If you were at Cheney Stadium last Thursday, or have read notes on the outing, you have heard that Mariners GM Bill Bavasi spoke of Wladimir Balentien and how they don’t have to trade him or take him north after spring training next season.

One might wonder how that can be, since he’s been optioned to the minors for three straight seasons, but it is true.

I did some digging, and this is what I came up with after several clubs around the league claimed they had never heard of such a rule - including one team in the American League West.

Thanks to Keith Law of Scouts, Inc. for clearing this up.

The Major League CBA states:

Contracts of Major League players who, prior to commencement of the current season, have been credited with less than five seasons in professional baseball… shall be eligible for a fourth optional assignment, without waivers, during that season.

In essence, it just means that a player entering his fourth or fifth pro season and has already been optioned out in three seasons, gets a fourth option. There are also provisions for injured players who don’t log enough professional service time during those years, but that doesn’t apply here.

Any seasons a player spends in a short-season league, such as the Arizona Rookie League, the Northwest League or the Venezuelan or Dominican Summer Leagues , do not count as seasons of service time.

So, Wladimir Balentien is certainly eligible to be optioned to Triple-A Tacoma next spring, if he isn’t traded this winter.

Yeah, I was watching.

I saw Barry Bonds hit his 756th career long ball to move into first place on the all-time home run list. I witnessed the emotion on his face and heard it in his voice.

The crowd was pretty excited, too, and his family and godfather, the great Willie Mays, were all on hand to enjoy the moment with Bonds.

Bonds is a great player, and always has been. He’s also been a bit of a pain in the tail end for media and fans for just as long. But deep down, I don’t hate the guy - at all. I don’t hate the player, either.

Three things are as clear as day for me.

Barry Bonds loves his family, the game of baseball and spent a large portion of the last half of his career under the influence of a banned substance.

But as soon as he denied it once, it was pretty much too late for him to go back and clear the air. Unfortunately, the hole was too deep for him to dig his way out with the truth. So Bonds was juiced when he hit many of his 756 round trippers.

But I still don’t hate him for it, never rooted against him, and found myself feeling for him as he went through the emotions after the historic blast.

But the entire time, and several minutes after the moment had passed, I couldn’t stop thinking about one thing. For all the greatness that is Barry Bonds, steroids aside or not…

It shoulda been Junior.

The Kid had 398 career home runs in 11 seasons, and by the age of 30. He was in his prime and was on a club that had great hitters around him in Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner and Alex Rodriguez.

It was perfect.

Too perfect, apparently. A trade and several trips to the DL later, Griffey is still chasing No.600. But what if?

Even Hank Aaron was excited about the prospect of Griffey being the one to surpass his 755. Aaron, in an interview with Larry King on CNN, spoke openly about his desire to see such a player be the one.

“It would mean so much to me for someone like Ken Griffey, Jr. to break my record,” said Aaron. “He’s a heckuva ballplayer and rose to a high level at such a young age. He’s what baseball needs and as much as I have enjoyed being the home run king, he’s got a great chance to hit more than 755. I’d like to see him do it.”

Yeah, he’s what baseball needed back then, he was what baseball needed in 1989 when he broke through, and he’s what baseball needs now.

Someone who has never been linked to any legal issues or steroid stories smothered all over the country’s best newspapers. For all the little peccadillos out there about Griffey, he’s still the one persona in the game that hasn’t alienated an entire country with his antics, dishonorable actions or deceit.

Thirty months ago I wrote that very thing. Baseball Needs Griffey, now more than ever before. More than in 1989 when a wide-eyed teenager played the game like it was actually a game. More than in 1995, the year the game returned from a canceled postseason and World Series the previous season. More than in 1999 when he left Seattle and went “home” to Cincinnati.

More than ever.

Barry Bonds may or may not be a total ass. I tend to believe he’s just not very savvy with fans and the media, and grew an attitude along the way. But one thing is for sure.

He aint The Natural. He aint The Kid.

He aint Griffey.

If Griffey could have managed to stay off the disabled list over the past seven years, we might be talking about the former Mariners superstar knocking down the door for No. 756.

Instead, we have Bud Selig, the game’s commissioner for crying out loud, ducking games because he dislikes Bonds and all he stands for, road crowds booing Bonds’ every move and Hank Aaron appearing at the scene only via taped video.

Bonds amazing career, steroids or not, is nothing to sneeze at, and hitting 756 home runs is incredible - steroids or not. But tonight’s blast was not good for the game of baseball.

If the world was right, Griffey would have hit No. 756 sometime in 2008 - in a Mariners uniform - at Safeco Field in the midst of a pennant race, with Selig and Aaron in attendance, applauding Griffey for his unbelievable achievements.

