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Though Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell appears to be a runaway for AL Manager of the Year, Oakland A’s manager Bob Melvin has a strong case to pull off the upset.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced the three candidates: Farrell, Melvin and the Cleveland Indians‘ Terry Francona. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. ET on the MLB Network.

Of course there are those who will claim he has no chance, so let’s take a look at the others first. In fact, this tweet doesn’t even list Melvin in the debate:

In his first year with Boston, Farrell led the Red Sox to a World Series victory. Not only that, Boston finished last season with the worst record in the AL East, the third-worst record in the AL and the seventh-worst record in the league. From 69 wins in 2012 to 97 one year later.

You might make the argument that 2012 was a down year. The talent was the same, but the season was marred by dysfunction.

Then again, Farrell proves how much of an effect a manager can have on a team. Good talent with Bobby Valentine? Fail. Same talent with Farrell? World Series winners.

Still, the list of superstars on that team is large.

Their rotation is filled with guys who could all be aces. David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Napoli—these are all big-name guys. As long as they’re happy, they’re expected to compete at a high-level.

Boston.com writer Matt Pepin thinks it’s no contest:

The Indians had the fourth-worst record in the league. With one less win in 2012 than Boston, Francona managed the team to 92 wins this season. That’s an equally impressive turnaround, and Francona did it with less talent.

Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer explains why he chose Francona:

“Did anyone really believe the Indians would win 90 games this season? Especially if you knew that ace Justin Masterson wouldn’t make one start after September 2? Or that closer Chris Perez would have a nightmare second-half? Or that big-ticket free agents Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn would have seasons that are slightly below their usual standards?”

Then there’s Melvin.

Few expected the A’s to compete in 2012, and in Melvin’s first full season, he led them to 94 wins and a postseason berth. Even so, entering 2013, there were talks of 2012 being a fluke, and the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels still were viewed as heavy favorites for an AL West crown.

And yet the A’s won it again, with ease this time.

Additionally, Oakland improved on last season’s record—albeit not by 20-plus wins like Boston and Cleveland—by two wins, from 94 to 96.

That’s just it, though.

The Red Sox and Indians had those expectations. They have the talent. They have the big-name superstars and big-name managers. If all three teams had the same record, you can guarantee the A’s would come up short in power rankings and in odds.

Melvin improved even though he lost key locker room guys like Brandon Inge and Jonny Gomes. He also lost Brandon McCarthy, Stephen Drew and Chris Carter. Likewise, he had to welcome in and figure out where to play Jed Lowrie and Chris Young.

Beginning the season, Melvin—the entire A’s organization and fanbase really—figured Hiroyuki Nakajima would be the starting shortstop. That didn’t pan out from the start, and Melvin successfully found the solution quickly.

Because he didn’t have the superstars, he turned back to platooning. And that may be the strongest argument in favor of Melvin as Manager of the Year again.

Melvin found a way to do as much damage, with less.

As tweeted by 95.7 The Game, MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger agrees:

Parker started out awful. Melvin stuck with him and he rebounded. Tommy Milone faltered. Melvin adjusted the rotation accordingly. He lost Carter and inserted rookie Nate Freiman into a platoon. Josh Reddick, Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp all missed a big chunk of time, but he made it work.

Writing lineups and running a team is like a puzzle. Farrell inherited a large, eight-piece, colorful and distinct puzzle. Francona put together a 40-piece puzzle of a mostly clear picture.

Melvin chipped away at a 100-piece puzzle with bland colors.

Ultimately, Farrell finished his puzzle first, and it’s prettier. However, Melvin should be heavily considered just based on how well he did constructing his much more difficult puzzle.

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For a team that finished with 91 losses like the Seattle Mariners, the offseason is exceptionally crucial. The roster is full of an interesting but not necessarily intriguing or promising mix of youth and experience, and it was ineffective last season.

The pitching staff was one of the worst in baseball (mostly the bullpen), and the offense improved its power but hit just as poorly as in years past. The right combinations simply weren’t there. The team looked promising at times and feeble at others, performing wildly inconsistent and without a true leadoff hitter.

Speaking of a true leadoff hitter, that should be one of Seattle’s points of emphasis this winter. Players hitting first in the order hit just .247 this season with 88 runs scored—both near the bottom of the league.

They plan to pursue Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Both of those guys have been leadoff hitters throughout their respective careers and would be great fits in Seattle.

Choo has struggled against left-handed pitching (.220 against lefties the last three seasons) but has some power and netted career highs in OBP (.423), walks (112) and runs (107) last season. He’s 31 years old, but unlike Ellsbury, the majority of his value doesn’t lie in his legs.

Ellsbury is one of the best base stealers in the game but has an injury history and recently turned 30. That being said, the high reward probably outweighs the risk, mostly because he’s also a .297 career hitter and well above average defensively (career 27 defensive runs saved above average).

Neither of these guys will be cheap, but the fact that the Mariners will be pursuing them indicates their willingness to spend.

Joe Saunders. Aaron Harang. Jeremy Bonderman. Signing fringe starters like these will take the team nowhere, as evidenced by the trio’s combined line of 17-30, 5.41 ERA and 1.50 WHIP last season.

Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma are a scary one-two, and Taijuan Walker and James Paxton can shore up the back end, so Seattle just needs that third starter in order to have a legitimate starting rotation. Maybe it’ll come from within in the form of Erasmo Ramirez or Brandon Maurer. Most likely, though, they’ll have to go out of the organization and sign a free agent or trade a package of prospects for a veteran.

Seattle starters’ ERA was a combined 4.18 last season, and while that’s respectable, it’s an obvious downgrade from 3.93 the year before. Phil Hughes could be a viable addition, as would former Mariner Jason Vargas. Both pitchers have had success in Seattle—Hughes is 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA at Safeco Field (22 innings pitched) and Vargas is 22-21 with a 3.33 ERA in 376 innings at Safeco.

