| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 05-18-2010 |
This is going to be quick and simple.
Ryan Rowland-Smith doesn't belong in the rotation anymore. Maybe he figures it out at some point and gets another chance -- I think anyone would be open that; the guy works hard, by all accounts is a good teammate and human being, and has the capability to be a back-end starter -- we've seen it.
But right now the Seattle Mariners have to put their best foot forward, and RRS is not one of the better toes on the limb.
What would I do?
Since I, personally, don't want to see Ian Snell starting again right now, I'm calling up Luke French from Triple-A Tacoma. Garret Olson deserves a look, too, and both are on the 40-man, but French is on rotation and probably has a better chance at sustained success in a starting role than does Olson, unless Olson has made a major adjustment -- I haven't asked yet.
To make room on the 25-man, I'd send Colome out. Yes, you could lose him on waivers, but so freaking what. I'm sick of hearing that excuse -- he's not good, get it?
The M's, however, may have other plans, of course. Snell could very well be their answer. They could find something wrong with Ryan physically -- there's not, but, you know how that goes -- and ultimately give him a few weeks off, spent on the DL, and some time in the minors on "rehab."
The Mariners could also make a trade, check around on the scrap heap for a little help or re-examine the role of Shawn Kelley, though that would take weeks of him building his arm strength.
But the simple fact is, Ryan Rowland-Smith is not the club's best option in between Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez, and neither is Ian Snell.
Make a move or shut your traps about "trying to win this year." It's time for this organization to move away from being nice and grab a hold of what good baseball organization's do. They make good, sound baseball decisions, and Jack Zduriencik is fully capable of doing so, having already made several.
I don't know who might be holding up such a change, but it's two weeks overdue, and that's three games in the standing that this presently-awful baseball team could not afford.
And for those in the organization that value the mood of the fan, trust me, they don't like you right now. At all. Have you checked attendance lately?
Having said all that, all signs are pointing to the club making a change. But they should take the same approach with the offense, too.
ryan-rowland-smith
Comments
The following 23 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: slick on 05-18-2010 16:18:32 I agree ditch colome send RRS to the pen we could use a lefty in the pen this might acutally make the pen better. If Colome gets put on waivers I bet Arizona picks him up, but no big deal Colome is just a journeyman reliever with a live arm. Give French a shot, and see what happens. Albert Triunfel, younger brother of Carlos is available during IFA signing period plays SS as well mid to high 6 figures bonus is what i read. |
| 2. By: littlelinny6 on 05-18-2010 18:07:59 I'm upset that RRS hasn't been yanked from the rotation but the fact that Griffey has A) not been cut; and B) getting regular plate appearances makes me question the M's FO and almost has me questioning my fandom for my hometown team. While RRS should leave the rotation, the more pressing concern is at DH---release Griffey and Sweeney, it would go a long way to showing the fans that performances do matter. I'm more inclined to follow the DiamondJaxx on MLB Gameday than I am to watch a Mariners game. What are you thought about Garret Olson becoming a LH reliever? The M's should get one and they could easily DFA Colome and White to make room. |
| 3. By: Edman on 05-18-2010 19:19:58 I am questioning your fandom too. Griffey isn't just anyone, he's Seattle's Babe Ruth. You, and many like you choose to make Griffey and Sweeney the focus of why this team isn't winning. Not at all true, but they are easy targets. He's got lots of help. Anyone not named Ichiro or Gutterrez are the bigger part of the offensive woes than the DH. You expect Griffey to somehow make the others hit better? Griffey in his prime, could help this team win anymore games than it is. You simply want to take the internet fed hatred (yes, Dave Cameron, you're leading the mob) to storm the castle. You think cutting Griffey's gonna suddenly make dormant bats wake up? What message does it really send, that you'd act without class and dignity, and cut this franchises greated all-time player. Is that suppose to scare the bats into hitting? Lack of offense, or not, many of this year's losses land firmly on a bullpen that couldn't close out late inning games. Bullpen ERAs are padded by the large number of inconseqencial innings they've logged.But, now we blame the offense, because they didn't score enough runs in order to compensate for bad pitching performances in late innings? Griffey needs to retire, and nothing less. Many fans have purchased tickets to get their last glimpse of this franchise's face in the hall. Cutting him instead of him retiring, disregards those fans. It has to be done right, wheither you agree or not. He's not just any player, he's THE greatest Mariner of all time.....and likely will remain so for many decades, if not forever. |
