News
Mariners focusing on work yet to do
Club preparing for busy offseason with many needs to fill
By Jim Street / MLB.com
11/06/09 2:06 PM EST
A Major League-best 24-game improvement last season provided a good start for the Mariners' new regime, but taking the next step could be just as challenging."Oh yeah, maybe more so when you think about it," general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "We have a lot of things to address."
But the second-year GM says he thoroughly enjoys the challenge of making the Mariners a perennial playoff-contending team despite an annual turnover in personnel.
Among the position players that ended the season in the lineup, and are still controlled by the Mariners, right fielder Ichiro Suzuki, center fielder Franklin Gutierrez and second baseman Jose Lopez are the only ones expected to be in the starting lineup on Opening Day next season.
Additionally, all signs point toward the re-signing of designated hitter Ken Griffey Jr. His agent, Brian Goldberg, would not get into specifics, but acknowledged on Thursday that contract talks for another one-year deal were expected to resume soon.
The Mariners already have lost veteran catcher Kenji Johjima, who opted out of the final two years of his contract to with Seattle to return to Japan, four players ended the season on the 60-day disabled list, catcher Rob Johnson underwent surgery on both hips, and seven others, including first baseman Russell Branyan and third baseman Adrian Beltre, are eligible for free agency.
Several multiyear contracts have expired, giving Zduriencik more financial leeway than he had a year ago, when the new GM was forced to rely on trades to improve the team.
There could be close to $50 million available this offseason, though a chunk of that would go to salary arbitration-eligible players David Aardsma, Gutierrez, Felix Hernandez and Mark Lowe.
An interesting offseason shapes up for the Mariners, who went from 101 losses in 2008 to 85 wins in '09.
The dialogue Zduriencik has had with his MLB counterparts the past several weeks could intensify during the upcoming GM meetings in Chicago Monday through Wednesday. Zduriencik will spend some time after the meetings to watch the organization's seven Arizona Fall League players, and he'll return to Seattle to prepare for the Winter Meetings, Dec. 7-11 in Indianapolis.
"To say what the team is going to look like after the Winter Meetings and at the end of Spring Training, is hard to do," Zduriencik said. "There are a lot of unknowns out there."
Improving the offense would seem to be the first priority.
Unlike the National League, where only three of the top 10 offensive teams reached the postseason, the four highest-ranked teams in the American League played well into October.
The Mariners finished tied for last with a .258 batting average, and last in on-base percentage (.314) and runs scored (640).
"We have to score more runs, no question about it," Zduriencik said. "That is not a secret."
Left field lacked a consistent run producer last season. Between them, Endy Chavez, Wladimir Balentien, Michael Saunders, Bill Hall and Ryan Langerhans hit 11 home runs and drove in 52 runs.
Jason Bay and Hideki Matsui are among the potential free-agent left fielders. The Red Sox reportedly want to re-sign Bay, who hit 36 home runs this past season. Matsui, the World Series MVP, apparently would rather return to Japan and finish his career rather than play for any Major League club except the Yankees.
But the Mariners might be able to use Ichiro as a recruiter, although the two Japan baseball icons have never previously been teammates, including in the World Baseball Classic.
Johjima's departure could prompt Zduriencik to pursue a defensive-minded veteran receiver. With Johnson having surgery three weeks apart to repair labrums on both hips, and 25-year-old Adam Moore lacking big league experience, the catching department is thin.
That is not the case with the pitching, which ranked first in the AL with a 3.87 ERA.
The starting rotation could use another veteran to back up ace right-hander Felix Hernandez. The Mariners have several starting candidates, but none of them made more than 15 starts last season.
The bullpen would seem to be the Mariners' strongest suit, especially if right-hander Sean White pitches the way he did last season (2.80 ERA in 52 appearances) before being injured.
"We have said all along what we are trying to increase the talent base at the Major and Minor League levels and continue to evaluate the club," Zduriencik said. "We ask ourselves every day, 'How do we get this club better?'
"We have needs to fill and we might have to rob Peter to pay Paul. But at this point, you just don't know how that is going to work out. You do the best you can."
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
