Seattle Mariners 2010 Primer

The 2009 season was a very important one for the Seattle Mariners for several reasons. New general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu got together and helped to turn things around rather quickly. The team made a remarkable 24-game improvement from a catastrophic 2008. The foundation was built on defense, as changes in the makeup of the roster were made and it paid off. The Mariners sported the best defense in baseball, which helped their pitching staff to compile and AL-best 3.87 ERA.

Of course, this was still only good enough for 85 wins and third place. Why? The offense was among the worst in the majors. The Mariners set out in the offseason to find a way to bolster their lineup without hurting the sturdy foundation of pitching and defense.

Seattle ended up adding a marquee arm and another speedster to join Ichiro at the front of the lineup. It was able to shed the albatross that was Carlos Silva's contract and got someone who could provide a good power source in the middle of the lineup. Are these tweaks enough to push the Mariners back into the playoffs -- where they haven't been since the Lou Piniella era?

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Coming and Going

In: Cliff Lee, SP (trade); Chone Figgins, 3B (free agent); Milton Bradley, OF (trade); Casey Kotchman, 1B (trade); Brandon League, RP (trade); Josh Bard, C (free agent); Eric Byrnes, OF (free agent); Ryan Garko, 1B (free agent)
Out: Kenji Johjima, C (free agent); Russell Branyan, 1B (free agent); Endy Chavez, OF (free agent); Adrian Beltre, 3B (free agent); Miguel Batista, P (free agent); Carlos Silva, SP (trade); Brandon Morrow, P (trade); Bill Hall, 3B (trade)

Around the Horn

1-2 Punch(es) ...
In adding Cliff Lee, the Mariners are now able to say they have one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball in the starting rotation. The Felix Hernandez -Lee combo throughout the season will be a lethal righty-lefty advantage over opponents. In adding Chone Figgins, the Mariners are now able to say they have one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball atop their batting order. Last season, Ichiro had a .386 OBP with 26 steals while Figgins had a .395 OBP and 42 steals of his own. The duo will be in scoring position very often. Now it's up to the middle of the order to get them home.

Staying Defensive ...
With all the roster tweaks, how will the Mariners' defense stack up to last year? Well, they'll have a whole season of Jack Wilson at short, so that's a major bonus when compared to how awful Yuniesky Betancourt was. Figgins and Beltre are kind of interchangeable at third, but Beltre wasn't healthy all season. Franklin Gutierrez and Ichiro are back and are stellar. So everything looks better than last season until you get to left field. Milton Bradley represents a pretty significant downgrade from the collection of guys the M's used in left in 2009. Still, that's only one position and Gutierrez can cover most of the gap. They should be fine.

Mercurial Milton ...
As I said above, expect Figgins and Ichiro to be in scoring position very often for the middle of the order. If Milton Bradley can stay healthy, unsuspended and focuse, he should be able to break his career high of 77 RBI. Of course, Milton's one of the biggest self-saboteurs in sports. Will the leadership of Ken Griffey Jr. be enough to protect Bradley from himself? If so, the Mariners got a steal. If not, he'll disrupt their clubhouse chemistry and leave a gaping hole in the middle of the lineup.

Bedard the X-Factor ...
When Erik Bedard pitches, he's really good. Over the past three seasons, he's 24-12 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 383 K in 346 innings. Of course, he's only made 58 starts in those three seasons. This year he'll be out until at least May and probably a bit longer. If he does come back healthy and at full strength, however, the Mariners will have an imposing front three in their rotation. In fact, facing the Felix-Lee-Bedard trio in postseason play would be scary for anyone, should the Mariners make it there.

Projected Opening Day Roster



2010 Outlook

It's pretty simple. If the Mariners can generate an average offense, they will be a playoff team. If not, they'll be left out in the cold, just as they have in all but four years in their existence (and those four came in a seven-year span). A lot hinges on the behavior of Bradley, in addition to the offensive growth of Gutierrez. Bedard's help, Aardsma showing last year wasn't a fluke and a few other solid performances will be needed as well. If everything comes together, though, there is enough here to get to October.