Content provided in partnership with

An influx of youth would extricate M's

Sporting News, The, Oct 18, 2004 by Ken Rosenthal

So, the Mariners have fired manager Bob Melvin. See what that accomplishes, if Melvin's placid style was a problem, it sure wasn't the M's biggest problem. When a franchise collapses, dropping from 93 victories to 63, it's an organizational failure of the highest order.

The blame starts with owners whose refusal to dream big led to the departures of manager Lou Piniella and general manager Pat Gillick. It includes Gillick, who tailed to make the necessary trading deadline moves from 2000 through 2003, protecting a future that wasn't as bright as it appeared. And it continues with Gillick's replacement, Bill Bavasi, who inherited an old, slow club last season and made it even older and slower.

Most Popular Articles in Sports: The first family: Archie, Peyton and Eli are incredibly famous, immensely ...; The growing gap: driving distances are skyrocketing on the PGA Tour. So why ...; Which pistol caliber for self defense? Four different people come to four ...; Drag racing - National Hot Rod Association; The world's most popular .22: the Marlin Model 60 just keeps on ticking; More »

After striking out with Melvin, a first-time manager, the Mariners might go with experience rather than someone like Angels bench coach Joe Maddon, a close associate of Bavasi's during his tenure in Anaheim. But the next manager won't make much difference unless Bavasi makes better decisions. The Mariners are the equivalent of an NFL team with an abundance of salary cap room. They intend to keep their payroll at about $90 million, giving them--by one club's estimate--approximately $29 million to spend.

Though that figure might be high, the M's can take advantage of a buyer's market to accelerate their rebuilding process. Bavasi erred last offseason by signing veterans such as Scott Spiezio and Rich Aurilia in an attempt to squeeze out a fifth straight season of at least 90 wins. The M's should forget about immediate contention; the rest of the A.L. West is too good. Bavasi rightly says the team's focus will be on "2005 and beyond."

In a perfect world, that would mean signing younger free agents such as center fielder Carlos Beltran, 27, and third baseman Adrian Beltre, 25. In the real world, those players are represented by agent Scott Boras and will seek the kind of top-dollar contracts that make the M's ownership shudder. Besides, while one or two splashy signings--Troy Glaus? Richie Sexson?--might placate an increasingly restless fan base, a more comprehensive overhaul is required.

Bavasi can't simply toss around money in an attempt to strengthen his pitching and fix the league's worst offense. No, he will need to he creative, perhaps taking on had contracts to get premium young talent. The Mariners don't have enough quality young players. They can get some by trading second baseman Bret Boone and paying part of his $9 million salary,. Outfielder Randy Winn also could bring a prospect.

Rangers second baseman Alums Soriano, 28, doesn't meet the Mariners' normal defensive standards, but he fits the younger, more athletic profile the team should be seeking. The Devil Rays and Indians are deep in young outfielders, the Orioles will trade young pitching and the Diamondbacks could move several young players. The talent is out there. Go get it.

Sometimes, an organization must hit rock bottom before it grasps how badly it has gone astray. The Mariners have hit rock bottom, all right. But unlike most teams, they have the resources to climb out.

SPEED READ

* The Phillies should hire Grady Little as manager and Charlie Manuel as hitting coach. If they had made those moves at midseason, they might have turned out like the Astros. In two seasons with the Red Sox, Little proved he could handle a big eastern market, where expectations are high and fan and media scrutiny is intense.

INSIDE DISH

By Ken Rosenthal

The Brewers could increase their payroll from $27.5 million to at least $40 million under new owner Mark Attanasio, raising the possibility the team might sign a free agent with a salary in the $8 million range. The Angels' Troy Glaus would be ideal, but the club also could settle for a lower-priced third baseman, such as the Twins' Corey Koskie. A second-tier outfielder, such as the Mets' Richard Hidalgo or the A's Jermaine Dye, also might fit. The likely ascents of 1B Prince Fielder, 2B Rickie Weeks and SS J.J. Hardy in future seasons give the team financial flexibility.... Angels LF Jose Guillen, coming off a 27-homer, 104-RBI season, could be attractive to low-revenue clubs in a trade. If not for his volatility, he would be considered a relative bargain at $3.5 million. The Royals and Pirates both need a power-hitting corner outfielder. Royals manager Tony Pena might relate well to Guillen, a fellow Dominican, and Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon would not object to Guillen's return. McClendon was Guillen's hitting coach with the Pirates from 1997 to '99.... Wanted by the Marlins: A pitching coach whose successful major league record would command respect from Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett and Co. Wayne Rosenthal, fired at the end of the season, lacked that background; his major league experience consisted of 42 relief appearances for the Rangers in 1991 and '92. Manager Jack McKeon, 73, also might prefer someone closer to his own age than Rosenthal, 39. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria showed class by offering Rosenthal a Class AA pitching coach position at Rosenthal's major league salary.... If the Orioles sign a major run producer to play right field, they could ask Rafael Palmeiro to accept a modest one-year contract and a possible timeshare arrangement at first base with Javy Lopez. The Orioles, committed to using Lopez less at catcher next season, will target free agents such as the Mariners' Dan Wilson and Red Sox's Doug Mirabelli.... Pirates C Jason Kendall, owed $34 million over the next three seasons, still could be attractive to the Cubs, Phillies and Dodgers. Kendall's .404 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot this season was second only to Ichiro Suzuki's .418 mark. Kendall, 30, also leads all major league catchers with 430 starts at that position in the past three seasons.... Why would the Phillies want to trade C Mike Lieberthal, who hit 17 home runs this season, his most since 19997 Two reasons: Lieberthal's .142 batting average with runners in scoring position was the lowest among major league qualifiers, and he needs to make only 110 plate appearances next season to vest his $7.5 million option for 2006 on top of his $7.5 million guarantee for '05.

An influx of youth would extricate M's

Sporting News, The, Oct 18, 2004 by Ken Rosenthal

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Autos

Most Popular Articles in Sports

Most Popular Publications in Sports