Me? I'm hoping that Griffey gives a nod to the organization that he'd like to come back in a non-playing capacity. Make him a hitting coach. But, given his age, plus the significant decline of the past two seasons, the club doesn't need to eat up a roster spot when they NEED that spot for some of the prospect talent they desperately need to cycle through the roster in 2010.
Sweeney, IMO, is the smarter returnee, because he showed he can handle the righty-killing aspects of Safeco and it's proven to be much harder to find right-hand bats who can produce in Safeco. The significant age difference also lands majorly on the keep-Sweeney side of the ledger.
Tentative 2010 roster:
CA -- Moore/Johnson - (trade Joh ... please)
1B -- Branyan/Carp
2B -- Lopez
3B -- Tui (or swap with Lopez)
SS -- J.Wilson (is that a hedge, or what?)
LF -- Saunders
CF -- Gutz
RF -- Ichiro
DH -- Carp/Branyan
bench - Sweeney RH - DH
Langerhans - 4th OF
J.Wilson -- IF backup (but it'll probably be Hall)
Maybe Z goes out to plug LF with somebody juicier, or 3B, if you think you're pushing Tui too fast, (if budget allows). But, I think too many have forgotten that for a large chunk of the season Ronny Cedeno was the sole bench option that could play defense, because you never risk your #2 catcher, and the twin DH guys would be lost for multiple games if/when forced to play defense. (Sweeney had a grand total of 35 innings at 1B), and Griffey played 11 games in the field over the entire season, (most early, before they realized how bad it was on his knees to do so).
The top two specs in the org are a 1B and a 3B. If you transition Branyan to DH, and actually give him some days off to avoid fatigue injuries, then you get your top two specs learning during the season you EXPECT will be the transition to true contender. You use the Beltre savings to try and get Felix signed long-term, WHILE STILL ENTHUSED ABOUT 2009.
The Ms stand at perhaps the hardest point on the rebuilding timeline. You're a .500 team that "feels" close enough to compete immediately. But, you have prospects that are poised to slide into open roster slots. Do you resist the urge to go for the quick fix and kill your development program via trade or free agency, or do you roll the dice that the talent you're developing is ultimately going to be worth the growing pains. You've gotta make that choice KNOWING that it is likely that the growing pains may well cost you a shot at the post-season in 2009 that you might be able to achieve with a quick-fix veteran.
In truth, it would've been easier for Z if the club HAD only gone 77-85, so the temptation to do another Bedard maneuver wouldn't be out there. Moore, Carp, Tui, Saunders. All four of these guys got some September ABs, and if you're thinking World Series, you need all four to blossom in 2010. The odds are strongly against that result. But, where do you gamble, and who do you tell they need another year in AAA?
One possible scenario is a sign and trade with Beltre. Get him to sign a 1-year, with a plan to trade him at the deadline for whatever need is greatest, while giving Tui another half season of ... um, seasoning. You hope Ackley arrives in 2011.
IMO, 2010 is a perfect season for getting a realistic read on your near-ready talent. But, to get a true read, you need to give these guys 300-400 chances, playing full time. THEN, maybe you'll figure out which guys are really going to continue posting 1/5 eye ratios, and must be replaced. Wlad got 430 PAs with Seattle before they sent him packing. And one could easily make an argument that wasn't enough. But, at some point, you've gotta make that call - good or bad. Whatever Seattle was teaching Wlad, he wasn't succeeding with, so it made sense to trade him.
So, this off-season, the choice of trading or dipping into the FA market ... those decisions all have ramifications for those juicy, near-ready prospects: Moore, Carp, Tui, Saunders, (you could include Johnson and Ackley if you wish). And what about guys like Halman and Triunfel? Or Ez Carrera? Gillies? Liddi? The GM doesn't have the luxury of mono-focusing on the major league club. He has to know where every player in the org stands on their development path, so you can make 3 year plans.
Hopefully, if Z makes any trades this off-season, I'm hoping he adds some MI prospects so the club can hopefully avoid the string of disasters it had at short in 2009.
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