Now THAT would have been great for the game.

But the world isn’t right, and as I sit here and begin writing the script for game three of the Nationals-Giants series in which I’ll have to write at least 400 words on Bonds’ record-breaking home run, I continue the same thought that brought us here in the first place.

It shoulda been Junior.

Ten Things the Mariners Must Do to Get to October

1. Stop playing veterans just because they are proven veterans, and quit worrying so much about their feelings, team chemistry and –
   

John McLaren has a responsibility as a big-league manager to put the best lineup on the field at all times in order to give his club and its players the best chance to win on any given day.

And to an extent, the only thing some of these veterans have proven lately is that they aren’t very good at all.

Each of the nine items below is directly related to No. 1, but explore the specifics.

2. Avoid slotting Raul Ibanez anywhere near the middle of the batting order and splinter his backside when a southpaw starts –
   

Ibanez is slugging .297 against left-handers with a .558 OPS. Yeah, it’s true. And he’s slugging just .425 against right-handers. If he’s one of the three best bats on the roster, the Mariners aren’t going to score near enough runs to win even 40 percent of the games on remaining on their schedule anyways.

3. Take the ball from Horacio Ramirez… before it’s too late –
   

He’s probably going to be the club’s fifth starter for the rest of the season, so I’m not recommending Ramirez’s removal from the rotation at this point, but McLaren’s tendency to go longer with his starters needs to be amended in this case. Ramirez just doesn’t have the stuff to go through the lineup more than twice without running into major trouble and potentially a big inning or two.

He’s the one starter that should be on a relatively short leash. The club has six quality relievers - a seventh in Ryan Rowland-Smith that is perfect for two or three inning stints after a starter bursts – and there’s no reason to save the arms if Ramirez’s blown outings could possibly be salvaged.

4. Stop the madness with Jose Lopez –
   

Ok, yeah, he’s been terrible at the plate since the end of June and hasn’t made any notable progress offensively in the past two years. But this nonsense about Jose Vidro playing second base to get the best offense in the lineup is, well, nonsensical.

Lopez is hitting .163 since the all-star break and is slugging just .366 on the season. He hasn’t homered since July 8^th and didn’t homer for 26 games prior to that after smacking three in April and three in May.

But while Vidro keeps squeaking out singles – a .388 average since the break – he’s only making a case for staying in the lineup, despite a sad .370 slugging percentage of his own, not playing the field where his defense is deplorable at best.

His OBP is .456 since the break and as much as it hurts to say, the M’s need to keep him healthy enough to play regularly, even if not everyday (where Jones snags a start or two). He’s easily one of the best nine hitters on the club, even with such empty on-base numbers, and risking injury is another reason to burn his glove and glue his hands to a bat.

And be careful how you handle Lopez these days. He’s already a bit fragile and he’s had a tough season with the loss of his brother. Don’t ruin any chance he has left to develop into an above average offensive second baseman by benching him to get a marginally better bat into the lineup.

5. Don’t abuse the presence of Adam Jones –
   

Adam Jones deserves to play everyday, and while it’s not in the Mariners plans to do so, what they certainly should not do is pigeonhole their top prospect into a spot duty player who pinch runs and serves as a defensive replacement late in games.

Jones can help this club offensively and if the Mariners recognize that fact we’ll see them win a game or two more than would have otherwise, which could potentially make the difference in their efforts to make the playoffs for the first time in six years.

6. Keep Sexson in the loop –
   

Richie Sexson should not be benched, despite a sub-.200 average and more than a 100-point drop in slugging versus last season. Ben Broussard is doing a nice job as a part-time player who isn’t terrible as a semi-regular style platoon partner. He’s hitting .289/.342/.459 versus right-handers, which isn’t anything to write home about but is an acceptable split if the other half is tearing into left-handers.

But Sexson isn’t doing that. Instead, he’s hitting .231/.320/.396 with three home runs in over 100 plate appearances versus southpaws. Now that we’ve re-established the basics of Sexson and his struggles, I still say he shouldn’t be benched.

Sexson is a member of the 25-man roster and is going to be for the next two months, and probably most or all of next season, too. Losing Sexson mentally isn’t in McLaren’s best interest and all signs point to the ball club still believing he can help them down the stretch.

Richie isn’t hitting lefties, sure, and he’s putting up numbers versus right-handers that resemble those of Ibanez’s against same-handed pitchers. But Sexson does have 17 home runs this year and could give the club a huge boost with a big hit during the final six weeks of the season – if he’s still mentally in the game and ready to play when called upon.

