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When you have built a stable of near ready ballplayers, you can't be afraid to move them in and out of Tacoma. It can do a world of good. Ackley, since the callup, has posted a .766 OPS (not counting yesterday). That's identical to what he posted as a rookie. Smoak has hit .806 over the past year, most of which followed his callup. When Ackley went down to Tacoma, we brought in Nick, who immediately, as a raw 22 year old rookie, fixed the production problem. Now Nick is scuffling, and maybe he goes down to Tacoma, and Ackley slides back in to 2nd, or maybe Chris moves to 2nd if Ack's needed in the OF. Keep Brendan Ryan on the bench. But these send downs seem to do a world of good. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't we have another option of sending Smoak down if he relapses? Those who suggested we start Carp at first and leave Smoak in Tacoma to start the season were right, if Carp WINS the job. Handing Smoak first base was a mistake. Compete! That's what they do in Seahawksville. Matt Flynn was NOT handed the quarterback job. He lost it. In training camp. Or rather, Wilson WON it.
I imagine a Mariner world in which everyone in the organization competes for the top job. No one is "handed" first base, or "anointed" as the team savior. You gotta earn that job, and keep earning it, and everyone in the organization earns it. And in this world, there are no trades. None. You don't toss away Pinedas and Fisters for something you think you need more. That's what waiver wires and veteran releases and free agency is for. When someone is trading you someone, in the back of his mind he's thinking, "I really don't need this guy." Now, maybe he's wrong, and you get a Jaso, or a Carp real cheap. But probably you are just getting someone else's castoff.
This system has ill served the Mariners, pretty much its whole history, with a rare exception here and there. I say we junk it. Fill, fill, fill the pipeline, buy free agents here and there to meet immediate needs. When our guys run out of options, or get too expensive for our budget...well, them's the breaks. It was a heckuva run, buddy, and best of luck to you. But we aren't going to trick this system of trading assets for needs. We end up needing our assets, time and again, and trying to figure out what to do with our "met needs". If you have a problem, you don't trade it. You send it down, or if you can't send it down, you release it.
This will really work if you have a top notch scouting organization. Hey! What a coincidence! It will also help to find the right manager to understand such a system, and can motivate properly within it. That may be a bit trickier.