An Alternative Mariners 2013 Offseason Plan

Published November 7, 2012 | By Casey McLain | Posted in Mariners

At some point somebody conducted a study in which they asked people what forms of flattery they were aware of, and of those, which was the most sincere. The result of this scientific study was “imitation” and so was born an oft-used phrase designed to legitimize copycats. It’s in the spirit of that moment in science that I present my offseason plan for the Mariners, borrowing a page from the king of all things Seattle sports blogging, Dave Cameron. My plan is significantly different than Dave’s, and I’ve taken the liberty of waiting a couple weeks to let the beginning stages of free agency shake themselves out (including the Hisashi Iwakuma signing). Here it is:

Sign Kelly Shoppach for a one-year, $2 million deal.

Sign Cody Ross for two-years, $12 million

Trade Chone Figgins, cash, Shawn Kelley, and a mid-level prospect for Kendrys Morales

Offer Joe Blanton , Ryan Dempster, and Shaun Marcum one-year, $6 million, and sign whoever agrees first.

I feel pretty strongly about signing Shoppach, and I’d actually be willing to go two years for him personally. When I initially started looking at this year’s free agents, I noticed that not many people are talking about Mike Napoli. Napoli had a really rough 2012 in terms of batting average, which falsely drives opinion in many cases, but he’s always been a guy that hits for a lot of power, and that mashes lefties. He’s a notch below average defensively, but his bat, and ability to play first base could have made him a particularly good fit for the Mariners. That’s not to say he couldn’t be a fit even with the signing of Shoppach, but Napoli’s price tag is almost assuredly higher than I’d like to pay for him.

Napoli… Continue reading →

Chone Figgins’ potential destinations

Published November 1, 2011 | By Casey McLain | Posted in Mariners

It seems pretty clear that Chone Figgins time in Seattle, at least as a guy who receives any sort of playing time, is at or near its end. As such, this offseason seems like a good time for the Mariners to admit their mistake, and shop the maligned third baseman. The Mariners aren’t in a markedly different situation than two years ago when they traded Carlos Silva and cash to the Chicago Cubs for Milton Bradley, and like that trade, they’ll probably have to take on another team’s baggage. However, another element that is vital to these kind of trades is benefit, or potential benefit, for both sides of the trade.

For example, in the Mariners case, their largest benefit is going to be inserting a person at a need position, presuming their salary over the next two years of Figgins’ contract isn’t significantly greater than Figgins’, that has potential to contribute. But considering the money that Figgins makes, and how poorly he’s played in the last two years, the Mariners may have to get creative.

A team owes Figgins $17 million over the next two years, and these are some places that could use his services, and that have comparable contracts to send back to Seattle.

Boston

Player coming to Seattle: Kevin Youkilis, 3B/1B/DH

Contract details: 2012: $12 million, 2013: $13 million club option ($1 million buyout)

How it could go down: Even at Figgins’ best, he was never the player that Youkilis is. The only reason a trade of Youkilis is really even conceivable is because of minor blame he’s taken for the Red Sox historic collapse to end the season. No question though, if Figgins and Youkilis were involved in the same trade, a lot of money and a decent prospect would likely be going… Continue reading →

Joe Blanton

An Alternative Mariners 2013 Offseason Plan

Chone Figgins’ potential destinations

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