Carlos Pena
The Tigers released 1B Carlos Pena yesterday. If you were on the Hee Seop Choi bandwagon, you should certainly be on the Pena bandwagon. Heck, some of us were stumping for a trade for Pena this winter, and now he’s available for free (well, almost). Pena v. Choi: Pena’s older, sure, but he’s also had more success at the major league level and doesn’t have nearly the platoon issue Choi does.
Negatives? Sure. He doesn’t hit for average. He strikes out a ton. But he also hits for pretty serious power — for his career, better than 43% of his hits have gone for extra bases. He draws walks at a good clip. With these ‘old player’ skills, Pena likely won’t age well — some would argue he’s already not aging well — but the M’s don’t need a five-year solution here, they need that infamous left-handed sock.
USSMariner Gathering Reminder
For those who didn’t check the blog over the weekend and see the original post on Friday, here’s the information on our next USSM trip to Safeco. We still have quite a few spots available, and everyone who has signed up so far is in.
Sunday, April 2nd, from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm at Safeco Field
We’ve got space for 200 people to come join Derek, Jeff, Jason, and myself for four hours inside Safeco on the eve of opening day. 24 hours before the season kicks off, you get to come hang out with us as we spend a few hours talking baseball and having a good ol time.
Of course, we won’t be the only people talking. Once again, Mariners General Manager Bill Bavasi has graciously agreed to give up a good portion of his free time and participate in a question and answer session. Quite simply, this is a unique opportunity for Mariner fans to get together and pick the brain of the guy who makes the decisions.
Four hours of baseball talk, including time with the number one guy in the front office the day before the season starts? Hard to beat that, honestly.
We’ve done our best to keep the costs as low as possible, and we’re really happy we can offer this get together for $15 per person. That will include snacks and drinks, so while it’s not a feed, you will be able to get fatter while attending, which is a nice plus.
If you’re interested in attending, here’s what you need to do: send an email to ussmarinerfeed@gmail.com with the number of people you’re requesting spots for in the subject. In the body of the message, I need full names of those who will be coming under your reservation.
Due to the event being just nine days away, we’re going to have you pay-as-you-enter to avoid problems with the postal service and getting checks around in time. We’re counting on your good faith to attend the event if you sign up; we’re paying for your spot whether you come or not, so if you don’t come and don’t pay, that’s money out of our pockets.
One last note; we’re making one minor change to how we handled the event last summer. Instead of a free-for-all where everyone gets the mic and we pray that they ask a question that isn’t insulting and makes sense, this time around, the Q&A will be moderated. If you have a question you’d like to hear Bavasi answer, leave it in the comments of this thread, and we’ll cull the best ones and make sure they get asked.
Also, any general questions that you think may be of interest to others, feel free and ask in the comments.
Each day brings new hope
Man, the Mariners get stomped twice. T-Rex couldn’t have done a better job. I wonder if life’s worth living if the M’s are going to get so trampled. This season is going to be one wacky adventure.
Lopez has been annoited the official starting second baseman for the Mariners. I think I sighed in relief along with all good Mariner fans at the news.
PI: Felix forced to sit by pain from shin splints. Back in the day I ran cross country with shin splints. Holy crap did that hurt. I’m wincing just typing this. The danger, really, is that leg pain forces him to alter his delivery to compensate and then BAM! we’re screwed. Also, the M’s want to take extra bases this season. Even if it means getting thrown out more. Which is dumb. And there are two unclaimed bullpen spots. Noted as locks for the bullpen: Guardado, Putz, Soriano, Mateo, Sherrill, which would leave one LHP and one other, no handedness required.
The Times concurs on the bullpen thing. Also, Dobbs getting hit in the jaw wasn’t good.
O’er at the TNT — the shin splint thing.
Sunday
Today’s game against the Angels is televised, noonish.
Articles worth reading: Beltre’s lighter in body and in spirit [TNT]. Borchard’s the new center fielder (probably) [TNT].
Also available in the Times: Lawton. Borchard in center, maybe.
Last chance for the coolest shirt yet
The “Optimism” Limited Edition Shirt gets pulled this coming week. Buy now (which supports USSM to the tune of a couple of bucks and makes me and Jeff feel validated) or forever go without this hilarious thing. I promise that if I spot you wearing the shirt at a local watering hole pre-game, I will personally buy you a beverage.
Here’s the CafePress image of the back.
Right through our fingers
Hee Choi was claimed by the Red Sox after the Dodgers cut him from their roster.
Choi’s an odd guy. He’s been passed from team to team, with each seemingly dissatisfied with his performance and eager to get rid of him, even when he was doing well. He’s been passed up for inferior options a couple of times, which makes you think there’s something about him that his managers don’t like to the point they’d rather sacrifice runs to avoid him. His minor league numbers are pretty awesome. He’s 27. He’s left-handed. He plays first. He was *free* to pick up.
I realize that this can’t happen for PR purposes, but here’s the case for cutting Waste-of-Carbon Everett and picking up Choi.