| 4. By: Slurve on 05-18-2010 20:29:03 Ok Edman lets break down your post. *Anyone not named Ichiro or Gutterrez are the bigger part of the offensive woes than the DH. You expect Griffey to somehow make the others hit better? Griffey in his prime, could help this team win anymore games than it is. You simply want to take the internet fed hatred (yes, Dave Cameron, you're leading the mob) to storm the castle.* Ah yes this argument, Griffey isn't hitting but neither is the rest of the team. Lopez/Kotch/Figgins are hitting quite horribly but they are expected to get better and a mix of bad luck and untimely struggles have contributed to a lackluster performance. Griffey has nothing left in the tank however and hasn't been hitting and it's doubtful that he'll continue to hit. And what you're forgetting is Griffey is well into his decline years and is falling off the cliff completely. *You think cutting Griffey's gonna suddenly make dormant bats wake up? What message does it really send, that you'd act without class and dignity, and cut this franchises greated all-time player. Is that suppose to scare the bats into hitting?* I don't know I think I'd rather have Brad Nelson in the DH role or hell someone who can actually hit or field. Griffey isn't running on fumes anymore he's dead but we're still trying to push down on the pedal in hopes there is something left. The notion that Griffey is somehow special and deserves to be treated so is careless. What he did for Seattle was amazing but also 15 years ago. Watching Griffey at this point of his career is painful. If Griffey won't make the decision the M's should for him. Running him out there when he's only a shadow of what he used to be is insulting. *Lack of offense, or not, many of this year's losses land firmly on a bullpen that couldn't close out late inning games. Bullpen ERAs are padded by the large number of inconseqencial innings they've logged.But, now we blame the offense, because they didn't score enough runs in order to compensate for bad pitching performances in late innings?* Even the best bullpens lose the lead and it doesn't help that the hitters have been swinging at good pitches out of the strike zone and putting them into play. It also doesn't help that we have to run our worse relievers out in high leverage situations as well. The M's have lost the lead thanks to the bullpen 8 times this year however the Yanks has lost the lead 7 times thanks to their bullpen yest have a substantially better record than the M's. Oh yeah it the offense's job to be able to compensate with losing the lead during any point of the game. Don't try to throw a straw man out there especially even though the pitching staff is meh it's performing averagely-above average. It's the least of our problems. Griffey isn't the sole reason this team is losing but he sure is a big part of why it is and quite honestly the easiest part to fix. You don't even have to cut him just take away playing time. *Griffey needs to retire, and nothing less. Many fans have purchased tickets to get their last glimpse of this franchise's face in the hall. Cutting him instead of him retiring, disregards those fans. It has to be done right, wheither you agree or not. He's not just any player, he's THE greatest Mariner of all time.....and likely will remain so for many decades, if not forever.* All-time maybe but definitely not now he isn't. Why would fans want to to see their icon not be able to turn on a fastball any more? Griffey hate is understandable but Griffey love is irrational. Saying he deserves the be playing because what he has done in the past is incredibly stupid especially when he shouldn't be playing at all because quite frankly he can't play at a average level anymore. There is nothing being done or accomplished by running Griffey out in the line-up any more. It's time to bite the bullet on Griffey. Also do you have a stat or number that states how many fans bought tickets because Griffey is on the team? Teams buy tickets to see their team win not see their beloved icon struggle to hit a ball out of the infield. The notion that say 10,000 fans per game bought tickets because Griffey returned is highly foolish. The only thing stopping the M's from starting Griffey is the huge media backlash that will occur. You don't have to cut him but definitely bench him or DL him. |
| 5. By: rjfrik on 05-18-2010 21:20:36 Season's pretty much over anyways. We just need to accept it. Let Griffey play till the end of the year. By doing so he will actually be helping the M's in the long run by obtaining a top 2 pick in next years draft. I want a stud hitter and there is one sitting right at the top in next years draft. |
| 6. By: johnfree on 05-19-2010 05:03:12 Sorry Slurve but its over There is no reason to release Griffey at this point. The season is done. Releasing Griffey two weeks ago when the M's were only 3 Games Back might have done something but now the season is nothing more then a complete disaster. All we can hope is that Lee keeps being awesome, Lopez shows enough life to get traded now that he doesn't totally suck at defense, and Trade Aardsma before he gets to expensive. Hopefully one of the prospects coming back is a MLB ready 1B so the M's can DFA that Bum Kotchman and maybe a RP that won't blow the lead every time he takes the mound. |
