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What got Cust benched has not been his OBP, it's been his lack of HRs. What got Peguero PT was his HRs.
With such a subpar offense surrounding him, Custs walks were setting the table for failure rather than crooked-number innings. Wedge had to look for SOMEbody who could drive in runners given the opportunity.
Now granted, Peguero has turned out to be a monumental baserunner-strander as well, but his PT has largely been based on the need to play a prospect to see what you have, while Cust's situation is entirely different.
Now the "I hear you" part. Despite LOVING the no-nonsense approach of Wedge, and his determination to take charge of the lineup and jettison ANY notion of veteran entitlement (apart from Ichiro), I've been concerned since May that the approach taken is better suited for a well-stocked lineup. And I've wondered if trying to squeeze blood (normal AL offensive production) out of a turnip (a roster incapable of doing so) will become counterproductive.
Smoak has not been the same since leaving the 5-hole. Is it AL pitchers figuring out how to retire him, or is it Smoak struggling with the pressure of being asked as a rookie to carry an MLB lineup? I don't know.
What I do know is that the M's have struggled offensively for years now, and in each case they put hitters in a position where they have to perform one or two notches beyond their capabilities if the lineup is to sustain AL average performance.