Adam Jones has done everything the Seattle Mariners could have asked him to do this season. Seriously, if Bill Bavasi, Bob Fontaine, Frank Mattox, Greg Hunter, Mike Hargrove, Alonzo Powell, Terry Pollreisz and Lee Pelekoudas all sat in a room and got greedy with what they wanted to see Jones do in 2007, that list would have check marks in every box, and some of them would have several.
The 21-year-old entered play Thursday night versus Tucson hitting .327 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI and a .997 OPS, including a .442, 6 HR, 1.367 line in June. He’s gone above and beyond what every scout and personnel executive thought he could when the Mariners drafted him four seasons ago.
He’s showing more power than I expected to see and with the exception of some strikeout totals that are somewhat worrysome, he’s covering the plate, hitting the tar out of everything - fastball, sliders, change-ups, whatever - and his defense is cruising past Major League average and toward being a plus part of his game.
So, the question is… What in the world do the Seattle Mariners do with him?
See Poll at Right to Vote.
Discuss Below.
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I can’t believe I’m the only one who misses Kenny.
Any word on the Ichiro extension? Because I doubt moving Jones is an option without having some clue about Ichiro’s future. It doesn’t make sense to throw away Jones and watch Ichiro walk for a Wild Card chase.
The only realistic option is moving Jose Guillen. His ability to opt out of his contract next year makes it an easy call.
Benching Vidro is the obvious solution here.
As much as I want Jones in the everyday lineup, I think he needs to stay where he is and keep fresh until one of the many old players on the big leage team gets hurt. Trading guillen for SP would be interesting but to trade him we would have to trade either Weaver or Ramirez and that is going not to happen.
Ok. Who voted that they missed Kenny Kelley?
I really believe Bavasi is trying like hell to re-sign Ichiro so he can deal Jones for pitching. I truly can see it. Like Dominos.
Ichiro re-signs, Jones dealt.
You better get something pretty good for Jones. It better not be similar to the Soriano or Snelling deals otherwise…
I will start rooting for Seattle’s previous team, the Brewers, if Bavasi trades Jones.
I do not think Jones is dealt, even if Ichiro is re-signed. Guillen has a one-year deal, and putting Jones in RF in 2008 would give us 2/3 of an incredible defensive OF (and the offense would not be that bad either…).
As for 2007, the numbers show Vidro to be a well below-average DH. And considering he does nothing to contribute with his legs or glove, he has not earned the right to stay in the lineup.
The madness is that Bavasi put himself in this mess by constructing a crappy roster, and so has no easy way of putting Jones on the big-league club.
More idiocy from Mariners management…
I don’t know why, I just see Bavasi going all Pat Gillick on us.
Save for Lopez, Yuni, Felix and a couple arms in the pen… everyone else will be 30 years +.
I hope not.
Put Ibanez at DH and put Jones in the outfield.
I’d trade Vidro or Guillen (or both). I’d also be cool with just benching Vidro, but if I could get out from under his contract I’d love to. Bottom line is Jones should be starting for the big league club, really at this point it’s mindblowing to think that people could argue with that.
Start Jones in left field, move Ibanez to DH and it doesn’t really matter what you do with Vidro as far as I’m concerned, he’s nothing more than roster filler. Oh, and do it now.
If we put Jones in right and deal Guillen the defensive upgrade alone is worth it.And if we put him in left with Raul at D.H. we upgrade our power and can bring Vidro off the bench for as long as were in contention.
The problem with your theory thr33nil is that Bill Bavasi has told practically everyone with a pulse that Jones is as unavailable as they come. And from what I understand, it’s become pretty clear that Ichiro wants to test free agency, and his agent hasn’t been real receptive to contract negotiations. I think it’s time we all start preparing for life after Ichiro and start enjoying life with Adam Jones. This kid is one special talent.
And I think you’re referring to Woody Woodward, not Pat Gillick.
So what’s getting Jones to strikeout?
Seems that last night he was out in front of a change alot, though he had a good night.
