Kuzul

The Seattle Mariners have finally started playing baseball. They did drop their spring training opener (via MLB.com) by a score of 9-3 to the San Diego Padres, but it is good to finally get things started.

Position battles have begun, and it was not a good start for Hector Noesi. It is only one game, but Noesi surrendered six runs and a grand slam in the first inning. He only retired two batters before being pulled, and he was rewarded with a 54.00 ERA for his efforts.

Not exactly a good first impression for a guy that will be likely be battling for the fifth spot in the Seattle rotation.

Greg Johns of MLB.com tweeted the summary:

Hector Noesi hit hard in 2/3 inning, allows 6R, 4H, 4BB and one sun error on Ibanez in LF, lifted with bases still full after 11 batters.

— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) February 22, 2013

Based on his performance in 2012, Noesi was going to be facing a tough battle anyway. Noesi finished 2012 with a dismal 2-14 record and an ERA of 5.82 for the year. He had a WAR of -1.1 last season.

Not exactly overwhelming statistics.

Obviously this is one game. Noesi will pitch again, and there is no guarantee that everyone else will dazzle.

Blake Beavan may be unspectacular as well as he fights for a spot in the rotation. Erasmo Ramirez may not continue to show the promise that he displayed at the end of 2012. Jon Garland and Jeremy Bonderman may prove to have nothing left in the tank. The hot young prospects may be sent to Tacoma for a bit more seasoning.

Lots of maybes.

This is just the start, but it is fair to say that Noesi did not impress the people around the table at his first interview. For the sake of argument, it may be fair to suggest that Noesi will have to look pretty sharp in his next outing. He will at least have to show a good deal of improvement.

As noted by Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, “He was already facing a steep, steep climb trying to make this rotation and did not do himself any early favors here.”

Noesi may be the first name penciled onto the cut list in manager Eric Wedge’s head.

Starting pitcher is not the only position battle in camps. The other big battle will be in the outfield, and Casper Wells got out to an early lead with a two-run home run in the ninth inning. Again it is early, but every at-bat counts in the spring.

Perhaps Noesi could find a spot in the bullpen, but there are a number of young, talented throwers who will likely be ahead of him. He may be left without a chair when the music stops.

Maybe this was Hector Noesi’s one chance to prove that he deserves to be on this team. If so, his prospects are not looking good.

The good news is that baseball has finally begun. Hope springs eternal.

Follow @tpheifer

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The starting rotation for the Seattle Mariners is far from set as the team gets ready to start spring training for the 2013 season.

Would it be a stretch to suggest that only two spots are assured at this point?

Felix Hernandez. Ace. Top of the rotation. In process of signing huge long-term deal. Check.

Hisashi Iwakuma. Signed two-year deal. Probable second or third, depending on other performances. Check.

Joe Saunders. One year-deal. Represents veteran experience, though there are no guarantees. Check?

Beyond that? Take your pick. Blake Beavan. Erasmo Ramirez. Hector Noesi. Jeremy Bonderman. Taijuan Walker. James Paxton. Danny Hultzen. Brandon Maurer.

Now you can add Jon Garland to the mix, as tweeted by Geoff Baker.

Jon Garland agrees to minor league deal with Mariners. Invite to ST. Will take physical in Peoria next week.

— Geoff Baker (@gbakermariners) February 9, 2013

For those of you scoring at home, that is nine pitchers for two spots, and there could theoretically be more. Who will be the odd men out?

This really could be a sort of open tryout for those spots. Seattle currently has a penciled-in depth chart, but that could be completely negotiable.

There are positives and negatives to every one of these pitchers.

Blake Beavan is currently listed in the rotation, but he will arguably need to pitch well in order to keep that spot. His consistently high ERA and his propensity to give up the long ball have some wondering if he has reached his ceiling or if he is poised for a breakout year.

Erasmo Ramirez looked good in September, but he will also be auditioning for his spot in the rotation. Obviously the Mariners like what they see in Ramirez, but the youngster has a very limited body of work. He could theoretically lose his job in Arizona.

Hector Noesi seems destined for the minors unless he puts together an impressive spring. The add-on to the Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda trade was dreadful in 2012, which means that he will need a rebound performance in order to stay on the roster.