| 7. By: safecochatter on 05-19-2010 10:36:54 Snell is where he should be,long relief. i would imagine we'll see French starting saturday at Safeco. problem with the 2010 Mariners is there is just too many slumps.and u can start at the top. Jack made some good moves and some not so good.Silva and Morrow trades are losses. don't care how much the Z supporters squeal.his statue in front of safeco will have to wait. with blue jays in town,z dodged a bullet as morrow won't pitch against the m's. as the fan base would not of enjoyed watching morrow stick the baseball up the m's butt. let's not leave out the suits. 2008 payroll 117 million,2009 payroll 99 million,and 2010 payroll 91 million.(cots) i guess that's why we sign Eric Byrnes in stead of Marlon Byrd or Sweeney instead of Vlad. or take a flyer on young talent like Fred Lewis. or check on the rehab of Carlos Delgado. and the question needs to be asked. is Wak too passive to be a MLB manager? will he ever figure out how to manage the bullpen? Tex and White in the 7th while m's cling to a one run lead?? really? the only way to save 2010 is to trade Lee. probably not till Bedard is back. but it's not if anymore,it's when. and right soon! and the #1 goal should be to fix the most punchless infield in MLB. |
| 8. By: Edman on 05-19-2010 11:21:32 I would imagine that we won't see French starting, unless they're willing to risk putting RRS on waivers or fake an injury. Snell only has to be in thr rotation for a few starts until Bedard returns. Tell me, Notstrodomus, just who in this world would have predicted that Silva would turn it around? And, who's to stay he'd have turned it around in Seattle, had he stayed. You can't at all blame Jack for that. He at least took a chance and traded one problem for another. And really, the trade of the Brandons is a failure after a whole two months? Morrow's 6.15 ERA, with 27 walks in 47 innings is something to be missed? Like League, they've both had flashes of brilliance. Good thing fans don't run baseball teams. There would be havok at every turn, as they twist and turn thing up, with the belief that it's going to get better. Like trying to equate Griffey's final season to his legacy, Jack, Wak, et al, will be judged by their body of work, not a couple of weeks here and there. There is no doubt that Jack miscalculated. However, some is not his fault. He couldn't have forseen the struggles that caused what should have been an offense somewhere in the middle of the pack, to fall to the bottom. No GM is that good. Players have to perform. It's life in baseball, and if you panic and overract, you can make mistakes. Sometimes, shit happens. |
| 9. By: Edman on 05-19-2010 11:23:14 oops....27 walks in 41 innings. |
| 10. By: rjfrik on 05-19-2010 12:21:53 I have no problem with the Bradley or League trade at all. The Mariners are 10-10 with Bradley in the lineup and 4-15 with him out of it. Hmm. Seems like that wasn't too bad of a trade after all. Morrow sucks and him and League are about the same talents. We just have to accept that we had some unrealistic expectations with this team and some really bad luck. Losing Lee for a full month and a week at the beginning of the year really hurt and basically having your entire offense be in a month long funk really sucked as well. But look at the positives. Vargas and Fister look like very viable options to round out our rotation, Franky is improving as a hitter and is solidifying himself as one of the premiere CF's in the game, Ichiro isn't missing a beat, Saunders is actually getting, what looks like, a season long shot and we are positioning ourselves for on of the top 2 bats in next years draft as well as hitting prospects in a potential Lee deal. This team isn't as bad long term as it's representing short term. We will pick up a FA or two in next years class and with our improving farm system and potential high value draft picks to infuse more talent in the farm system the Mariners actually will compete come 2011 and beyond. |
| 11. By: randallball on 05-19-2010 13:48:59 Randy Ruiz just released by the Jays...is he any better than our current ML/AAA options? |
| 12. By: Jason A. Churchill on 05-19-2010 15:19:51 Probably not, randall. As for Bedard... he's not going to be back until mid June at the earliest. So we're talking more than 2 or 3 starts. |
| 13. By: PositivePaul on 05-19-2010 15:50:48 I'm actually kind of with Edman here. Indeed Griffey & Sweeney are a problem, clearly. But they weren't supposed to be the starting DH's. You cannot get around the fact that half of the freakin' lineup is hitting under the Mendoza line. Guys that are HUGE keys to the offense are not getting it done, period. And, yes, the bullpen has imploded. Wakamatsu's use of the bullpen has been very questionable as well. But let's also not forget that managing a baseball club is nowhere near as easy as managing a fantasy team. |