Just missed a pretty spectacular dive as well. Had a stolen base too. OPS over 1.000 for the year now.
He’s going to force them into a decision soon.
He’s still a pretty aggressive swinger and his pitch recognition is still a work in progress. He’s made some serious strides in recognition and the fact he is hammering mistakes is a huge positive. At 21, and with the improvements he shown thus far, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it to continue to improve.
wow, that kenny kelley part was hilarious, laughed my ass off. btw guys, you better get your jollies discussing strategies now before ed stops by to remark how stupid everyone is
The Kenny Kelley shoutout was auce, no doubt. Whatever happened to that guy? Did he matriculate back to the U?
Would you still list his offensive upside of Torii Hunter or has his unexpected power changed your opinion?
I’m not Jason, but IMHO all the Hunter/Cameron comparisons are completely null at this point. In his age 22 season Hunter was in Double A putting up a .643 OPS. Cameron was in Double A putting up a .784 OPS.
Jones is one of the top 10 prospects in baseball right now. He’s miles ahead of where Hunter or Cameron ever were as hitting prospects. Obviously his glove has a ways to go to catch those guys, but he has the tools to get close, and his bat is going to be much, much better.
The Kenny Kelley shoutout was auce, no doubt. Whatever happened to that guy? Did he matriculate back to the U?
Read the very first post.
BTW, I agree, Jones needs to be pulled out of the Hunter/Cammy comps. I don’t think he’ll be them defensively at any point in his career.
I’m starting to believe that Jones’ bat will be good enough for a corner OF.
Watching what this kid is doin right now, at his age… He is officially untouchable in my mind, especially since the Ichiro situation is up in the air…
I can’t envision trading this player right now… What SP is available at this time that would be worth Adam Jones?? Buehrle is the top guy on the market, but his impending FA status certainly eliminates JOnes from consideration…
From what I’ve read, Jones’ arm might very well be better than both Hunter and Cameron. I’ve always though Hunter was a bit overrated, just as Jim Edmonds was. Cammy, though, was extremely underrated. If Jones falls between Hunter and Cammy, he’ll be a fantastic OF.
I don’t have the contacts that Churchill has, but I have stayed in touch with a lot of my contacts from the past and my LoL days and some of the scouts I’ve talked to recently have said that they may have set the bar too low on the Eric Davis/Mike Cameron comps. He’s come so far in a calendar year that one guy, whom I talked with yesterday, said that if AJ continues to develop on the same path, that his potential might eventually be that of a former left-handed Mariner CFer that won’t be mentioned. I think that’s a bit generous, but Jones is definitely breaking the previous comparisons thus far.
If Jones comes up someone has to go to make room on the 25 man roster. He would have to play everyday so a starter has to be moved somewhere. Benching a vet would just cause problems so Vidro or Guillen makes the most sense to trade, making Ellison even more irrelevant.
eknpdx, it’s looking like he’s going to have a corner OF bat at CF. He’s turning into a very good defensive CF and a lot of people will tell you he has one of the best throwing arms in minor league baseball.
And Adam, I’ll beg to differ that Hunter is overrated. I think he’s a tad bit underrated considering everything he does.
23 - I think the former M who shant be named is a bit optimistic. In his age 22 season Junior put up an .896 OPS - in the majors. I think Jones would be a very good major leaguer right now - I’m not at all convinced he’d be putting up an OPS around .900. Obviously, Jr’s numbers were Kingdome inflated, but still.
At this point I’d say if everything breaks poorly Jones will be Cameron, if everything breaks normal he’ll be Davis, and if everything breaks perfect he’ll be Junior.
Looking simply at the stats (with no knowledge of park/league context for Davis), Jones’ age 22 season is almost identical to Davis’ age 22 performance in Triple A.
Obviously, Davis had the health issues (much like Junior) that kept him from achieving his full potential. At this point I think the best bet is that Jones will be a healthy Eric Davis, which is one heck of a player.