Jeremy Bonderman and Jon Garland bring veteran savvy to a staff that could probably use some experience. Unfortunately, Garland has not pitched since 2011 and Bonderman has not thrown since 2010. Therefore, “veteran savvy” might be a nice way of suggesting that both are barely hanging on. Both will either have to pitch very well in Arizona or win jobs by default if no one else steps up.

At the risk of lumping the rest into one group, there is a common theme with the highly-touted youngsters. Now is the time where we see which players are ready, close to ready or need another year or two of seasoning. Will there be a breakout performance? You have to suspect that Seattle would love to see a Taijuan Walker step up, dazzle and win a spot in the rotation.

Still, there will be caution about rushing the young arms. This is why guys like Bonderman and Garland are in camp. The veterans may represent the future for this team, but they might serve as placeholders until the young arms are ready. At the risk of being insensitive, the veterans are a bit more expendable at this point.

A more conservative rotation probably looks like this:

Hernandez, Iwakuma, Saunders, Beavan/Ramirez, Garland

However, what happens if the young pitchers look really good? The rotation might then look like this:

Hernandez, Iwakuma, Saunders, Walker, Hultzen

Is the future upon us? Or will this be a conservative rotation that is filled in with uninspiring but semi-reliable experience?

Let the tryouts begin.

Follow @tpheifer

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Seattle Mariners should not trade for Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rumors continue to circulate that the two teams are talking, including a recent tweet from Mike Petriello of ESPN.

Yes. RT @prospectinsider: Hearing Mariners have progressed in trade talks for a hitter. Indications it’s Ethier. Multiple players involved.

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) December 31, 2012

Certainly the Mariners need offensive help and Ethier has proven to be a solid player throughout his career. All things being equal, Ethier would be a nice addition to any lineup.

Nice, but not must-have.

For the Mariners, it isn’t just about adding nice pieces. Instead, Seattle is in a payroll situation where it always has to be very careful about expensive contracts.

Go ahead and take a chance on a one-year deal for Jason Bay.

Don’t commit five years to Andre Ethier.

This is not the NFL where teams can more easily cut a player when they get hurt or stop producing.

Ethier officially qualifies as an expensive contract, at least from the standpoint of the Mariners.

In 2012, Ethier was signed to a five-year, $85 million contract extension that begins in 2013. This was part of the new-regime Dodgers and their free-spending ways in 2012.

For Seattle, Ethier could be a pricey part of the payroll for quite some time.

If the Dodgers want to pick up a sizeable part of the contract, that could change part of the equation. However, it is doubtful that Los Angeles will pay that much of the deal.

There are a numbers of strikes (no pun intended) against an Ethier trade.

Ethier will turn 31 at the beginning of the 2013 season. The Mariners do not necessarily want a 36-year-old outfielder in 2017 that is making $17.5 million.

Andre’s career statistics (via Baseball-Reference.com), are solid, and Seattle could certainly benefit from a player who is a career .290 hitter. Ethier has been a very consistent player at the plate throughout his career, as his career low was .272 in 2009.

But if the Mariners are looking for Ethier to provide more power in the lineup, they may be disappointed.

Ethier did hit 31 home runs one year, but that was in 2009. Since then, his seasonal home run totals have been 23, 11 and 20.

These are good numbers compared to the current Seattle lineup, but Ethier is not exactly slugger material, particularly as he ages.

Then there is Ethier’s health, which has been adequate, but not exactly stellar.

Throughout his career, Ethier has never played a full season of baseball. He played the most games in 2009 (can you say career year?) when he played 160 games and drove in a career-best 106.

Over the last three seasons, Ethier’s games played has looked like this:

2010: 139
2011: 135
2012: 149

You wouldn’t put those numbers in the “injury-prone” category, but these totals should raise some concerns about durability.

Guys who have missed games in the past do not typically get healthier as they get older.

The question the Mariners have to ask is whether they want to pay a guy an average of $17 million a year to play 140 games and hit 20 home runs.

That may be a more conservative projection for a player like Ethier, but it is arguably realistic considering what he has produced in recent years.

If Ethier follows the normal decline experienced by many baseball players, he could be hitting .260 with 12-15 home runs in a couple of seasons.

Is that worth $17 million a year?

Even with the shorter fences at Safeco Field, is Andre going to pound 30 home runs and play 150-160 games for the next five years?

That seems unlikely. History is against such a scenario.

If the Mariners were looking for a complementary player and they had additional payroll flexibility, it might be a good deal to ship a couple of prospects to Los Angeles for Andre Ethier.

