Mariners 2014/2015 Offseason

[wazzu31]

Wake up people!!! Jack is building up interest in Saunders in order to land Stanton. It is as plain as the nose on your faces.

Haha, along with Walker, Paxton and Petersen. That leads me back to the other conversation I was having about how the value to get Stanton is more than it would take to get Felix right now.

 

[NWinAZ]

Haha, along with Walker, Paxton and Petersen. That leads me back to the other conversation I was having about how the value to get Stanton is more than it would take to get Felix right now.

So true. Sad, but true.

 

[NWinAZ]

5m5 minutes ago[/ame] Sources: [URL="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mariners?src=hash"]#Mariners interested in Hanley. Some, however, doubt team will make another $100M+ signing. One source says VMart is M's priority.

 

[gowazzu02]

5m5 minutes ago Sources: #Mariners interested in Hanley. Some, however, doubt team will make another $100M+ signing. One source says VMart is M's priority.

Mariners are always linked to the big FA bat...... Last year they actually signed him.

I bet the vmart negotiations are like this.... Victor, i'll give you a 2 year 4 million dollar deal...

JackZ interviewed later "We really wanted vmart, we put our best offer otu there. he didn't take it"

 

[Banned 10x]

5m5 minutes ago Sources: tweeted[/ame] last night that the M’s have interest in [URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/ramirha01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.mlbtraderumors.com"]Hanley Ramirez, although one source gave him the impression that Seattle’s priority is Victor Martinez. However, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports [ame="[MEDIA=twitter]531801220013641728[/MEDIA]"]tweets[/ame] that the Mariners are “aggressively pursuing” Ramirez and have expressed to his camp how badly the team wishes to sign him.
Ramirez could fill the Mariners’ hole at shortstop, and while his defense there is no longer a plus (it is, in fact, considered to be a significant negative), his bat would be an unequivocal upgrade over the combined .239/.295/.344 batting line posted by Seattle shortstops last season. There’s also the possibility that the Mariners could have a mind to put Ramirez in a corner outfield spot after he told teams last week that he’s willing to play anywhere on the diamond, though that seems unlikely, as Ramirez hasn’t played a game in the outfield in the Majors or Minors.

If there Mariners do indeed sign Ramirez, one has to wonder what it means for the future of shortstop Brad Miller. After opening the season as Seattle’s shortstop, Miller, 24, found himself unable to repeat the offensive success he showed in 2013. He struggled to a .221/.288/.365 batting line but played at least passable, if not above average defense at shortstop and is a sound baserunner. It’s possible that he could fill a utility role based on that ability at short, though other teams would likely have interest in acquiring Miller, who just recently turned 25. The Mariners also have Chris Taylor, 24, in their ranks, and Taylor was fairly impressive late in the season. He batted .287/.347/.346 in 151 plate appearances, although that line was bloated by a .398 average on balls in play. Taylor also whiffed in nearly 26 percent of his plate appearances and showed minimal power (eight doubles, no homers) after also showing limited pop throughout his minor league career.

The Mariners were one of the possible destinations listed for Ramirez in Zach Links’ Free Agent Profile of him last week. Zach ultimately predicted a six-year, $132MM contract for Ramirez. While a contract in that range is of course a steep price to pay, it pales in comparison to the 10-year, $240MM contract the M’s doled out to Robinson Cano last offseason. The Mariners also have a rising payroll thanks to a new television deal and their success in 2014, and the only two long-term pacts they have on the books are Cano and Felix Hernandez (though that duo is significant). Rosenthal does note that some sources with whom he’s spoken doubt that the Mariners would want to take on another $100MM+ contract.

Many have speculated that the Mariners will show strong interest in the soon-to-be 36-year-old Martinez, who is said to be seeking a four-year deal. Seattle designated hitters batted just .206/.276/.335 last season, so Martinez would represent a similarly large offensive upgrade for the team. Unlike Ramirez, adding Martinez wouldn’t unseat any young players such as Miller and Taylor, and the price tag, while still steep, could be half as much as that of Ramirez over a span of two fewer years. Of course, there’s also more concern for offensive decline with Martinez, who is entering his age-36 season, while Ramirez is entering his age-31 campaign.

