| Doug Benton. 3rd July, 2005 - 7:10 pm
 As the Seattle Mariners continue another disappointing season that will most likely result in a last place finish, they must look into the mirror and evaluate how they are building this team. With struggling big name free agents and the recent release of Bret Boone, the Mariners must come to the realization that their way just doesn’t work.
Given a large sum of cash to play with this past off season, general manager Bill Bavasi decided to throw the franchise into the hands of an unproven third baseman, Adrian Beltre, and an injury prone first baseman, Richie Sexson. Now both of these players are solid ball players who have the ability to make multiple all-star teams, but are they really ready to carry a franchise?
Management should have taken note of the plan used in Seattle the last time they had money to spend after Alex Rodriguez left for Texas. They sprinkled the money around and obtained three solid players, the most famous being Ichiro Suzuki. Now, take this new knowledge to the present Mariners and the solution is simple. They should have picked up one big bat to team with Ichiro and used the rest of the money to build up a pitching staff that at press time had the worst ERA in the American League.
In the end, the Mariners made multiple mistakes this past off season and are paying for them right now. However, this doesn’t have to be the end because there still is talent on the major league roster and a serviceable farm system.
Offensively, they are set with Sexson, Ichiro, and Beltre to carry them for years to come. Don’t get me wrong, Sexson and Beltre are good ballplayers, but I don’t think they were worth the massive contracts they received. The Mariniers also have solid players in Randy Winn and Jeremy Reed to build around to complete a formidable line-up.
Pitching is where is gets dicey for the Mariners because their ace is 42 year old Jamie Moyer. With no help at the big league level right now, the Mariners must wait until Felix Hernandez, a superstar in the making, is ready to step up to the big club. Until then, they will struggle to make a dent in the standings.
So, while their fortunes look bleak at the present time, Mariners’ fans just have to wait and hope a gem comes their way. Or wait until they have enough money to go buy the pitching they desperately need. |
