If you haven’t been paying attention (and thanks to ESPN, most like you haven’t), Eric Bedard from the Orioles has been traded to my Seattle Mariners for five players including pimp prospects Adam Jones and Chris Tillman, plus stud George Sherrill and two other minor leaguers. Don’t get me wrong I like Bedard, especially as a left handed number 1 starter. I just don’t believe that we need to sell the farm for this guy.
For years, the Mariners have been straddling against two philosophies of how to create a baseball team. First, do what the Yankees do and sign high priced free agents and try and win now. The other way is to do that the A’s do and keep bringing up guys through the system and build toward the future. This have been a very successful way to manufacture successful teams (See: Rockies, Indians, Diamondbacks, Oakland (half of the time), Twins, Milwaukee (this past year)). In 2004, the Mariners lost a million games (note: that’s called a hyperbole) so they rightfully brought up young guys from the minors to get some big league experience.
Bavasi, in all of his wisdom, tried to do both philosophies at the same time. He brought up guys as well as traded for older players, trying to both compete and have younger guys. There was pressure to win now (which I don’t understand, we’re not in New York and winning’s a new thing for Seattle teams) as well as use guys from our system. Everything was botched, and Bavasi went out to try and improve the team at the cost of the future.
Bavasi went out and signed or traded for Beltre (not bad, but too expensive), Sexson (A bad, bad choice as Safeco needs a left-handed power hitter like Delgado, who was also a free agent that year), Washburn (too much money, not effect enough), Carl Everett (A horrible choice), Weaver (I thought it might be a good choice for a year contract, I was wrong), Mateo (Ugh), and Ramirez (I miss Soriano), Pokey Reese (oh, he didn’t play, that’s right) and Vidro (because every AL team needs a switch hitting DH who only hits 6 HRs a year who can’t play defense). The only moves that have worked has been Jose Guillen, the problem I have with him is that he wasn’t left handed, and Johjima who was from Japan so it’s all good.
So, in almost all the moves Bavasi has done in his GM career with the Mariners have been really horrible decisions. Yet, somehow they propelled us to six games out last year (blame the over use of the bullpen and the lack of offense for the collapse during the summer). And he gave away one of our brightest future stars (Jones) for a starting pitcher who has had some shoulder problems. Somehow, I feel this will come back and blow up in our face and Jones will be a multi-time All-Star, like these kinds of deals always go south for the team that gave anyway a ton of talent for one guy (Ask Cleveland how they got Sizemore).
This is the make it or break it year for here. If the M’s don’t do anything, we will struggle for years as he’ll keep making the same mistakes for years to come. He’s going to re-sign Ibanez (don’t), Sexson (don’t) and Washburn (don’t). Of course, if they do well, we’ll be stuck with them for years as well. Sigh. And this is what Bavasi said about the Bedard deal:
“Their goal was to come away with two Adam Jones-type guys,” said GM Bill Bavasi. “Our goal was to give them one.”
So he thinks 5 = 2 and 2 = 1. F*ck.
Filed under: Baseball, Mariners | Tagged: Adam Jones, Baseball, Eric Bedard, Mariners, Seattle
Slow down there a minute, Skillz.
This is not a disaster. This is a good thing. In fact, this is the best thing the Mariners have done in a while. Hell, we’ve just exchanged (in our rotation) Jeff Weaver and Horatio Ramirez for Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva.
Your emergency alert – while understandable given Bavasi’s track record – is unwarranted.
First of all, there’s no way you can be sold on Adam Jones as a guaranteed All-Star yet – I’m certainly not. He tore up AAA, but Jeremy Reed was the reigning AAA MVP the year we acquired him. And when I watch Jones play in SafeCo, I see one of the most confused young players in the Bigs. Ken Griffey, Jr. he is not. I can’t even say if he’ll be his ugly step-brother.
So, essentially, it’s OK to lose Jones on the offensive side; better he alone than a combination of 2 or 3 of the next top hitting prospects (like Clement, LaHair, Balentien).
Moreover, the pitching side of the trade is as even as it could have been. We weren’t getting Bedard without giving up the surest pitching prospect we had (Tillman), and while Sherrill has been a (mostly) nails set-up man, we do have guys that can fill that role. Despite what we gave up here, the Mariners have still got a solid bullpen with promising prospects challenging for spots this spring.
Yes, this may well be a make-or-break year for the Seattle Mariners, but that only reinforces the benefits of acquiring Bedard. Just keep reminding yourself: Weaver and Ramirez for Bedard and Silva. I honestly believe the two new starters will combine for 20 more wins than the M’s would’ve otherwise had – and that pays the Adam Jones bill easy.
So I think you’ve got to give a little credit to Bavasi for this one. Or at least you shouldn’t be so tough on him. Besides, he’s not going to resign Sexson (barring an incredible comeback year), and Ibanez and Washburn should be a good value at their reduced prices (with Washburn passing only because he’s now likely our fifth starter).
Take heart: I think it’s gonna be a fun summer.
Fine, I admit that I’m taking a pessimistic view on this trade because I had a man-crush on Jones. If Bavasi had traded Balentien instead of Jones, I would have loved this trade (I think Balentien has power, but not average). Sure, with prospects, we don’t know how they are going to turn out, but everyone was saying we can’t miss on Jones.
Plus, this is rumored to be the same exact package that the M’s offered to Santana, and even though Bedard is great, he’s not Santana. Don’t you think that they would have backed down just a little bit? I feel is a little excessive to get Bedard, which is my point.
And the only problem that this is a make-it-or break it year with the M’s is that Bavasi set it up that way. He traded to get us near the top of the division, but a trade for a powerful bat (Wilkerson is not a powerful bat), would send us over the top, and he didn’t do that. If in 2004 we continued to rebuild instead of try and compete, we might still be a position like we are now.
The only horrible thing that might come from this season is that Sexson does have a bounceback year, Bavasi sticks his middle finger at us, telling us we were wrong and he was right, and re-sign him, only to have to troubles he’s had the past couple of years.
I cant wait to get my Brad Wilkerson jersey!!
Oh yeah, Doug, I didnt write that. Robby did. And he is crazy!!
Bavasi GM 4 life!
[...] Robby wrote a fantastic post today on “F*ck. F*ck, F*ck, F*ck!”Here’s ONLY a quick extractThe other way is to do that the A’s do and keep bringing up guys through the system and build toward the future. This have been a very successful way to manufacture successful teams (See: Rockies, Indians, Diamondbacks, Oakland (half of … [...]