defensive infield by himself?  Sure doesn't look like it to me.  His value may be at org level, i.e. he positions some Rainier to replace Cedeno.

Is that SS out there, the one who could enable Capt Jack to flip Beltre and go bat-first at 3B as Cool Papa says.  I'm sure he is, but have no idea who.  Maybe JFro could help us out.

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FLIP:  Endy Chavez with possible ligament damage.

CHOP:  Hate to see it.  Poor guy had it rolling as a key part of the M's battle for the division.

Again, D-O-V's position on Chavez is that he can be a VERY nice bench player in the 200/250 AB mold.  Glove specialists who can steal you a base, those guys can help you win.  And in Safeco the glove specialist in the OF is a very, very effective choice for 4th outfield.

But let's take a breath. "Nice bench players" don't matter that much.  Not unless they're Mark McLemore or Tony Phillips.  Endy is a crowd favorite, he's a poster boy for a lot of the debates, he's been doing a good job, but -- he's a backup outfielder.  Swapping out your backup OF isn't like trading Jarrod Washburn.

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Glove men CAN help in spots -- when you have flyball pitchers like Washburn, and when you match them up against their favorite pitchers, and when you need to protect a lead, and when you need to pinch-run.

Those things help, but are not indispensable!  Having a quality speed burner OF on the bench is not make-or-break.  Few managers think that late-inning defensive replacements are high priorities.

My own opinion is that in terms of impact to the club, losing your glove specialist isn't a big deal.   Of course, on a personal level, Endy deserves the chance to play with this team.   Endy makes a whale of a lot more money than I do (though perhaps a tad less than Adam Dunn and Raul Ibanez do).

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In terms of the impact to the Mariners, It's a little inconvenient to see the glove man go, but that may now open up *two* spots for those wallbangin' Rainiers.  Endy's and maybe Wlad's if he doesn't show something pretty soon.

If the fallout from this is that Carp and Saunders/Clement/whoever help put some runs on the scoreboard, even with Griff or Carp in LF, then .... I know I sound like a jerk for saying it, but objectively speaking, the swapout may be the M's best chance to get better and contend this summer.

My $0.02,

Jeff

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