However, the future for Ethier is not necessarily bright. He certainly is not worth one of Seattle’s premier pitching projects.

Too many years, too much money and too many questions in the latter years of the contract.

This trade rumor has some intrigue, but Seattle should let this deal pass them by.

Follow @tpheifer

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Seattle Mariners need more offensive production if they are going to compete in the American League West.

They need Michael Bourn—preferably now before he signs somewhere else.

There have been a few rumors of late regarding the speedy outfielder, and one has to wonder where the supposedly coveted Bourn may eventually land.

Has the market played out to the point where Bourn will be forced to accept a lesser offer?

Moves have been made by the Mariners, such as the acquisition of Kendrys Morales and the free-agent signings of Jason Bay and Raul Ibanez, and something tells me that the Rangers, Angels and A’s are not scared by these transactions.

Bourn is not the type of player who can solve all of the needs of a historically weak-hitting Mariners lineup. However, he would certainly help.

Consider what Bourn would bring to the lineup. He would be a true leadoff man, which is something that Seattle currently lacks in its lineup. Dustin Ackley could theoretically bat first, but that is not necessarily a guaranteed solution.

Given that the Mariners batted .234 as a team in 2012, it would be nice to add a player with a .272 lifetime average.

Granted, a 30-year-old is not necessarily going to improve his hitting in the future, but Bourn did hit .274 in 2012, and one would hope that Bourn would not decline too quickly.

The Mariners would also benefit from Bourn’s base-stealing ability, as he swiped 42 bags in 2012 and 61 in 2011.

Seattle may not be very interested in a player like Bourn, simply because he would not necessarily provide a great deal of power. Bourn’s nine home runs in 2012 were a career high, but he only has 22 dingers since breaking into the majors in 2006.

You can understand why the Mariners might be a bit hesitant to throw big money at someone like Bourn. His age is a concern, and his asking price might be beyond what the Mariners want to spend.

If Bourn signs a four- or five-year deal and hits .240 in his first year, Seattle could be facing another Chone Figgins-like situation.

Signing Bourn would add to the logjam in the outfield, but the reality is that Seattle does not really have a bevy of proven commodities in the grassy areas of Safeco Field.

Franklin Gutierrez could continue to struggle with health issues. Jason Bay and Raul Ibanez may not have much left in the tank.

Michael Saunders, Casper Wells, Alex Liddi, Carlos Peguero and Eric Thames may struggle mightily to hit .250 for the season.

Translation? It is not hard to argue that none of the outfielders’ jobs are safe.

Supposedly, the Mariners offered Josh Hamilton a four-year deal worth $100 million, though, according to The Seattle Times, Hamilton downplayed Seattle’s pursuit.

Seattle clearly should not offer that much money to Bourn. If anything, it would be prudent to offer less than half of that amount. If Bourn wants to sign for five or more years, walk away.

Three years would probably be best.

At this point, the Mariners may only be part of the conversation because they always seem to be in need of an upgrade in their lineup. However, this may still be a good move.

Go get him, Mariners.

Follow @tpheifer

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There are always questions with the Seattle Mariners.

While other teams are readying for playoff runs in 2013, the Mariners faithful are left to wonder if their team will be competitive. After the weak hitting of the last few years, just being relevant would be nice.

Seattle missed out on Josh Hamilton, but moves are being made. Kendrys Morales is a solid addition, and perhaps Jason Bay will rediscover his power stroke with the Mariners.

Still, there are lingering questions that remain unanswered. This is a team that is definitively in progress, and there are multiple areas of weakness.

With that in mind, here are five big offseason Seattle Mariners questions that need to be answered.

Begin Slideshow

Justin Smoak‘s days with the Seattle Mariners may be numbered.

Anytime a team acquires a new player, there is going to be a domino effect that impacts other individuals on the roster. Now that the Mariners have acquired Kendrys Morales, someone may be losing their job in the future.

There are a few different scenarios when it comes to roster spots and positions on the field.

Assume that Morales may be occupying first base on a regular basis in 2013. Or, he may be the designated hitter on some days. Morales was the DH in 92 games for the Los Angeles Angels in 2012.

The decision of where to play Morales will be influenced by how the Mariners want to handle the tandem of John Jaso and Jesus Montero. If Montero stays behind the plate, there may be some room for a first baseman like Smoak.

