Mike Sweeney just signed a minor league contract with the Mariners for the 2010 season. With the depth of the current team, it seems unlikely Sweeney will platoon with Ken Griffey, Jr. in the DH role in 2010. He might make the team as a pinch hit specialist. Sweeney went 5 for 11 as a pinch hitter, tieing for the highest batting average among 2009 pinch hitters. From a pure numbers standpoint, Sweeney actually makes more sense than putting Junior back in the lineup, as his 2009 .777 onbase plus slugging is 42 points higher than Junior and .281 batting average is 62 points higher. Sweeney ended 2009 with a strong showing over his last 25 games (.381BA (32x84) with 11 runs, 6 doubles, 4 home runs and 15 RBI). Considering Sweeney started 2009 with a minor league contract that resulted in 266 plate appearances, I won't be surprised if he's part of the team that heads north after spring training breaks camp.

Possibly more relevant to the case for bringing Sweeney back would be his bat vs. Ryan Langerhans. Assuming Milton Bradley can play some left field on days when Eric Byrnes isn't out there, Sweeney makes a better backup bat for the lineup than Langerhans. Sweeney batted 63 points higher than Langerhans in 2009, with an extra 80 points on Langerhans OPS. That puts the outfield short a player in the event of an injury, but Michael Saunders is only a shuttle bus away if needed. Sweeney is absolutely a better choice off the bench in late innings. If there M's are holding strong in the AL West, Sweeney is also going to provide needed leadership down the stretch.

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The Mariners signed right-handed batting Ryan Garko, who can play first base and catch, Monday. Following the addition of Eric Byrnes on Friday, the team's need for a right-handed bat is checked off, times two at a bargain-basement price of $1.5 million. Garko can earn $500,000 with incentives. The question is, with these two signings, who will be knocked off the Mariners' 25-man roster to make room?

Michael Saunders, the 23-year-old left fielder who made a tepid first appearance in the majors with Seattle last summer is the likely candidate for a trip to Tacoma. Having batted only .221, with no home runs and 40 strike outs in 122 at bats, Saunders is a less attractive backup outfielder than Byrnes, while Garko provides extra flexibility at first base. This means 23-year-old Mike Carp, the rookie first baseman who filled in for 21 games after Russell Branyan's back injury last season, is also likely headed to the minors.

One both could be packaged with a reliever for a young starting pitcher.  

Saunders had a relatively hot bat in the minors, picking up 13 HRs and 32 RBIS in the 62 games he played in Tacoma last year. Carp showed promise in his limited at-bats in Seattle, batting .315 with an on-base percentage of .415 in his 54 plate appearances. Add a reliever to the package and perhaps a team like the Rays, which is packed with starting pitching talent, could be interested in a trade. Wade Davis, anyone?

The Mariners picked up Carp in the J.J. Putz deal last winter and GM Jack Zduriencik has shown a willingness to deal fast and frequently. The Rainiers, Seattle's AAA affiliate, can certainly use Carp this coming season, so Saunders is the most logical pick to be traded based on his promising minor-league performance.

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While there were brief rumors of Johnny Damon being on the Mariner's most wanted list, I heard from an inside source that the payroll was locked up for all but the cheapest acquisitions. As Dave Cameron aptly detailed, Eric Byrnes fit the needs of a RH outfielder almost perfectly. The Diamondbacks sent Byrnes packing, designated for assignment with a year remaining on his contract after two injury shortened years. The Mariners picked up Byrnes for the league minimum, which means if he returns to anything close to his former level there's a huge upside considering his respectable .763 career OPS. Sitting out a majority of post-All Star break 2009 due to hand surgery may have given him enough time to fully recover from the nagging hamstring injury that hampered 2008 performance and lingered into 2009 spring training. I'll give better than even odds we might actually see Eric Byrnes in the Mariners lineup against lefties.

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In Larry Stone's notes on a conversation with Don Wakamatsu, Stone alludes to speculation that Jose Lopez might make a better choice at 3B than Chone Figgins. All the evidence available points to Jose Lopez being a weak choice for the left corner of the infield. While the sample size is small, Jose Lopez has played 3B for 25 innings as a Seattle Mariner, 15 of them during the 2007 season. During those 5 games, he accumulated 2 errors. Not exactly a defensive dynamo. In contrast Lopez averages an error every 95 innings at second base.

Contrast this with Chone Figgins who averages an error every 79 innings at both second and third base. Most of Figgins' time at 2B came prior to the 2006 season, but he has a large enough sample size of innings to suggest keeping him on the corner may be better for overall run prevention considering Lopez is good for about 2 more error free games at second.

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It's an excellent time to look at the Mariner's payroll obligations for the coming season and 2011 onward.