The idea of Ibanez at first with Betancourts wild throws of late, should terrify anyone.
27 - agree.
And the idea of Ibanez in left, with Safeco’s spacious dimensions and our flyball staff, should terrify anyone.
Hmmmmm, maybe he should DH?
Vidro to the bench is the easiest and most feasible option.
Unfortunately, we’re on the hook for that guy next year too or I’d say cut ties or deal him.
With Jones up, the M’s could jettison Ellison (ha, ha…) to make the room.
It needs to be done.
If Vidro goes to the bench, Ben is either dealt or Ellison is sent packing in some form and Willie/Ben share fourth outfield duties.
But… sounds pretty good to me. That’s a decent bench.
30 - Sending Ellison packing makes the most sense. Ben is serviceable (not good) in a corner outfield spot, and Willie is serviceable (not good) in centerfield. If somebody gets hurt you wouldn’t want either of them playing out there everyday, but Jeremy Reed is just a phone call away if someone goes down.
A bench of Vidro, Broussard, Burke, Bloomquist would be easily the best offensive bench we’ve had in years, and while it’s not stellar defensively by any means, I think it’s adequate.
Vidro on the bench would be ideal from a performance standpoint but not from a financial one. He’s getting a pretty hefty salary to say the least. You don’t pay a guy that much to sit on the bench.
32 - Who cares? The Mariners payroll will increase by zilch if they bring up Jones, jettison Ellison and move Vidro to the bench. You don’t throw wins away so the guy making the most money can play.
Paying a bad player big money to ride the bench > paying a bad player big money to hurt the lineup.
We’re paying him either way.
31 - Don’t forget that Ibanez would be the fourth OF.
Moving Vidro to bench, losing Ellison, and making Raul the DH would actually make the roster quite flexible.
It seems like the opinions are split between two options: Trade someone, call up Jones and start him everyday; and Bench Vidro, DH Raul and start Jones in the outfield.
I am not sure that the M’s shouldn’t do both.
Bavasi could probably get a mediocre pitcher for Guillen, perhaps from the Twins.
I think that Broussard is a better hitter than Vidro, and wasting him on the bench is hurting the club.
Instead, how about this lineup:
Ichiro CF
Lopez 2B
Johjima C
Ibanez LF
Sexson 1B
Beltre 3B
Broussard DH
Jones RF
Betancourt SS
Its a pretty solid lineup. The L/R balance is pretty good. And the bench, with Vidro, Bloomquist, Burke, and Ellison, wouldn’t be too shabby. Vidro actually makes a good (although highly overpaid) bench bat, as his switch hitting gives Grover a good deal of versatility.
Who knows. Perhaps the M’s could even get a pitcher for Guillen that could actually help them this year. If that is the case, it is a no-brainer.
Obviously, this scenario isn’t the most likely. I wouldn’t mind seeing either of the Vidro-benched or Guillen-traded scenarios. But I am not sure that doing both wouldn’t help the M’s win.
I’m not sure Grover could stand ONE of those moves, let alone two.
Jason - I have always thought that Adam Jones reminded me of Vernon Wells.
How far off is that?
Not far.
Offensively he’s got superior skills to both Cameron and Hunter, but he has the physical tools to be better than Wells on the bases and defensively.
One place that I am sure would want Guillen is the mets. They are hurting for corner outfielders with all of their injuries. The M’s could probably get a decent pitching prospect for him. Maybe they’ll even take vidro. Valentene is not sappoussed to be healthy for a while. If he shows that he can play the field everyday there is a shot.(a longshot) Also I have heard that the Yankee’s are intrested in Broussard if they can’t get Texiera. I’m not sure what sort of value he would get.
I feel bad for Jones, Wlad, and Morse. All of those guys deserve to be called up. Hopefully next year they will all be up there (Jones now), and with the M’s. They will all help the team win and coast less then who is in their spot now.
Alou is coming back, they don’t need Guillen.
Jones, three run jack to tie it in the eleventh!
