A Modest Proposal for M's Management

Just for kicks, I decided to look at some stats from my now hometown team, the Seattle Mariners. Folks, let me tell you - its not pretty. Of the four players who qualify based on the # of at-bats, the M's have Ichiro at .307 and then a huge drop-off before we get to Franklin Gutierrez (.246), Jose Lopez (.236) and Chone Figgins (.233). Aside from the two players acquired mid-season (Russell Branyan and Justin Smoak) the team's leading HR guy is Franklin Gutierrez at 9. Overall, the team has scored 331 runs in 101 game - good for dead last in MLB. On the pitching side of things, they have King Felix and that is a great start. Past him there is some talent in Justin Vargas and Doug Fister, but not much else. In a few words, this team is a mess. An absolute mess.

Being from the East Coast, where we actually want our teams to improve regardless of what it takes, I am here to present a simple solution: trade Ichiro. I will now allow my fellow Seattlites to take a moment to calm down. I realize how dramatic a statement that is.

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Ok, hopefully you're back.

The current situation is a bad one. GM Jack Zdurenciekzkrk built the current roster on pitching and defense. While defense remains a strength, the the pitching hasn't been what was expected (they have traded Clif Lee and their season starting 3/4 pitchers are a combined 1-15 on the season). When your strengths aren't as strong as you had hoped and you are forced to rely on an area of weakness, you are bound to have problems from the start. Jack Z thought he addressed the lack of offense by bringing in Milton Bradley (gladly trading Carlos Silva to Chicago). That backfired. Ken Griffey re-signed for another year. That backfired. They traded Russell Branyan and replaced him with Casey Kotchman. That didn't work, so they traded for Branyan. Rob Johnson remains their catcher. That isn't working.

Their only assets are Ichiro and King Felix, the latter of which is going nowhere. The former however, is a pretty good trade chip. Right now, he is 36 and has 2.5 years left on his contract which pays him $9/year (he deferred most of his $17 annual salary to 2032 at an interest rate of 5.5%). He is approaching his 10th straight season with 200 hits and has a career .377 On-Base Pct. I know there are some teams out there that would love to have him at the top of their lineup. And you know what - the M's could get a lot for him. Strike that - I think they could get tons for him. I'm talking several top prospects like Justin Smoak (potentially Jack Z's only good deal this year) that could replenish the talent cupboard and allow for a winner in a few years.

Obviously this will NEVER happen because Seattle baseball is Ichiro. I have heard all the stories about what Griffey meant to the M's during the 1990's, but culturally Ichiro means more to this city than Griffey ever did (Seattlites - tell me if I'm wrong). He still draws tons of media requests from Japan and is an enigma off the field. Knowing how Seattle sports works, he will play through 2012 and then decide whether to return at age 38. The M's will be pressured into signing him for 3 more years (see: Shaun Alexander, Dan Wilson). I have no doubt he will still be able to get 200 hits at age 40, but signing 40 year olds is never the way to go. Go young. Rebuild.

Some will say that you don't get better by trading your only good player. I agree, but the team is sitting at 39-62, 20.5 games out of first. How can you get any worse? If Ichiro was to be moved, Chone Figgins could bat lead-off like he did in Anaheim for many years. He's not Ichiro, but he's not a huge drop-off. Again, whats the worst that could happen? You could lose 100 games and become irrelevant in Seattle? Oh wait...you're already there.