Team-wise:
– Choi’s way younger and less likely to collapse
– Choi is a better hitter
– Choi can play first (unlike Ibanez/Everett)
– Choi doesn’t have a easily-vesting option that would tie the team to him for 2007
Create a better world wise:
– Choi, even in the worst-case he’s-a-selfish-jerk, doesn’t get into fights with teammates
Even with Choi’s up-and-down major league career, he can still hit, and projection systems still like him. Here’s his “equiavalent” lines, so we can compare them.
Choi
90% .296/.407/.592
Weighted mean .270/.371/.511
10% .239/.324/.411
Everett
90% .299/.370/.504
Weighted mean .268/.334/.449
10% .220/.274/.362
Everett’s a sunk cost: they’re going to pay him that ridiculous $3.4m no matter what. Choi’s going to cost under a million dollars. The question is: is an extra 50 points of OBP and 50 points of SLG worth a million dollars?
Of course it is, unless you believe that somehow Everett provides clubhouse leadership that’ll get you more than that through indirect benefits like increased team energy and whatnot.
A great team would have seized this opportunity. It could have been a significant upgrade to the offense at little cost. Instead, it’s another demonstration that the team is not looking to constantly improve any way they can, and that they’re still tied to previously failed notions of chemsitry and leadership — and they think Everett’s the man to provide it.
Ahhh, Saturday
PI: Reed’s injury leaves M’s with a gap in center and Reed injury shakes up infield.
Times: Baek had a good outing.
The Times manages to go through a series of scenarios to cover CF:
– Bloomquist plays
– Ichiro moves over
– Borchard plays center (yeagh) or right
– Lawton plays center (OH GOD NOOO)
– Trade for someone
Despite having a couple possible internal options like Bohn. Ah well.
The short version is nobody knows, but they seem to think it’ll be Bloomquist.
TNT: M’s could pursue Thomson. But there’s no room in the starting rotation! Where would he go? Wait… oh yeah.
Cut: Dave Burba, Fernando Vina.
Reed out two months
Jeremy Reed has a broken bone in his wrist and will be out for 6-8 weeks.
The likely scenario is that Willie Bloomquist becomes the regular center fielder. There’s a real possibility, however, that the M’s decide to take the opportunity to try Ichiro in center. With the current composition of the roster, moving Ichiro to center is the logical option; Ibanez slides in as the right fielder, with Lawton/Morse/Borchard holding down left field for a few months.
Should be interesting to see just how the team, and Ichiro, handles the situation.
USSMariner Gathering – Details
Okay, enough beating around the bush. The details are finalized, and we’re finally able to make the official announcement.
Sunday, April 2nd, from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm at Safeco Field
We’ve got space for 200 people to come join Derek, Jeff, Jason, and myself for four hours inside Safeco on the eve of opening day. 24 hours before the season kicks off, you get to come hang out with us as we spend a few hours talking baseball and having a good ol time.
Of course, we won’t be the only people talking. Once again, Mariners General Manager Bill Bavasi has graciously agreed to give up a good portion of his free time and participate in a question and answer session. Quite simply, this is a unique opportunity for Mariner fans to get together and pick the brain of the guy who makes the decisions.
Four hours of baseball talk, including time with the number one guy in the front office the day before the season starts? Hard to beat that, honestly.
We’ve done our best to keep the costs as low as possible, and we’re really happy we can offer this get together for $15 per person. That will include snacks and drinks, so while it’s not a feed, you will be able to get fatter while attending, which is a nice plus.
If you’re interested in attending, here’s what you need to do: send an email to ussmarinerfeed@gmail.com with the number of people you’re requesting spots for in the subject. In the body of the message, I need full names of those who will be coming under your reservation.
Due to the event being just nine days away, we’re going to have you pay-as-you-enter to avoid problems with the postal service and getting checks around in time. We’re counting on your good faith to attend the event if you sign up; we’re paying for your spot whether you come or not, so if you don’t come and don’t pay, that’s money out of our pockets.
One last note; we’re making one minor change to how we handled the event last summer. Instead of a free-for-all where everyone gets the mic and we pray that they ask a question that isn’t insulting and makes sense, this time around, the Q&A will be moderated. If you have a question you’d like to hear Bavasi answer, leave it in the comments of this thread, and we’ll cull the best ones and make sure they get asked.
Also, any general questions that you think may be of interest to others, feel free and ask in the comments.
Is it Friday? Oh thank goodness
(having a bad week)
PI: King Felix had a nice outing. Ichiro’s been emotional lately. In the TNT, Betancourt liked watching Cuba play in the WBC.
Times: Moyer’s the Opening Day starter. Close those jaws now, or something might nest in there.
Also, Dave’s got a Mariners Preview up over at the Hardball Times. It includes this fun little segment:
It isn’t rare at all to see a team “come from nowhere†to make a strong push for the playoffs. It’s actually so common, you have to expect it. Teams who underperformed the previous year, have significant young talent, and got career years from a key player or two entering their prime often blow the common wisdom out of the water and remind everyone that improvement does not have to come in small, incremental steps.
There isn’t a team in baseball better poised to make that leap this year than the Mariners. They have young players with solid track records or established stars at every position on the diamond besides left field and a pitching staff that will be anchored by the best young arm to enter the major leagues in a couple of decades.
Hooray for Friday optimism.