Honestly, there is no good reason to keep him in Tacoma. NONE.
WLAD wins it with a walk-off in the 12th!!!!
What a game!!!
Can I just toot me own horn for a second?
How long have I been saying Jones was a top 20-25 prospect in all of baseball?
Going on two years now?
Jones is 21 and…
Ranks 9th in the PCL with a .328 average, 7th with a .402 OBP, 2nd with a .600 SLG…
Jones ranks third in OPS at just over 1.000 and has the third most homers with 16. He’s also got four triples and five steals.
One scout that saw Jones’ three-run bomb in the 11th tonight had this to say when I called him to get his take on what the Mariners should be doing with the kid at this point.
JAC: So, you’ve seen him in what, seven or eight games in the past three weeks?
Scout: Yeah, and I saw him in mid-May, too.
JAC: Well?
Scout: Well, what? He’s the best prospect in the PCL. What else is there to say?
JAC: Really?
Scout: Oh yeah, I’d say so. He’s gone from “potential all-star/quality everyday guy” to “probable all-star/really good regular” for me this season.
JAC: At the start of spring training, you thought he needed to do three things to get to this status and thought he needed at least another full year in Tacoma to get it done. What were those three things and has he done them to satisfactory levels?
Scout: Well, he needed to be more consistent with the really good things he does; do them more often, maybe step up and do them better. He had things to shore up in center field, too. It looked like he could handle it but he was still making mistakes that showed his inexperience out there. The last thing was show better plate coverage, which would probably help him hit left-handed pitching as well as hit for power to right field. He struggled with all of that a year ago- not this year. He’s a terror and other teams are starting to game plan around him. That’s when you know he’s scaring pitchers.
JAC: But the best prospect in all of the PCL?
Scout: You don’t think so? Find me a better one.
I rest my case.
Awesome. I have got to make it up to Tacoma here soon to see him again before he finally gets the call for good. It’s amazing the leap he has taken this year.
I officially apologies to Adam Jones! I’m sorry, and I hope others forgive me!
Bryan Osborn
Its nice to have another elite talent in the organization. Since Felix lost his prospect status, we haven’t had a truly special guy in the minors for a while. Its pretty cool to have another player like that.
Hopefully Triunfel can give us two.
btw, when is Triunfel coming back?
is his injury serious?
All this Jones excitement is just going to drop us off the roof when he is dealt for half a year of Mark flippin’ Buerle. Don’t worry. Buerle (or similar) will all but assure us 2nd place in West.
..I like to play the pessimist when it comes to this front office.
I loved that conversation between you and the scout. I already thought Jones was a very good prospect, but he might be better than I thought he was.
Who is Calvin Beamon?
He had a pretty good debut with Wisconsin
Non-drafted free agent, 23 years old. Outfielder.
48- I was wondering the same has his injury gotten better or have they figured out how bad it is or what? thx
something else the mariner brass should be looking at. adam jones will put more butts in safeco seats….
does anyone know where you can find the DSL box scores or stats?
Triunfel is likely to be out another 2 weeks minimum, maybe as many as six.
Since May 1, Jones leads the league in OPS despite playing in the league’s worst hitting environment.
Not only is he the best prospect in the PCL. He might be the best HITTER in the PCL.
Damn.
Greg: Dominicansummerleague.com has some stats up, but they’re not very good at being punctual.
I’ve been sending J. from marinerminors box scores when I get them, but again, they’re usually a day late. I wont’ mention any names, but a certain VP of that league is just about the worst bureaucrat (and one of the least organized people) I have ever met.
In any case, the interesting names down there this year are OF Robert Rodriguez, signed for $280,000 and hitting pretty damn well for a 16 y/0 in that league in the early going, Rey Lebron, a 17y/o CF inked for $200k, and George Soto, a 17y/o SS who I’ve never heard of but who’s raking in the early going. I’ll try to find out more about these guys in the next week.
