Mariners Not What We Thought

One of Major League Baseball's teams that many experts felt had a chance to create some noise was the Seattle Mariners. After a myriad of roster moves that occurred during the off season, the M's were thought to have significantly improved.

It hasn't transpired in that direction. In fact, Seattle currently sets in last place in the AL West with a 16-28 record, 8.5 games behind division leader Texas, and 10 full games behind the wild card leading New York Yankees.

Some notable players no longer wearing a Mariners uniform are Carlos Silva, Brandon Morrow, Russell Branyan, Adrian Beltre and Kenji Johjima. Added to the M's squad were Cliff Lee (trade), Brandon League (trade), Milton Bradley (trade), Casey Kotchman (trade) and Chone Figgins (free agent). Improvement? Not in the slightest. Not anywhere close to the expectations coming into the 2010 season.

Lee has lived up to his end of the bargain.

Perhaps the biggest news during the off season was the acquisition of Lee. Lee came over from the Philadelphia Phillies in a deal involving three prospects. Pairing Lee with phenom Felix Hernandez would surely provide the Mariners with a deadly 1-2 at the top of the rotation. Despite starting the season on the DL, Lee has not disappointed the fans in Seattle. He is currently 2-2 sporting a 3.44 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP. The issue with Lee is what will happen after this season is over...if he's not dealt prior to the season ending. Lee will be a free agent and has made it clear that he will test the free agent waters. Talk about a "one and done" deal.

Morrow and League were swapped for each other. Morrow could never find his niche within the Mariners framework. He was used as a reliever, closer and starter during his stint. Since his arrival in Toronto, Morrow has been n the Blue Jays starting rotation. His performance hasn't been stellar (3-4, 6.80 ERA, 1.73 WHIP), but at least he's not been moved...as of yet. League has been a decent bullpen addition (21 G, 3-4, 3.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) for Seattle.

Bradley says he feels pressure to perform.

The most notable (and questionable) move made by the Mariners brass was the deal sending Carlos Silva to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for outfielder Milton Bradley. Silva signed a four year deal for at least $44 million with Seattle prior to the 2008 season. It never worked out for him in Seattle, but he has found Chicago to his liking going 6-0 with a 3.52 ERA so far this season. Most of us have heard of the continued travails of Bradley. He is currently dealing with off filed issues and has been granted such time to take care of these matters. Bradley's numbers: .222 BA, 2 HR, 12 RBI. Not what the Mariners were hoping for considering they were relying on Bradley to help replace the departed Russell Branyan as a power source.

Ah, yes, Russell Branyan. Branyan was permitted to leave Seattle via free agency because it was thought he would demand a huge contract. That contract never materialized and Branyan found himself unsigned until spring training. He eventually signed with the Cleveland Indians and began the season on the DL. Since rejoining the club, Branyan is hitting .219 with 4 homers and 10 runs driven in. Looks like a smart move, huh?

Enter Casey Kotchman. Kotchman landed in Seattle via a trade with the Boston Red Sox. Bill Hall was sent to Boston in the deal. We all know Kotchman has a glove. It's the stick that has been the question mark and that goes to his power numbers. It's generally expected that a corner infielder becomes a source of power and Kotchman has never really been in that group. So far in 2010, Kotchman fields a .196 BA with 3 dingers and 18 RBI.

Like Branyan, the Mariners elected to let Adrian Beltre leave through free agency. Beltre was signed to a huge contact by Seattle (5 years, $64 million) after a stellar 2004 season for the Los Angles Dodgers. Most Mariners fans felt Beltre underperformed during his time in Seattle. That was somewhat offset by posting consecutive Gold Gloves in 2007 and 2008. His power numbers weren't close to what he posted in LA, but there were decent with Beltre clubbing 103 homers in his five seasons with the M's. It didn't take Beltre too long to find another club as the Boston Red Sox signed him to a 1-year, $9 million deal. For this season, Beltre is hitting .335, 3 HR and 27 RBI.

Unfamiliarity has hindered Figgins.

To "replace" Adrian Beltre, the Mariners hit the free agency trail and brought in former Angels third baseman Chone Figgins. He was signed to a four year, $36 million dollar deal, the same average salary for the duration of his contract that the Red Sox awarded Beltre for one season. What's $9 million given the M's? .195 BA, .305 on-base % and 9 steals. But the situation with Figgins can't totally be pinned on him. I never understood the signing since Figgins is a leadoff hitter and Seattle had the best in the business with Ichiro Suzuki. Figgins would now be thrust into the #2 spot in the lineup, a place in which he is unfamiliar. He's also not as familiar with playing second base. Mariners skipper Don Wakamatsu has Figgins playing at second and he moved Jose Lopez to third base. Didn't Lopez play second most of last season? I thought so.

So, loss of power is one reason the M's have not lived up to preseason hype. How about lack of offense period? The Mariners rank last offensively in the AL in seven different categories (batting average, runs, on-base %, slugging %, home runs, total bases and RBI). They rank next to last in OPS (on-base % + slugging %). It's the same as 2009 for the Mariners.

So, if you average only 3.48 runs a game, your pitching better be spectacular, and the pitching has been spectacular as the M's staff ranks 2nd in ERA, quality starts and walks. They also boasts the AL's 3rd best WHIP. See that 3.48 runs a game the M's score? That 2nd best AL ERA is more than that. It's 3.83. In the AL, a 3.83 team ERA is excellent. That's good for the NL, too. Too bad the pitching staff is rewarded with so little run support.

So, what do we do with the M's? Is it too soon to disperse the masses?