However, if the Mariners have faith in Montero‘s bat and eventually want to move him away from playing catcher, this may impact player time, particularly at DH. Montero played 56 games at catcher in 2012, while playing 78 games at DH.

To keep John Jaso and his .276 average (2012) in the lineup, he may need to play some catcher or trade time with Montero, like he did last year.

Therefore, you may have Morales at first while Montero and Jaso split time at catcher and DH.

Where do you put Smoak?

The rest of your infield of arguably set with Kyle Seager at third, Dustin Ackley at second and either Brendan Ryan or Robert Andino at shortstop. None of those positions really suit Smoak anyway.

Smoak may not have a place to go.

Can you put Smoak in the outfield? Unfortunately for Justin, he has never played in the outfield, and there is already a logjam in the open spaces of Safeco Field.

Saunders. Gutierrez. Bay.

Add in Liddi, Carp, Wells, Peguero and any other hot bat that might be lurking in Tacoma.

Not much room for another player in the outfield. Oh, and there are rumors (via NBC Sports) that the Mariners are chasing Raul Ibanez.

Another potential outfielder.

It would be different if Justin Smoak was a valuable hitter that was worth a spot in the lineup on a regular basis. Unfortunately, his stats over the last two years have looked like this:

2011: .234, 15 home runs, 105 strikeouts, 123 games
2012: .217, 19 home runs, 111 strikeouts, 132 games

Obviously, you can apply different what-if scenarios to Justin Smoak. What if 2013 is his breakout year where he hits .275 with 30 home runs? What if moving in the fences benefits someone like Smoak the most?

What the Mariners get rid of him and he becomes the next Adam Jones?

Then again, what if the Mariners keep giving him time in the lineup and he hits .225 for the year?

Sure, Seattle could put Smoak on the bench, platoon him or keep him as insurance if someone gets hurt.

Then again, maybe Justin Smoak will never live up to the hype. Perhaps the consolation prize from the Cliff Lee trade will never be that much of a consolation.

Kendrys Morales may have cost Justin Smoak his roster spot.

Follow @tpheifer

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The hitting difficulties of the Seattle Mariners have been well documented. As the team heads into the offseason, there will be the usual questions about potential free agents.

Of course, the issue is not necessarily about free agents. The issue is whether or not Seattle is willing to get out the checkbook and write a lot of zeros.

At least one writer believes that Seattle could be a “dark horse” in the free agent market. I don’t buy it. Even the writer wrote the sentence, “This is a team with a lot of payroll flexibility if it’s willing to spend.”

If it’s willing to spend. Exactly.

Granted, I do not see a lot of free agents that are all that intriguing for a Seattle team that is trying to build a squad from the ground up.

The big names on the market are either too old, too inconsistent, or potentially too expense.

There is an extensive list of potential hitters, but this free agent class is still regarded as fairly weak compared to past years.

A few names are being discussed, and I suspect the Mariners are brought up only because they have so many needs.

Josh Hamilton may decline the one-year offer from the Texas Rangers, but if he tests the market, there are questions about age, productivity and behavioral history. Hamilton is not a long-term solution.

Nick Swisher? There is some consistent power, but Swisher will be 32 by next spring. Is he worth a multi-year deal when an inevitable decline is coming?

Someone like B.J. Upton keeps appearing on various lists, but the addition of a career .255 hitter does not seem like a smart strategy. Upton is younger, but he is not exactly a consistent power threat.

Torii Hunter? Old. You bring him in if he is the last piece of a championship-caliber club.

Angel Pagan? Low on power, high on potential price.

Ryan Ludwick? Best year was four seasons ago.

I realize that I am focusing more on the reasons not to sign available free agents, but a savvy team has to look for red flags before they overpay new players.

This is not a time for desperate moves.

Some of these players are not going to be cheap, particular if the Mariners are going to convince them to come to the Pacific Northwest. 

It is interesting that this list predicted that none of the “top 50” free agents would end up in Seattle. That may be the usual disrespect for the Mariners, but Seattle has not exactly been a big player in the free agent market over the last few seasons.

There is the theory that Seattle will be a player simply because it has money to spend. That is certainly plausible, but given the philosophy over the last few seasons, it does not seem likely that management would throw money at just anyone.

You want the Mariners to be active, but you also want them to be smart. Chone Figgins, anyone?