Both Ramirez and Martinez received qualifying offers from their former clubs, but both are considered locks to reject the QO in search of a large multi-year deal. That means the Mariners would have to forfeit the No. 21 overall pick in order to sign either player. Should they sign both — which seems unlikely, though not impossible — the team would forfeit its first- and second-round selections. I listed both Ramirez and Martinez as possible fits for the M’s in their Offseason Outlook last month.

 

[cezero]

Nintendo will definitely spend money on marquee-level free agents in 2 consecutive years.

Also, I am the king of Siam.

 

[PolarVortex]

Cuddyer signs with the Mets.

What



the




fuck

 

[ehwq]

wonder if there's a chance the M's go on a spending spree LA Dodger style and sign more than one of Ramirez,Martinez,Markakis,Tomas.

 

[Tapey]

Cuddyer signs with the Mets.

What



the




fuck

I saw that, that was fast.

 

[PolarVortex]

wonder if there's a chance the M's go on a spending spree LA Dodger style and sign more than one of Ramirez,Martinez,Markakis,Tomas.

Given the history of the organization in general and the present ownership in particular, I think there is zero chance that the Ms go on a spending spree.

I think the ownership is still stung and redfaced over being the first $100 million payroll/100-loss team in MLB history and they continue to pinch pennies. On the surface, the Cano signing might be seen as a philisophical shift in the team's spending strategy, but in reality, Cano got the money previously earmarked for Ichiro annd Figgins.

 

[PolarVortex]

I saw that, that was fast.

Sucks. I really wanted that guy. But clearly he knew what he was going to do several months ago.

 

[cezero]

the m's were on the hook for all of figgins' contract money

they released him

but yeah, the odds of the m's even buying 1 high quality FA this offseason are slim. if they prove me wrong, i'll be a happy fan.

 

[ehwq]

If the M's can't sign one of the big names...


CF-Austin Jackson
RF-Rios or Aoki
2B-Cano
1B-Morneau
3B-Seager
DH-Morales or Butler
LF-Ackley
C-Zunino
SS-Miller/Taylor

 

[gowazzu02]

Sucks. I really wanted that guy. But clearly he knew what he was going to do several months ago.

dodged a bullet. his body is toast. and his numbers were a coors field product.

 

[SeattleCoug]

Mariners are always linked to the big FA bat...... Last year they actually signed him.

I bet the vmart negotiations are like this.... Victor, i'll give you a 2 year 4 million dollar deal...

JackZ interviewed later "We really wanted vmart, we put our best offer otu there. he didn't take it"

Yea it has been the same story the last 4 years or so. If it breathes and carries a bat, the M's are usually linked to them.

 

[NWinAZ]

Difference this year is that they can't lie to the fans or give excuses and still see people come back to them. They are close, it increased attendance, and now they have to shit or get off the pot. I really like that they are in this position because if they don't come through I will finally cut bait on them mentally/emotionally.

I think they need to add two of:

VMart
Hanley
Kemp
Gattis
Upton
Byrd
The Cuban

That is my opinion anyways.

 

[SeattleCoug]

Im really intrigued by the idea of Gattis. I don't think you will have to give up to much to get him and he is under club control through 2019 although his arbitration hits in 2016. You then have more budget $$ to get another hitter, maybe the Cuban kid or even a guy like Markakis who could hit leadoff.

 

[NWinAZ]

Im really intrigued by the idea of Gattis. I don't think you will have to give up to much to get him and he is under club control through 2019 although his arbitration hits in 2016. You then have more budget $$ to get another hitter, maybe the Cuban kid or even a guy like Markakis who could hit leadoff.

Ya, Gattis is a cheap (comparable) RH RBI guy. I'm not as big of a Markakis fan as most, but he wouldn't ruin my day either. I just hate the LH factor more than anything right now I guess. Let the games begin.

 

[cezero]

i wasn't familiar with gattis at all, and just looked him up.

where does fit for the m's position wise?

 

[NWinAZ]

To me he is a 1B, DH player on regular basis, but then can also be backup catcher (since ours only plays once a week on average) and emergency LF. Heck, if Hart and LoMo can play OF so can he. Same goes at catcher with Buck playing it.