| 14. By: PositivePaul on 05-19-2010 16:02:47 And ultimately - if Griffey were the 25th man on the roster, it wouldn't be as huge a problem either. While I think Sweeney's on-field contributions would be higher in that role, if you have to choose between cutting Sweeney or cutting Griffey (again - as the 25th man on the roster, NOT as the starting DH which is something that is only supposed to be temporary an the first place), you can't ignore Griffey's rightful place in the M's ring of honor. I personally would keep Sweeney myself, but considering the circumstances it's not completely insane to have Griffey riding into the sunset as the 25th man on the roster. They need to make changes, desperately, to the offense but considering the guys that are sharing in the struggling (Lopez -- who's heated up over the last few games, Figgins, Kotchman, the SS's & the catchers), those changes would have to be really drastic. And there's no one in the system that could even come close to replacing any of those problems. Bradley returning should fix the DH situation, pushing the old guy tandem to the bench. The rest of the problems? Yeah... |
| 15. By: Jason A. Churchill on 05-19-2010 16:05:24 Griffey and Sweeney WERE supposed to be the starting DHs. The club never came out and said it but once ST opened up it was clear that since Bradley was going to have to play LF, due to lack of options, that Garko/Griffey/Sweeney were the DH options. So even if all else was a success, the club would have a huge hole at DH, which they can't afford to have since it was a given that C and SS were going to be well below-average offensive positions and 1B had little chance to be more than a replacement-level bat at the position. It's too easy to find league-average bats that can defend well enough to DH -- yes, I just said that. It's a huge fail by those above Jack Zduriencik if you ask me. I don't know this for fact in the least, but I find it hard to believe that Jack wanted the same DH combo back for a second go. Would I release Griffey? No. But I'd call up French and send Colome and White out so I can have three options for the 5 spot (RRS, French, Snell) with the other two covering long stints out of the 6-man pen. Having the 5th bench spot helps cover for Griffey being a 1-day a week starter and pinch hitter -- which is where he'd be right now if the smart move is made. It's too late to believe Griffey is going to improve significantly -- he wasn't good last year, remember? |
| 16. By: PositivePaul on 05-19-2010 16:14:51 "once ST opened up it was clear that since Bradley was going to have to play LF, due to lack of options, that Garko/Griffey/Sweeney were the DH options." Haha - I deleted my longer comment with discussed this. Indeed, going into ST, they weren't really supposed to be the starting DHs but since Byrnes, Langerhans & Saunders didn't pan out to start the season (mostly Saunders since the other two should've battled for the 4th OF spot), that made Bradley the starting LF. Swapping Colome for French makes tons of sense to me as well. As does swapping him out when Bradley returns. |
| 17. By: Edman on 05-19-2010 16:22:51 I don't agree that Jack Z didn't make the decision to bring Griffey and Sweeney back. He probably had input on Griffey, since there has been such a big promotional campaign with Griffey related items. But, Sweeney earned his way onto the club, especially when guys like Saunders, Langerhans, Garko, etc., didn't keep him from making the team. Everyone knew they would have an offense that wasn't going to be at the top of the league, so leaving off a guy who came to camp and hit almost .500 was hard to look away from. Sweeney or Garko......that seems pretty clear, especially after his lack of performance in Texas. |
| 18. By: littlelinny6 on 05-19-2010 17:51:58 Jason, You wouldn't release Griffey?? I have to disagree with you on that. I'd rather have Brad Nelson with Seattle to DH/pinch hit on occassion then have to watch Griffey for one more PA. Colome, White, Tui, Sweeney, Griffey out and French, Bradley, Nelson, Hannahan/Vasquez, pick a AAAA in. Go with a 6 man pen with either RRS or French as the long guy. Bradley become full time DH, Saunders in LF, Langerhans utility OF, Hannahan/Vasquez utility OF, Nelson pinch-hitter occassional DH. This way you have a guy to play a reasonable backup SS, a backup at all OF positions and get some bench flexibility back. |
| 19. By: littlelinny6 on 05-19-2010 19:16:18 The M's roster is funny. I like that they demoted White but now they basically are filling 3 roster spots with DH's. They have got to be the only ML team to ever do this. |
| 20. By: Edman on 05-19-2010 19:35:44 I'm sure that Bradley wouldn't agree that he's only a DH. |
| 21. By: littlelinny6 on 05-19-2010 19:47:39 Bradley wouldn't agree he's a DH as much as Griffey won't admit he is done. DH Bradley, put Saunders in LF and leave it at that. |
| 22. By: Edman on 05-19-2010 20:04:31 Or, as much as you'd admit you were wrong. |
| 23. By: VikingArthur on 05-22-2010 02:49:01 Superstar Sweeney is back! How sad would it be if he ends up leading the team in HRs at 19? Ha, ha. Good to see him hitting though. |
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