The Mariners were busy cutting Jack's budget from 127 million (2008 season, Bavasi's last) to 72 million to start 2013. When somebody cuts 40% of your payroll WHILE you have cupboards bare thanks to the last guy in charge, I understand why we had to rush prospects and scramble for weird trades and reach on certain players like Figgins in the hopes that they could help.
Paying for Cano was a very nice breakout from their previous few years of belt-tightening.
But at some point the kids have to produce, or the vet FAs, or the trades. SOMEBODY has to come through on offense - we have the #1 bullpen and two All-Star pitchers, with a good park pickup in Young and a bold young starter in Elias. Jack is still around because he's gotten the pitching to work (in a pitcher's park, yes, but only Young is Vargas-ing a precarious harvest from the Safe).
With Felix, Kuma, Elias, Walker and Paxton the Ms have the rotation talent to buy time and win without a great offense. Seager, Zunino and Jones are a nice trifecta from the draft (helps make up for the Ackley / Smoak / Montero faceplant) and Miller will come along, but we need a RH hitter we don't have ready internally yet.
And if Jack can't add him and the team finds itself another long losing streak, he may be in trouble - great pitching staff of not.
Don't worry too much about DJ though. ;-) His BABIP is low on the road for the Cal League and he's remembering to hit liners there and not just loft the ball into the jetstream. High Desert makes people do weird things. Hopefully he starts the second half in Jackson and we'll get to see him adjust to real parks and pitchers. He's not having a great year yet whatever the raw numbers say, but after a slow April recovering from having his face shattered last year, he's driving the ball again. I'd like to see the Ks come down and the walks go up, but right now it's all about swing and comfort and he's finding both.
~G
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