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Jack Free Agent signings include:
1) Russell Branyan - .867 OPS in '09
2) Mike Sweeney - .777 OPS in '09
3) Josh Wilson - .693 OPS in '09
4) Langerhans - .697 OPS in '09
5) Kennedy - .632 OPS in '11 ** great first half
6) Wells - .742 OPS in '11
1) Aardsma - 2.52 ERA and 38 saves
2) Jamey Wright - 3.16 ERA
3) Aaron Laffey - 4.01 ERA
Not everyone was a complete miss. And none of them cost anything.
The point of lots of FA signings is to look at a bunch of guys and see which ones (if any) still got game.
Millwood had a really bad outing.
Ryan made an error.
It happens.
Regarding Ryan, I definitely think benching the starter with the best OBP (and 2nd best SLUGGING average), so you can play your Japanese import ... well ... let's just say that would probably be the final nail in the coffin to have any American player come to Seattle of his own free will. Not that Ryan is going to continue at that pace all year --- but any team that benches its best hitter (at that moment) in order to play a completely unproven, 31-year-old, singles-hitting Japanese import -- frankly would deserve to finish dead last for the next century.
Eventually Ryan will get dinged up or slump. But punishing success, (Gee Ryan, you're hitting .775 ... time to bench you), while rewarding failure -- (Gee, Figgy, our lead-off hitter has a .288 OBP and one SB on the season -- you've earned your right to play absolutely every game!) That's part of what got us into the dumpster we've currently attempting to extricate ourselves from.