It’s a fine line the M’s have to walk, and one they’ll have to trot with Lopez and Ibanez as well. But it’s something they can’t afford to blow if they pan on catching and passing the Angels.

7. Don’t give up on making a deal –
   

The chances of the Mariners or any club for that matter, getting an impact player in trade this month are next to nothing, or so one would think. But with all the money attached to some of the players in baseball, anything can happen and the M’s front office should be working 24-7 to find a way to upgrade the club’s starting rotation or everyday lineup.

Is Matt Morris an upgrade over Horacio Ramirez? What about Livan Hernandez? Could Jason Jennings get things together long enough to warrant his acquisition?

Might I be worth sending a couple of B prospects to Texas for Kevin Millwood and the $21.5 million he’s owed over the next three seasons?

Even adding a cheap veteran reliever might even make some sense.

8. Don’t UNDER-use the bullpen –
   

The Mariners have the deepest bullpen in the business as long as you aren’t afraid to rely on young arms. When the weakest link is Rowland-Smith, whose command of above-average stuff has been solid since being recalled this last time, you know your relief corps is strong.

The M’s have three lefties that can get lefty bats out regularly, and three of the four right-handers have closer stuff. Two are somewhat volatile in Lowe and Morrow, but Green and Putz are as consistent as it gets.

USE THEM.

I’m not saying that they need to be used more, necessarily, but if RRS is going to be at least league average, there’s no reason to let Ramirez or Weaver, or any starter for that matter, pitch the club into a six or seven run hole in the first four or five innings.

Get him out and give the team a chance to win. If the offense can’t keep it close or the first reliever doesn’t have it, either, than he takes one for the team and that’s that. But it makes little sense to stick with the starter to the point where the offense has to score eight runs or the game is a lost cause.

Of course this can’t happen a lot, but maybe once every two times through the rotation, which produces a poor start once every four, might save a game here and there. And again, Seattle can’t afford to sacrifice a single game.

9. September is coming, make the right choices –
   

Each of the past three years, when it’s time to make September call-ups, it’s been about getting the kids some playing time.

Things are different now, and the kids in Tacoma can help, rather than simply get playing time in meaningless game after meaningless game.

Jeremy Reed is having a solid year in Tacoma, slugging in the .440s with an OBP nearing .350. Reed can serve as a pinch runner and defensive replacement as well as the occasional pinch-hitting appearance versus a right-handed pitcher.

Outfielder Wlad Balentien should get the call as well, as should Mike Morse, if healthy. Ryan Feierabend is a sure thing and Robert Rohrbaugh, who is 5-1 with a 2.77 ERA and has two straight complete-game shutouts in Triple-A Tacoma, could get a look also.

The M’s have four open spots on the 40-man roster since there are three pitchers currently on the 60-day DL. So Jeff Clement could get some ABs, too, without the club having to clear space on the 40-man.

Of course, if they needed to make room, Oswaldo Navarro and Bryan LaHair no longer serve a purpose in the organization, and Chris Reitsma could be moved to the 60-day DL.

Right-hander Kameron Mickolio went on the disabled list today, but if he makes it back and proves to be healthy, his mid-90s fastball plays well in an already formidable bullpen.

Jose de la Cruz, who took Mickolio’s spot on the Rainiers roster, is another interesting arm that reaches the 92-95 mph range with good sink to go with a split-finger offering.

10. Scrap, fight, be one, not 25 –
    

The more cohesive this team becomes the better chance they have to scrape out enough wins to stay in the race and possibly overcome the Los Angeles Angels in the American League West.

They’ll need a veteran or two to step up and take a vocal lead before and after games to keep things focused, with Adrian Beltre and Jarrod Washburn likely candidates to continue what they’ve started this year.

The comments made by right fielder Jose Guillen were, in my opinion, nothing more than a guy believing in his teammates and making it known to any and all who’d listen.

More, Jose, more.

Oh, and, give us a little more from the plate, too eh?

We’re all sitting and waiting for the day the Seattle Mariners take a smart pill and call up Adam Jones. He’s the club’s best chance to get better at this point in the season and that includes any trade they could make or the off-chance that Raul Ibanez and/or Richie Sexson returns to previous years form. Jones projects as a well above-average defender at any of the three outfield spots, with above average speed, solid on-base skills and plus power potential.

Yes, Adam Jones is a future American League All-Star, and has an outside chance to be a little bit better than that.  But he’s still just the second best natural talent in the organization.

When the M’s picked up Carlos Triunfel last July, they inked the best offensive prospect they’ve had since Alex Rodriguez was racing through the farm system back in the mid-90s.  While Triunfel isn’t quite the overall athlete that A-ROD was at that point, and he’s not likely to duplicate the career the former Mariners shortstop is having, the 17-year-old right-handed hitting Dominican Republic native isn’t far off.