As for the non-first years and the pitchers…nothing really to see there. Bruno Mercedes is just about the only one with any kind of secondary stuff on the pitching side, and Joel Mendez and Cristian Rijo could end up as useful organizational guys down the road. Also Mario Flores, who was kind of blackballed last year because the coaching staff didn’t like his defense behind the plate, but he can hit a bit and the jury’s still out on whether he can catch.
Jason,
Who’s this Thomas Johanessen-Ellis guy that I saw listed on AA’s roster? He is only 18. Is he just filling in or is he a young pitcher with electric stuff?
Also, any word on when the M’s are going to start signing some draft picks?
He’s filling in, but he’s interesting.
The Mariners will start signing picks when team and agent start agreeing in terms.
Aumont’s situation is a little bit complicated due to his need for a visa and such.
Jason, a little off topic, but I noticed that in his last two starts Tillman has done much better in High A. 3 and 4 runs over 6 innigs is decent. How encouraging is this? Does it look like he is finally comfortable there.
I am looking forward to seeing the half-season prospect recap pieces that I am sure will start to pop up as we reach the mid-point of the minor league seasons.
It seems to me like the vast majority of the players who have really improved their stock this year are hitters.
Adam Jones has emerged as an elite prospect. Barring a complete melt-down, he has to be considered a top 20 prospect. If you consider his age and his home-road splits, you could make a good case for him as a top-10 prospect.
Carlos Triunfel is putting up numbers in the Midwest League at an age that compare favorably with guys like Miguel Cabrera.
Wlad Balentien is raking. He has made huge turnarounds in his biggest weaknesses (contact and plate discipline), without sacrificing his biggest strength (power). His stock has improved dramatically.
Michael Saunders is the one guy who gets overlooked a lot, but he is probably my favorite M’s prospect right now. He has great tools, with plus speed, arm, plate discipline, and power. He is now turning those tools into performance, hitting right around .300/.400/.500 with 10 Hrs and 20 SBs. He is a left OFer, so he is the type of guy the M’s need. It is easy to question his numbers playing in High Desert, but his splits are that marked and he is actually hitting better on the road (.306/.391/.545, 6 HRs) than at home (.295/.410/.442, 4 HRs).
Plus, other guys like Adan Moore, Johan Limonata, and Casey Craig are hitting pretty well, and are guys to keep an eye on. Jeff Clement is turning things around.
In sum, there are several hitters who have really turned things around.
On the pitching side, that isn’t the case at all. Brandon Morrow never really had a chance to put up numbers in the minor leagues, and, barring an implosion by the big league club and/or the emergence of a replacement setup guy (Lowe!), he probably won’t see much time in the minors this year. Butler is struggling and probably hurt. Anthony Varvaro is hot and cold, but mostly cold. Feierabend has been just solid, not dominant. Same thing with Tillman.
All in all, the M’s pitching depth isn’t that good. Besides Kyle Parker and perhaps Kam Mickolio, there aren’t that many guys who have emerged as top guys or improved their stock. Hopefully, Aumont and Juan Carlos Ramirez can come in and give us something to talk about. But all in all, it seems like the improvements on the minor league side have been concentrated in hitters.
Is that a fair assessment, Jason?
Balentien has been on a serious power outage streak. Makes me wonder if he’s the same guy as last year who goes in spurts of power, then slap singles.
After a torrid start he’s fallen way off.
With the M’s playing like crap against horrible NL teams, I think it is time to let the kids have their time. We tried the contending route last year with, likely, a better starting staff. We won’t contend so let’s look to the future. Move Guillen and Broussard and make room for Jones and Balentien as the 4th OF. I don’t mind Balentien sitting some as we would likely lose him next year anyways. Let Feierabend stay in the rotation. Some of the guys mentioned above by Jerry deserve promotions and could fill those holes.
If the team trades Broussard, they’ll get a fringe prospect nowhere near as valuable as the guy they gave up for him less than a year ago. If he plays out the year, the Ms will almost certainly get an extra 1S pick out of him.
