1
Get me Choo, trade Franklin for Butler, and sign Ubaldo Jimenez. MOAR MONEY!!! :)
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The question, "Were the Seattle Mariners smart or dumb to sign Cano?," is an interesting one. It's not the ONLY question I want to talk about, though.
There are other things to talk about, in baseball, besides "Should I be the general manager instead of Jack Zduriencik." For example, you could talk about:
- How would the 2014 Seattle Mariners win 90 games
- What are the M's chances of getting Masuhiro Tanaka
- How does Kyle Seager look as a #4 hitter
- How good is the Mariners' bullpen going forward
- In what way is the M's $2 billion TV deal related to their drive for celebrity players
- Would you rather keep James Paxton or Taijuan Walker
- What is Lloyd McClendon's managing style
- etc
By a happy coincidence, Spectator and Jeff Sullivan did exactly this, today -- they responded to the Cano deal by asking, "What happens next?"
..........
On the MLB Tonight show, their theme has been --- > "Cano is bringing other big players in with him, like LeBron James going down to the Heat and saying 'Let's all play here together!' "
They're talking about Choo or Beltran into the order, perhaps with Kendrys Morales coming back, and (of course) the attempt to add the ace to give them the Big Three.
When Zduriencik says "we're at that point," he is referring to the idea that the young talent has jelled enough to support some stars, and to provide for trades. Let's split that out into another article, though ...
Should the M's push all in? That question is now moot. Here we are, gentlemen. The local baseball team IS IN FACT going all in.
..........
The M's OPS+ was already 98 last year, and they hit a boatload of homers; it's not like you're revamping the 511-run team here. With Cano and another bat, you've got to figure on an OPS+ over 100.
If a Big Three coalesce in front of Paxton and/or Walker, and you solve the bullpen, the target of a 110 ERA+ is the appropriate one. Historically, you get a 100 and a 110 into the ERA+ and OPS+ columns, in either order, and you're a threat to win the World Series.
Supposing the M's signed Shin-Soo Choo or Carlos Beltran and Kendrys Morales, and traded Nick Franklin, Erasmo Ramirez, and ? for Jeff Samardzija:
..........
| Pos | Player | OPS+ / ERA+ | Remark |
| CF | Ackley | 100 | .304/.374/.435 in 2H |
| 3B | Seager | 120 | Could be better, if rested |
| 2B | Cano | 145 | |
| RF | Beltran | 125 | 150+ games last 2 years, slugged .495 |
| DH | Morales | 120 | |
| 1B | Smoak | 110 | |
| LF | Saunders? | 105 | |
| C | Zunino | 80 | |
| SS | Miller | 110 | |
| ... | |||
| SP1 | Felix | 130 | |
| SP2 | WBC-san | 130 | |
| SP3 | Samardzija? | 110 | 9.0 K per game last year |
| SP4 | Paxton/Walker | ||
| SP5 | Walker/Erasmo |
The idea isn't that the M's have locked in a juggernaut (although the results above could easily produce something rather juggernaut-y). The idea is that Zduriencik claims, the M's "are at that point" where they can make a play. Looks to me like he's right.
Civics is dead. Long live Stars & Scrubs.
It's been one whale of a long twelve years. On August 1st, 2001, Silentpadna and I slumped and our chests collapsed, as we (at long last) realized what this front office stood for. On December 6, 2013, we get to bury the Armstrong "competitive team and nice night at the ballpark" era.
RIP,
Dr D
Comments
2
That's exactly right. Jack is all in now. The peak window for the two lead dogs (Felix and Cano) is what - the next four years? Cannot afford to waste it. Get the big dogs playing in October and damn 2019.
I'm still kind of shocked but the time for worrying about the contract is behind us now. One thing is for sure - Jack and his crew will be the darlings of the winter meetings.
3
I distinctly remember Mikey Jay (miss that guy) providing a reference to CS Lewis' classic "Men Without Chests" right around that time. As great as that team was, the M's were not "all in" in the sense that they could be now - regardless of what the immediate actual results say.
They look to be joining the fight with intent to bring loaded weapons to bear.
4
This isn't a bad idea. I'd probably swap Choo for Ethier and Jimenez for Tanaka, but really it's splitting hairs at that point. They *NEED* two more high-impact additions, and Butler may or may not qualify. I tend to think he does, but there are plenty of arguments that suggest he doesn't. Butler is such a perfect fit for this club that it really needs to happen. Righty DH with plus on-base skills and plus power entering his prime would be preferable to Morales' decline years.
It will be interesting to see which direction they go. The rest of the league - and the players' agents - know JackZ is pushing all-in, and it will be very revealing to see which #2 move comes through and how it plays out.
This, right here, is where JackZ proves whether he's a Mexi-can, or a Mexi-can't -- as GMing goes.
5
A Cano- and Choo-ful local team might draw out his interest a little bit... we can only hope...
6
Even more of a shortage of players with .423 OBP's who hit 21 homers and 34 doubles.
You'd want Choo in front of Cano, though... let's see, didn't the Reds bat him leadoff?
7
but I admit that he's the best bat available now. And that he'd fit super nice into Safeco - both in the field and batter's box.
It's irrational, but I'm more terrified of Choo at 5/100 than Cano at 10/240.
Still and all, yeah...a .400 OBP with legit pop would sure be nice. I'm probably just biased against him, which is weird because I HATED when we traded him away. I was on the Choo-choo train, if there was such a thing.
Too much cognitive dissonance...gotta be careful or I might end up like a villain on Scanners.
8
Well, Choo has excelled in the AL... That and his speed add a little extra value for me compared to Eithier. OTOH, that article that notes it would be easier (politically) to platoon Ethier than Choo brings up a good point.