Thanks, Jeff, for unraveling the cause of the half-finished, curious position that the M's are currently in. Since the Hnbl. Lincoln has tied up the purse strings for now, it is time for GMZ to get creative and maximize the value of assets that he currently has & acquire low-cost assets that meet needs. First move, IMO, should be to turn Wilhelmson into a starter and, if he is struggling in the spring, send him to AAA to start. TW has lost most of his value as a reliever and the upside play is to make him a starter. He is worth a lot more as even a #5 starter than an unreliable reliever. Then GMZ should find a solid back-up catcher and 1-2 veteran relievers. As always, the operative phrase is "WWBBD", i.e., What Would Billy Beane Do? We know for sure that Billy wouldn't be whining in the press about his parsimonious owners; he would construct a flexible roster that actually made sense by maximizing the special talents of each piece. We also know that Billy would not trade such significant pieces as Walker and Franklin for short-term, over-rated veterans. So, GMZ, stop whining and finish the job without giving away the crown jewells for peanuts.
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Q. What is Rosenthal's point?
A. The exec sum of Rosenthal's column, would run something like ...
- Mariners + Robinson Cano + $240M = 2 sandwiches (short of a picnic basket)
- Unless the Mariners are planning an all-out charge up Hamburger Hill
- Right now the Mariners are saying "ahhhhh ... fuhgeddaboudit. Oh well whatever nevermind. MLB free agents cost a LOT!"
- The Mariners are probably just lying, and fully intend to spend a lot of $$ to justify Cano (unless they really are Froot Loops)
- If the Mariners aren't lying, and "changed their minds" about Hamburger Hill, after signing Cano?!, they better be wearing hip-high waders
That's what Rosenthal said, in five bullets.
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Q. Would the Mariners care in the least?
A. The Mariners are notorious for --- > screaming from the rooftops that --- > they don't care what anybody thinks ... while actually caring desperately what everybody thinks. (Of course, they care even more desperately about a glorious short-term cashflow sheet, even at the expense of long-term dry rot.)
BUT the Cano deal was different. They ripped off the Yankee$ best player, put themselves on the national radar, they overbid the Yankee$ by like $60M ... they promised Cano a series of splash moves, etc etc etc.
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Q. What is really going on here?
A. Dr. D could always be wrong ... but. Based on 12-15 years' worth of familiarity with these jokers, it's quite clear to him what has happened is:
- Jack Zduriencik brought scenario A to Howard Lincoln, and Lincoln said, NNNnnnnnah. (Such as, giving reasonable prospects for Matt Kemp and paying most of Kemp's salary.)
- Jack Zduriencik brought scenario B to Howard Lincoln, and Lincoln said, NNNnnnnnah. (Such as, paying a "get r done price for Matt Garza.)
- Jack Zduriencik brought scenario C to Howard Lincoln, and Lincoln said, NNNnnnnnah. (Such as, paying the market rate for Shin-Soo Choo.)
- Jack Zduriencik brought scenario D to Howard Lincoln, and Lincoln said, NNNnnnnnah.
- Jack Zduriencik brought scenario E to Howard Lincoln, and Lincoln said, NNNnnnnnah.
You'd be surprised, gentlemen, how FAST you can run through ALL your options and hit a dead end. (See the Kendrys Morales post, in the next cubicle over.)
Then Zduriencik runs through every option out there, again, a little tweaked, and The Hnbl. Lincoln isn't charmed by any of them ... except budget-friendly situations like the ones that shed Taijuan Walker.
So Zduriencik is painted into a corner, again, in which his options are (1) NON capital-intensive but (2) VERY prospect-intensive.
Hence all of Zduriencik's remarks, the last couple of days, that "any big moves will obviously be over my head" and "we're re-evaluating the Walker scenarios."
Pretty unusual that a GM would publicly emphasize that it is out of his hands. By Pretty Unusual we mean "it's a desperate cry for help."
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Q. What does Dr. D dislike about this whole situation?
A. Here we are again, with the Mariners' 25-man roster being overseen by The Hnbl. Lincoln. The Mariners will spend "for the right guy." The decision to spend will "be over Zduriencik's head."
Who this is, The Hnbl. Lincoln's Right Guy, we don't know. But we do know that the next big move depends on it looking shiny and metallic to one man, The Hnbl. Lincoln.
An ominous development, for those who hoped that Armstrong's retirement might improve things around MarinerLand.
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Q. What does Dr. D like about this whole situation?
A. He likes the parts of it that pertain to not giving Shin-Soo Choo what he wants. And analogous parts.
He also likes the fact that Cano, Hart, Guti, Taijuan, K-Pax & co. are a dynamic roster without future adds.
Subjectively speaking, this situation is as maddening as Rosenthal paints it. Objectively speaking, this roster has some serious young talent already.
BABVA,
Dr D
Comments
Phx is pretty dead on,
If we can't spend a bit (and I think we can.....Tanaka, for example), then find the deals that work without tons of cash. Ackley/Smoak/Taylor might all bring back pieces that are relatively cheap. Use those guys...and the Blashes and Pikes efficiently.
All the "guaranteed" OF bats, minus Choo, are gone. OK...there are cheap, young options. I'm pushing for Van Slyke...but if you don't like him go get Viciedo from the ChiSox. He's a bit more expensive, and with less upside, but has a longer track record. He's been rumored to be gettable. as has his running mate, De Aza. Viciedo is a decent RH bat. Perhaps Romero hits that well, I don't know. Toronto has a AAA guy named Kevin Pillar, plays CF and hit 39 doubles last year. Had a cup of tea in the bigs. Get a guy like that....RH bat, too. Hey, the Dodgers have a AAA CF named Nick Buss, he's 27 and stuck in that organization. He's had 53 doubls, 21 triples and 25 homers over the past two (AA/AAA) years. Get he AND Van Slyke in one package. We can do things to help this squad....and not spend lots.
Im actually okay with dealing Walker for Price as long as you can also nab Jennings by adding some secondary pieces. Jennings would be a nice young player to lock up long term. Two straight 3 WAR seasons despite not reaching his ceiling yet offensively. Price is on the verge of breaking out. You could have two value years of Price and hand Jennings a cheap 5 or 6 year extension to lock up his prime. Losing Walker would hurt, but you've just solved your needs and still have money to spend long-term.
If someone had told us in September that, before Christmas, we'd have signed Robinson Cano and Corey Hart, I think we would have been plenty stoked about it. I myself would have been somewhat incredulous.
Yes the articles send a message that is probably very misleading... BUT if the NATIONAL PRESS is spreading nasty rumors about us, it means a couple things:
1. we are probably going in the right direction
2. Lincoln does not like anything tarnishing the M's image, and thus Lincoln is more likely NOW to say yes to one of the deals that he said no to Jack earlier this month... which means YEAH!!!
That's really all I have to say. The missteps are just mind-boggling. If the scenarios are in fact similar to the ones Doc laid out above, then I really wish Jack would simply have the courage to walk away.
Olbermann drop kicked The Hnbl. Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong on his show. It's good to see them ridiculed on nationwide TV.
Is there a video on Youtube or somewhere?
Let's keep in mind, all incentives are for M's to publicly downplay how much they have left to spend. And Jack Z's preferred mode of operation is total secrecy, as we have seen many times in the past.
Sullivan has a good take on the piece...http://www.ussmariner.com/2013/12/19/that-was-fast/
"Here are the takeaways:
the Mariners are already right around last year’s payroll
the Mariners intend to increase payroll, by an unknown amount
the Mariners still need a couple role players, who will probably be veterans
the Mariners can probably afford one more pretty big contract, if an opportunity presents itself"