Having been the most active and potentially the biggest winners in this Hot Stove season, there is a lot of speculation that 2010 is a roll of the dice on a single season. Adding Cliff Lee, signing Felix Hernandez for five more years, bringing in Chone Figgins to take over third base, gambling (a little) on Milton Bradley and opting for solid defense at first base in Casey Kotchman, instead of a slugger, the Mariners appear fully committed financially, with few options left.

Quite the contrary. The Mariners are positioned to build a strong contender for the next five seasons, given the team's current payroll obligations for 2010 and the future. GM Jack Zduriencik has a huge budget for free agents in 2011 and can easily sign Cliff Lee for $18 million a season going forward, if he chooses.

At this writing, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the Mariners are spending approximately $85 million on its anticipated 25-man roster in 2010. That is the same as most of the last decade and well below the high-water marks in 2007 and 2008, when the M's spent $106 million and $117 million, respectively. 

That means Zduriencik can go into the last few weeks before Spring Training opens—pitchers and catchers report in just more than three weeks—with the ability to spend another $10 million or so on "bargains" that emerge as veterans concede their contract demands in favor of the safety of a job. The team needs another bat and a solid number-three starter. Plenty of quality guys are still available.

It is entirely conceivable that we'll see Erik Bedard or Jarrod Washburn back in 2010 for an incentive-laden contract, for example, along with a veteran in the fourth starting slot, such as Jason Schmidt, on a gamble that he can return to his 130-96, 3.96 career ERA ways. Jermaine Dye would be interesting, too, though redundant on today's roster.

In 2011, however, the Mariners have only $70 million committed as of now. Signing Cliff Lee at $18 million a season eats up the difference between now and then, but a real contender also makes more money and can spend on more talent. Moreover, Jack Zduriencik's ability to put together a win-win deal gives the team considerable leeway (pun intended) in the 2011 off-season, when a veritable glut of big-ticket players will hit the free agent market, including Carl Crawford, who could be Seattle's long-term answer in left field, Jason Werth, Josh Beckett, Brandon Webb, and others.

The Yankees are said to be intent on signing Crawford. It would be fun to beat them at their game through smarter spending. Let's assume that Albert Pujols will sign with the Cards right now, and avoid dreaming.

Imagine this 2011 opening day line-up and the salaries:

C Rob Johnson and Adam Moore $1.2M
1B Carlos Peña  $12M
2B Jose Lopez  $5M
SS Jack Wilson  $5M 
3B Chone Figgins  $9.5M
RF Ichiro  $18M
CF Franklin Gutierrez $4.3M
LF Carl Crawford  $14M
DH Milton Bradley  $13.3M

SP Felix Hernandez  $10.7M
SP Cliff Lee  $18M
SP Matt Cain (traded for younger pitchers by SF in his option year)  $8.5M
SP Kevin Millwood or Brandon Webb (Free Agents) $8M
SP Doug Fister, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Luke French, etc. $1.5M

Bull Pen: $8.5M

That roster would cost $137.5 million, less than the Phillies are spending this year. Peña would add 35 HRs and a lot of RBIs with Ichiro and Figgins at the top of the batting order and Crawford, with his .772 career OPS and 60 steals, would take Wak Ball, a National-league flavor of the game that succeeds on moving runners along the bases, to an unprecedented level.

Sure, that payroll represents a significant increase over the current payroll, but it would be offset by improved ticket sales if the team is competing for a World Series berth. One can dream, but the price of a championship team—one that can repeat—is dear.

It also may not be that high, as the team could deal Bradley, if he has a good year, Jack Wilson to make way for Carlos Truinfel, and Jose Lopez, moving Figgins to second base so that Alex Liddi or Matt Tuiasosopo can step in at third. 2009 first-round pick Dustin Ackley, too, could take up first base, second base, left field and split time at DH.

Realistically, then, the 2011 Mariners payroll could include four top-tier starting pitchers and at least one more power bat for somewhere near $120 million. A resurgent economy, on top of a contending team, will help drive revenue, too. The team would be profitable and a perennial contender in the American League West and for the World Series.

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The Mariners don't officially disclose numbers for contracts like those signed by David Aardsma and Mark Lowe, but according to Geoff Baker, Aardsma signed for $2.75 million in 2010 and Lowe will receive $1.15 million. This leaves Brandon League and Casey Kotchman as the two remaining arbitration eligible Mariners who haven't signed.

2009 was Aardsma's breakthrough year, taking over the closer role previously filled by JJ Putz and Brandon Morrow. His 38 saves place him 3rd among relievers who have previously never recorded a save in a season behind Eric Gagne of the Dodgers with 52 saves in 2002 and Derrick Turnbow with 39 saves in 2005 for the Brewers.

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Tommy Everidge is the latest Mariners 1B acquisition, although he's likely destined to start the season in Tacoma. In a 24-game stint with the Athletics in 2009, the right-handed hitting Everidge batted .224 (19 for 85) with 6 doubles, 2 home runs and 7 RBI. He appeared in 21 games at first base and made three starts at DH. Considering this is a guy with power from the right side of the plate, this is a strange acquisition for Safeco, even if Everidge is a bargain.