The Ms shouldn’t trade Broussard under any circumstances.
Well, whatever, the point being he isn’t an asset to the team going forward most likely. Leave him on the bench, but the kids need to play if the M’s are intent on sucking.
Since you seem to be in touch with compensation….if Ichiro leaves via FA and signs with a team not in the bottom 15 in finals standings…what do we get as far as compensation?
The signing team’s first-round pick and a pick in the top half of round 1S.
Actually, if Broussard sits, we lose his compensation pick. He needs to log 200-300 ABs this year to stay in the race for type-B FA status. Looking at where he ranked among type-Bs last year, keeping his eligibility isn’t as much of a slam dunk as I thought it’d be. As a bench bat at 1B/OF, though, he isn’t blocking anybody except perhaps Mike Morse.
Or possibly blocking Balentien too. I think we know what Broussard can do, but I’d rather get a look at Balentien who’ll need to be on the 25 man next year.
Balentien has never played first base and isn’t lefthanded.
Getting rid of Broussard won’t open up a spot for Balentien on the roster, and certainly not one in which he’d get serious playing time.
If Bavasi were to blow up the team to give Jones and Balentien a look, which he won’t, it’s Ichiro and Guillen who’d need to be traded. I’m pretty much against that scenario.
Why couldn’t Wlad fill in for Broussard? Why is it Ichiro that needs to get traded? I’m failing to see any reason why those are the cases.
I’m sitting on my hands with my fingers crossed everyday now because it was about this time last year when Bavasi made the first in his long line of stupid trades. It’s especially worrisome right now because he’s likely in panic mode over his job.
Guillen is a guy meant to be deadline trade bait, he’s brought teams decent players in the past. But with this organization’s love for “proven veterans” over capable youngsters, Jones and Balentien are the ones more likely to go.
Re: Trading Ichiro
I have a feeling he is walking after this season and if you can get quality in return for him then I’m dealing him, no questions asked.
I don’t think this next contract for Ichiro will be about the $$$, I think he wants to win and an honest appraisal of the M’s suggests it will be some time unless things change.
Unfortunately in order to bring in some necessary pieces you have to part with you most valuable player IMO.
I’m waiting for 54 to explain how Adam Jones will put more butts in the stands. You do realize that 75% of the people who attend games wouldn’t know Adam Jones from Adam Sandler?
There may be some validity to bringing up Jones, but attendance, isn’t one of them.
People show up when there is a exciting product on the field and Seattle always loves a winner. Jones getting promoted might put a few butts in the stands for a game or two but over the long haul I doubt anyone has that pull right now.
Build a winner and the fans will show. Unfortunately it feels to me like the ownership group is concerned about getting the fans to the game before taking the time to build a winning franchise.
68
Broussard has a grand total of 8 starts at 1B this year and isn’t good there anyways. Would it be that hard for Raul or somebody else to make those infrequent starts?
True losing Broussard gives us one less lefty bat on the team, but I’m not concerned with that. I’m concerned about learning what we have with a guy who we may lose next year without him getting a shot.
Maybe you think this team is a true contender. I disagree. Playing for this year can hurt you in the future, especially when you don’t have much of a shot to begin with.
True, we are three games back of the wildcard, but I see Detroit, Cleveland, Oakland, and possibly the Twins as better teams.
Plus, as you said, Broussard could have value to the team. Balentien and Broussard could coexist by getting rid of Ellison.
Not using a better option because of their position and handedness sounds like a typical Mariner move.
Oh yeah, add the Yankees to the wild card mix.
“Why couldn’t Wlad fill in for Broussard?”
Broussard barely plays, and the majority of his ABs have come as a first baseman/left handed pinch hitter. He’s only made 9 outfield appearances this year.
1) Wlad is neither a first baseman or a left handed pinch hitter.
2) Giving Wlad Broussard’s roster spot leaves us without a backup 1B. Sexson’s not a 162-game kind of guy, and Hargrove’s not a flexible manager. That’s a problem.