“I think he’s more of an offensive player than an all-around guy,” said an AL scout of the player he now considers one of the top eight or 10 ‘high-ceiling’ guys in the entire minor leagues.  “He’s listed at 175 in some places, 195 in others, but he looks like a 200-plus pounder, which isn’t bad, but he doesn’t have that premium athletic build we’ve seen in some prospects.  Triunfel is going to be a beast.  An absolute beast.”

Bob Engle, the perennial team MVP for the M’s, had his hands all over this one, too, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.  A half-dozen teams were in on Triunfel pretty heavily, but the M’s are the best in baseball at getting in early and laying the groundwork.

Well, someone give Engle and his crew a rather large raise, because Triunfel is the real deal.

“I really like what I see in him,” said another scout who traveled the Cal League for eight days watching the High Desert Mavericks.  “He’s not going to play short, but third makes sense and he proved he could hit. Most at-bats he was in charge, even without a lot of patience.  He was controlling the strike zone for the most part.  He did swing at some balls out of the zone, but he also got some hits that way.

“His power right now is fairly typical for a raw talent; when he is able to extend his arms on a pitch up and middle away, he showed he can hit that ball pretty hard.  When he learns to turn on pitches a little bit better, he’ll hit a lot of ropes to left and left-center.  I don’t really like his whole routine, including his closed stance.  I think it limits his plate coverage, which might contribute to how often he chases (pitches out of the zone).”

Triunfel has been treated much like those before him, which is to say he’s been handled aggressively.  But all he’s done is get better.  After hitting .309 in 43 games with Wisconsin, the injury bug bit him in the thumb. It kept him out for a several weeks, but he would never see Appleton, Wisconsin again.

The Mariners sent him to High Desert, the club’s Advanced-A affiliate in the California League, and Triunfel has answered the bell.  Through July 31, Triunfel is hitting .333 with seven doubles and just 14 strikeouts in 23 games for the Mavs.  On Monday, the kid went six-for-six in a game versus Inland Empire.

Yeah, a Mariners prospect, at 17 years of age, had six hits in a single game in a league where the average player in five years his senior and the average pitcher has nearly six years on him.

Carlos Triunfel can play.  His bat will carry him, but he profiles as a pretty good third baseman who could also fit at second or a corner outfield spot.  His arm is among the best in the system, if not the best, and his natural instincts at the plate and in the field grade very high across the board.

He has great reactions, quick wrists and forceful swing that may result in big time power at the big-league level.  He’s been tabbed ‘Baby Tejada’, due to his offensive tools, though there are those who think it’s a bad comparison.

“I don’t really think that’s a good one,” said the scout of the comp to Miguel Tejada, former AL MVP.  “I think it’s a compliment, of course, but enough of one when you are talking about ceiling potential.  Tejada’s average year in his prime seasons might not be good enough for this kid.  We’ll see.”

Yes, yes we will.

You can bet on Triunfel starting 2008 in Double-A West Tennessee, and probably as the youngest player in the Southern League.  If he makes satisfactory progress, and there’s obviously no reason to think otherwise, he may get some time in Triple-A Tacoma, though that is asking a lot of the teenager.

Barring unforeseen struggles or injuries, that’ll put him on schedule to start the 2009 season in Tacoma, whether he sees time there in ‘08 or not, with a chance at a cup of java in the show in September at age 19.  With Adrian Beltre’s contract expiring after the ‘09 season, Triunfel could step right in and take over in 2010, or, if he needs more seasoning, and that’s a reasonable expectation for such a young player, he could be ready to make the jump permanently in 2011.

“He’s not going to be in the minor leagues in three years,” said one scout.  “I can’t really see how he isn’t up by then.”

Triunfel’s Tool Box: 

On-Base Skills: 50/60   

Power: 55/70

Speed/Base Running: 55/65  

Glove: 50/60  

Arm: 70/75

Look for Triunfel to join a Mariners club that consists of Felix Hernandez in his prime, an aging but still very effective Ichiro, Adam Jones rounding into All-Star form, Brandon Morrow the starting pitcher, and names such as Jeff Clement, Wlad Balentien, Jose Lopez, Yuniesky Betancourt, Chris Tillman, Mark Lowe, Eric O’Flaherty, George Sherrill, J.J. Putz, Juan Ramirez, Ryan Feierabend, Phillippe Aumont and Tony Butler.

That’s a pretty good team and it includes no free agent or trade acquisitions.

Video of Triunfel, and other Mariners prospects coming soon.

Photos of Carlos Triunfel by Mike Andruski