A trade still seems like the best way to improve this lineup rather than overspend in this market. Let one of the hot young arms go and get yourself a bat.

Will the Mariners be unusually active and chase free agents? We shall see. I am not going to hold my breath.

Follow @tpheifer

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It is not a stretch to suggest that the New York Yankees would like to rid themselves of Alex Rodriguez and his massive contract.

Sorry, Yankee fans. A-Rod is not going anywhere.

Baseball fans love numbers, so here are the key statistics:

Five years, $114 million.

2012 stats: 122 games, .272 average, 18 home runs, 57 RBI.

The monster year of 2007 (.314, 54 HR, 156 RBI) is but a distant memory. Rodriguez has maintained an average above .270 over the last three seasons, but the power seems to be in a free-fall.

Is this going to get any better for Alex? Doubtful.

Players that are 36 years of age do not suddenly rediscover their power.

Rodriguez did not get benched in the ALCS because he was looking for love in all the wrong places. He got benched because he is a liability in the lineup.

Professional teams have continually shown that they will put up with all sorts of questionable behavior as long as the player produces.

Trades are not about whether a team wants to get rid of a player. Plenty of squads could find a player or two that are definitely not worth their contracts. It is about finding a trade partner.

Who would take A-Rod at this point? The Miami Marlins? The Los Angeles Dodgers? The New York Mets? Either of the Chicago teams? This might be the one time the Yankees would make a deal with the hated Boston Red Sox.

I know that certain “untradeable” players have been moved over the last couple of years. People like Vernon Wells or Carl Crawford come to mind. Both got traded despite massive deals.

The difference is that Wells only has two more years on his deal. Crawford still has five years, and he is also five years younger than A-Rod.

The Yankees would need to agree to pay a large portion of Alex’s remaining deal if he were to be moved. A large portion.

Would A-Rod actually agree to a deal? Who knows? Analyzing the thought process of the complex Rodriguez is problematic at best. Perhaps he would relish the opportunity to escape the New York spotlight.

Then again, he might feel like he needs to stick around and prove that he can rebound. Good luck with that.

This is the sad reality of economics in baseball. In the NFL, Rodriguez would just be cut. However, baseball owners continue to sign these long-term deals even though they should know better.

There is nothing for the Yankees to do unless another team gets desperate for star power, even if both the “star” and “power” are terms from the past.

Alex Rodriguez is going to stick around New York for the time being. Enjoy.

Follow @tpheifer

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Apparently, Chone Figgins is sick of playing for the Seattle Mariners. At the risk of stating the obvious, the feeling is definitively mutual. Does Figgins have a suggestion on how to end this relationship?

Remember when the Mariners signed Figgins to a four year free-agent contract? Fans were pretty excited because they imagined Figgy and Ichiro setting the table for the rest of the lineup and creating a lot of offensive production.

Statistically, there is not much point in reviewing what has happened over the last few years. Suffice it to say that Figgins has been in a two-year hitting slump. He has become the poster child for bad contracts, and I expect him to be on a number of “worst contract” lists in the future.

What do you do with a player like this?

The barriers to resolution are many. The solutions are limited. How do you get another team to take a weak-hitting, high-salary player off your hands? Even the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox have some standards. 

I have to imagine pursuing a trade is a waste of time. Just because Figgins has voiced his displeasure does not mean that the phone is going to start ringing off the hook in Jack Z’s office. If I were the Seattle management, I would send out a group text message to all the other GMs and say, “Chone Figgins is available. We will take ANYTHING.”

When that yields nothing, the Mariners need to take action.  Cut the player and eat the contract.

Obviously the Mariners are not in a financial position where they can afford to just dump expensive contracts. However, enough is enough. This deal has been a failure, and it is time to move on. I do not blame Jack Z for this deal. Every free agent contract is a risk, and sometimes players just do not adjust to their new environment.

Is there any hope of redemption at this point? That seems doubtful. In the last three years, Figgins has hit .259, .189 and .181 for the season. Does management really believe that Chone will suddenly rebound to his .298 average of 2009?  I suppose anything is possible, but conventional wisdom says that the time for serious improvement has passed.

Figgins will turn 35 in January. His confidence at the plate appears to be shot. I do not see this as a prime scenario for a reclamation project.

It is time. Cut him. Bring up someone from the minors. They cannot hit much worse. 

Follow @tpheifer

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com