3) Wlad should not be called up to play 1-2 games a week. Ever. That’s what “filling in for Broussard” would mean even if it were possible for him to take the roster spot.
“Why is it Ichiro that needs to get traded? I’m failing to see any reason why those are the cases.”
If, as the above poster suggested, the team were to use the rest of the season to get a long look at both Wlad and Jones, CF and RF would have to be opened up to get them playing time. As I said before, I think that would be a horrible scenario, but if you want significant ABs for both of the kids, that’s the only way they get them.
74: The point is if you want Wlad to be called up, he’d have to be called up in such a way that Hargrove would use him.
There’s no way from a roster construction standpoint Bavasi leaves the major league roster without a left handed bat on the bench. He wouldn’t do it if the Mariners were on pace to lose 100 games. He’s certainly not going to do it in his hot seat year if the Ms can sniff contention.
As for getting rid of Guillen, if Wlad tanks, you’ve given up a quality offensive and defensive RF at a reasonable price for ‘08 and created a sinkhole at a power position (assuming Ichiro walks). What you’re proposing not only makes the Mariners a shell of a team this year, but runs a serious risk of hamstringing them next year as well. I root for the guy, but Wlad’s not the kind of can’t miss prospect you can justify jettisoning a cheap, effective player for.
The 2007 Mariners were put together too inflexibly to rotate kids in as semi-regulars, jp. It’s hard enough thinking of a way to find room for the guy who IS major league ready and a likely upgrade on this roster. Finding room to get at-bats for two is not going to happen. I wish the roster was constructed better, but as is, Wlad’s contribution to the major league team is almost certainly going to be as part of a trade.
I should mention that this changes if/when Hargrove is canned. On a team that actually uses a 4th outfielder, the scenario is different. The ideal would be to kick Vidro to the curb, DH Ibanez, hire a manager who will actually use a 4th OF, install Jones in LF, and give Wlad 4-5 starts a week between LF, RF, and DH.
But they won’t do that. At least not the part about admitting that Vidro is a sunk cost, and that sinks the whole deal.
I think you oversell Guillen.
Out of qualified RFers (22) he ranks 14th in OPS and SLG. 15th in OBP and 17th in average. Also has a .644 OPS againt RHP. He is a nice cheap option. We are getting what we pay for. We need better. He just happens to be one of few movable guys. Guillen’s got a nice arm, but his defense isn’t special and despite a small area in Safeco’s RF, his range sucks.
Like I said, Broussard, Jones, and Balentien could coexist. You’d need to move Guillen and Ellison.
What is the better trio? Broussard, Jones, and Balentien? Or Broussard, Guillen, and Ellison?
In response to 76:
1. Addressed. There is a way for all three to exist.
2. Addressed. Of course Raul could spot start at 1B as could Vidro.
3. Who cares. You run the risk of losing Balentien next year anyways if you don’t decide to keep him. You think the M’s plan on handing him a spot on the 25 man next year at this point?
79 - I think you undersell the offense suppressing effect of Safeco Field.
Guillen’s not a star, but his park adjusted stats are solid.
Actually, uh, Guillen is doing better at home.
Home:.270/.351/.460
Away:.254/.318/.403
I never said Guillen wasn’t solid. I know this. I also know that Jones is the future and trading Ichiro is less likely to happen than trading Guillen, not to mention that Ichiro does more for the team than Guillen.
Moving Guillen has a better probability of happening than benching Vidro or trading Ichiro.
Guillen’s future here is likely limited to one year. Jones should be here for awhile. Balentien has the better chance to help you for a much longer time, and the window to see what he gives you without having to keep him on the roster is closing fast.
Maybe people think this is a contending team. I’m looking towards the future, others can’t seem to look past next year. That thinking has got us into bad situations in the past.
To add:
I’d be very open to dealing Balentien as well, but I thik Guillen would get the better return and keeping Balentien gives you a nice cheap option down the road.