Maybe Jack Zduriencik is putting together some trade material for a future deal (the Padres will need someone at 1B if the Mariners acquire Adrian Gonzalez, for instance), but this appears to be a waste of the remaining roster spot. Tommy Everidge was leading all of the minor leagues in hits prior to being called up to the A's in July 2009, so maybe it's a sign that Everidge will add a few more wins for Tacoma, but I can't see him playing any games wearing an M's uniform.

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This via U.S.S. Mariner and Francisco Blavia, who originally tweeted the rumor in Spanish that the Mariners are close to signing CF Franklin Gutierrez to an extension. No deal has been announced by the team, but the terms are purportedly $20.5 million for four years, plus a fifth year team option. At $5.13 million a year over the life of the deal, this is an excellent move by GM Jack Zduriencik.

A plus defensive center fielder who is a solid foundation for the foreseeable future, Gutierrez has shown steady improvement with his bat, though his 122 strikeouts in 2009 leaves room for concern. Gutierrez has proven his clutch hitting ability, getting on with bunts and slashing drives to be in position score in late innings. 

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There's a reason the Seattle Mariners sent $9 million to the Chicago Cubs to offset the cost of their taking Carlos Silva off the M's hands: Milton Bradley, for all the drama his career has produced, is a significant upgrade from the slippery slope of Silva, who tried to save his career through dieting and yoga instead by of pitching well. At least Don Wakamatsu knows what to work on with Bradley, who is famous for his temper and brooding, to get a better-than-average performance from his player.

When he's playing, Bradleys a better-than-average player. He's also a fit with the small-ball game played in Seattle.

For example, the M's season on-base percentage (OBP) in 2009 was .314, while Bradley, who alledgedly wrecked the Cubs' season, reached based in 37.8 percent of his at-bats. In 2008, his OBP was .436, which would add roughly half a run per game for the Mariners. For his 10-year career, Bradley's reached based 37.1 percent of the times he batted, while the Mariners as a team had a .3357 OBP, mostly due to the great seasons early in the decade. For the past five years, the M's have delivered a tepid .322 OBP. Bradely is an upgrade in an offense oriented around moving runners along the basepaths.

By contrast, Carlos Silva only managed to add runs for the opposition. It was never clear what former M's GM Bill Bavasi saw in the too-big righty-throwing Silva. A potential Sabathia on the cheap? Not at $48 million for four years.

The question for the Mariners is, can Wakamatsu and Ken Griffey Jr. work the kind of clubhouse magic they did last year on Bradley as an individual player? The notion that the clubhouse is highly functional and could be disrupted by Bradley's presence doesn't hold water, as the team took a collection of average offensive performances in 2009 and made a winning season of it. Not just because of the pitching, but because the environment, the belief system Wakamatsu preaches, actually changes players' engagement with their teammates.

Bradley, who has been hurt a lot during his career, has played 120+ games the last two seasons. As a platooning DH with Griffey and in the outfield with Ryan Langerhans, Michael Saunders and Bill Hall, he can be rested as necessary to prevent injury. Moreover, the M's have lost fewer days to injuries than many teams, so Bradley is an appropriate project for Rick Griffin and his trainers.

In the end, however, the team will not make the mistake the Cubs did with Bradley, which was to treat him as a problem waiting to happen.

During the 2008 season, when Bradley was an All-Star for the San Diego Padres, he was expected to play well and he did. A bizarre coach-related injury ended his season, but that is merely what set the stage for his disastrous 2009 campaign, when he struggled and the Cubs gave up on him rather than acknowledging the wider problems with the team. If the Mariners treat Bradley as a professional, demanding good play and working on his temper through the good influence of Griffey, the deal will be a net win for Seattle.

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1B remains a question mark for the Seattle Mariners, with Mike Carp looking like the likely choice for now. Rob Johnson and Adam Moore will be doubling up at catcher. The rest of the M's starting lineup is close to complete.

Position players:

C Rob Johnson
C Adam Moore
1B Mike Carp
2B Jose Lopez
SS Jack Wilson
3B Chone Figgins
LF Milton Bradley
CF Franklin Gutierrez
RF Ichiro Suzuki
DH Ken Griffey Jr.

Utility

IF/OF Bill Hall
IF Jack Hannahan
OF Ryan Langerhans

Anything after the 1-2 punch of Felix Hernandex and Cliff Lee is gravy. The M's starting rotation could shake out something like this:

Starting Pitching:

R Felix Hernandez
L Cliff Lee
R Ian Snell
L Ryan Rowland-Smith
R Doug Fister

In the bullpen:

R David Aardsma
R Brandon League
R Mark Lowe
L Luke French
L Garrett Olson
R Shawn Kelley
L Jason Vargas

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