Zduriencik's tasks start with Felix, end at Jr.
JOHN MCGRATH; THE NEWS TRIBUNE
While the Mariners celebrated their season Sunday with an impromptu Love Boat parade around Safeco Field, it was easy to forget that the team that enjoyed such rare camaraderie in 2009 wont resemble the team that returns in 2010.
Of the eight position players in Don Wakamatsus batting order, I counted only two certainties for next season: Ichiro Suzuki in right field, and Franklin Gutierrez in center.
And then theres the pitching specifically, the unsettled future of ace right-hander Felix Hernandez. General manager Jack Zduriencik could fill several position needs by trading the Cy Young Award candidate, whos got two years remaining on his contract before hell be eligible to declare for free agency. Hernandez will be worth a valuable trade package whenever hes put on the market even if its on the eve of the 2011 trading deadline but the longer the Mariners wait, the less theyll receive in return.
In any case, heres my version of Zdurienciks 10 Things To Do list for the winter.
1. Make arrangements to extend Hernandezs contract two years, giving the Mariners control of him through 2013. Hernandez will be able realize the gazillion-dollar jackpot that awaits him, and hell still be only 27 years old. In the meantime, persuade him to stay put with an extension in the neighborhood of $50 million.
2. Identify a No. 2 starter behind Hernandez. Go out of the organization if you must. The Mariners are loaded with such back-of-rotation starters as Ryan Rowland-Smith, Brandon Morrow, Ian Snell and Doug Fister, but dont hold your breath waiting for any of those guys to approach 15 wins. A No. 2 complement to King Felix is the most pressing priority of the off-season. Well, OK, aside from keeping King Felix for the next four years.
3. Re-sign free agent first baseman Russell Branyan, with the idea of pairing him in a platoon with a right-handed hitter to be determined. Branyan was Zdurienciks third-most inspired acquisition last winter behind Gutierrez and relief pitcher David Aardsma but his back problems arent going away. Branyan wont come close to hitting 31 homers in a platoon system, but neither will he break down physically.
4. Convince Jose Lopez that, while hell never compete for a Gold Glove at second base, hes got 30-home run, 100-RBI potential as a designated hitter. Of course, Lopez doesnt see himself as a DH and what former All-Star would at the age of 25? but hes a liability at second, and hed be a liability at third. If Lopez is sour on the premise, float his name at the winter meetings.
Lopezs replacement at second base could be, say, free agent Orlando Hudson. Its a dismal free-agent class, but the Dodgers Hudson is an intriguing possibility. Hes a terrific fielder, has some gap power, bats from either side, and unlike almost everybody else on the free agent market the 32-year-old has yet to reach the ready-to-think-retirement phase of his career. The Mariners history of bringing National Leaguers into Seattle is an unhappy one, but Hudson hit decently during the four seasons he spent in Toronto.
5. Acknowledge the midseason trade for shortstop Jack Wilson was among the rare mistakes the Mariners recently have made on the personnel side. Wilson is due a $8.4 million next season, but the team has the option of buying him out for $600,000. Wilson was a victim of bad luck in Seattle, suffering a right heel injury after dealing with a sore hamstring. Still, he fits the profile of an NL hitter overmatched in the AL.
As Jack Wilson was nursing his injuries, Josh Wilson performed serviceable work at shortstop at about $8 million less than Jack Wilson will be owed in 2010. Josh Wilson isnt a long-term solution (the long-term solution is first-round draft pick Nick Franklin, whos three or four years away from the big leagues), but when were talking Wilsons, Josh is a better alternative than Jack.
6. Say goodbye to Adrian Beltre, a pros pro whose frequent struggles at the plate didnt prevent him from putting on a fielding clinic at third base. Beltre never looked comfortable hitting in Safeco Field or, for that matter, hitting in the AL in general. Hell use his free-agent leverage to resurface in the NL, which creates an opening for Matt Tuiasasopo.
Because Tuiasasopo appeared in only seven games after his promotion from Tacoma, the Mariners never were able to render a comprehensive judgment on where, and how, he fits in with the team. But hes 23, and he doesnt need further seasoning with the Rainiers. Its time. Play him at third.
7. Cut bait with Bill Hall. The veteran utility man has experience at seven defensive positions, and has shown he can strike out four times while playing any of them. Halls $8.4 million salary in 2010 mostly remains the responsibility of the Brewers, so hes a low-risk investment. But his uninspiring numbers over 34 games in the American League (.200 batting average, .244 on-base percentage, 48 strikeouts in 120 at-bats) are evidence his offensive difficulties in Milwaukee were more complex than simply needing a fresh start with another team.
8. Cut bait, too, with Kenji Johjima. Hes guaranteed two more years on an absurd contract that paid him $7.6 million to catch part time this season, but hed rather be an impact player in Japan than a backup player in the U.S. As for the role of full-time catcher, it should be Adam Moores job, with Rob Johnson behind him.
9. Decide what to do with outfielder Michael Saunders. On July 26, he drove in a run in his second game after he got called up from the Rainiers; over the 10 weeks that followed, he drove in three more runs. Hes a project, to be sure, but hes also a versatile athlete who could provide an answer to the age-old question of wholl play left field in Seattle at least until Dustin Ackley shows up.
10. Ask Mike Sweeney and, yes, Ken Griffey Jr., if they want to come back as marginal players with a minimum role. Keeping two reserve pinch-hitters scoffs at conventional roster-assembly wisdom, but the Mariners have enough pitching depth to exchange a mop-up reliever for an extra bat. Or two.
They graced an inherently sullen clubhouse with pranks and giggles, and were responsible for converting the Mariners third-place finish into a season finale that had all the trappings of a classic October day, but without pennant-race urgency.
In other words, Griffey and Sweeney performed wonders. They deserve the chance to return in 2010, and perform miracles.
john.mcgrath@thenewstribune.com