Neither should be overly pricey and both would be perfect third starters in the rotation.

The Mariners bullpen was one of the worst in baseball last season. Relievers went 16-33 with a 4.58 ERA while opponents hit .253. However, the same unit by far totaled the most strikeouts (535) yet gave up the third-most walks (224). Part of it was youth. Part of it was injuries.

With everyone a year older and Stephen Pryor on the mend, the unit should naturally be better. The frustrating part is not knowing why they digressed so much from 2012 when they had a collective 3.39 ERA. The ballpark dimensions could have had something to do with it. The ERA of the pitching staff at home in 2012 was 2.96. In 2013, it climbed to 4.17. Tom Wilhelmsen should be back to old form, but if he’s not, someone like Pryor or Danny Farquhar will have to take the reins as closer.

All stats via ESPN.com, MLB.com and baseball-reference.com.

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The Rangers took care of one housekeeping duty on Tuesday with the re-signing of catcher Geovany Soto.

According to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com, the Rangers gave Soto a one-year deal worth $3.05 million plus incentives. Soto played in 54 games last year behind starting catcher A.J. Pierzynski. He finished the season with a .245 batting average, hitting nine home runs and driving in 22 runs.

It would be safe to assume the veteran will not be the starter in 2014. The contract more or less says Soto is a safeguard if the Rangers can’t get Pierzynski back or sign free agent Brian McCann to a multi-year deal.

On the other hand, Soto has proven to be a reliable catcher over the course of a season. In 2008, he played in 141 games, the most of his career, hitting .285 and had career highs in home runs (23), RBIs (86) and doubles (35). 

The free-agent market of 2014 is so weak that the Rangers could also start working prospects in next season. Staying in-house would also help the Rangers spend money on higher-profile players at other positions.

Robinson Chirinos is one option to back up Soto in 2014. He played in 13 games last season, but only mustered five hits in 28 at-bats. In 74 games at Triple-A Round Rock, he hit .257 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs.

Double-A Frisco’s Brett Nicholas is another option. He hit .289 with 21 home runs in 136 games last season. He has primarily played first base since 2012, but has committed just two errors at the catcher position since joining the Rangers organization in 2010.

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A Los Angeles Angel today, not a Los Angeles Angel tomorrow. That’s the reality several of the key players on the Angels roster face as the organization moves into a busy offseason.

With several large contracts already tugging at the tax threshold ($189 million) and arbitration cases looming, general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia will not have the benefit of playing heartstrings, choosing which players to trade like kids swapping baseball cards on the playground.

Whatever gets the team the best crop of pitching depth, while shedding salary, will be the more likely scenario—which usually includes the best available players.

But don’t expect a fire sale—a la Miami via Florida Marlins—leaving a platoon-like feel during the next 162 games.

Things are not that dire in Anaheim, not even close.

With MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez reporting the current list of possible names on the trade block has grown to include Hank Conger, Chris Iannetta and Peter Bourjos to go along with Mark Trumbo, Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick, I can realistically see only four of the six not coming back in 2014—with one less-speculated member of the team making a cameo.

Sure, there are the no-brainers—Tommy Hanson will be non-tendered this offseason. Joe Blanton, unless there is some camaraderie with Arte Moreno we don’t know about, will be released. Third baseman Chris Nelson seems like a long shot to throw $1 million to, even though the team doesn’t have a lot of depth at the position, and J.C. Gutierrez doesn’t have the numbers to match his arbitration value ($1.1 million).

Their collective exits from Anaheim are almost inevitable, and I imagine none of them will cause any what-if scenarios or loss of sleep for the decision-makers.

The same can’t be said, however, for another group of players that I think have played their final game in Anaheim. Yep, it’s me predicting things, again—I know.

But don’t let that deter the violin playing in your head as you look at these five swan songs of Anaheim.

Goodbye…

Mark Trumbo

The Angels have reportedly told several teams they would be willing to trade Trumbo this offseason according to ESPN’s Buster Olney on Twitter, and seeing how the crop of power-hitting first base-types isn’t really strong, the notification should be well received by other teams.

The Angels want pitching,and sources say they’ve indicated a willingness to other teams to trade Peter Bourjos or/and Mark Trumbo to get it.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 29, 2013

There are drawbacks.

Trumbo has been one of the more productive Angels hitters the past three seasons, totaling 95 home runs with 282 RBI—which impacts a substantial portion of the Angels offensive attack. However, that impact is only evident if you go off his home run and RBI numbers alone. His poor on-base percentage and second-half declines have had a downward trend.

At 28, there is still time for Trumbo to develop his pitch recognition and selection, cutting down his strikeout numbers and increasing his walks. The possibility for improvement also holds true for his defense, and he can always provide a solid option at DH.

Luckily, the power is what makes Trumbo a target, not his glove.

Not meeting the arbitration number for Trumbo ($4.7 million) is a savvy play by the organization, and getting arms in return for him is also a smart move by the team. 

No question, it won’t be the easiest departure. However, with C.J. Cron performing so well in the minors last season—along with his impressive Arizona Fall League run—and a healthy Albert Pujols, the Angels have first base covered.

Howie Kendrick

Kendrick is a tough case, holding rank as a one of the few veterans in the Angels’ clubhouse, but like Trumbo, he is a an enticing chip for the Angels to use when negotiating for pitching depth.

The need for second base help is out there, making the move by the Angels more likely. There was reported interest from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline from Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, but those rumors remain as simple speculation. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe thinks the Kansas City Royals are another possibility.

Kendrick is owed $18.85 million over the next two seasons, and dumping that salary would greatly help towards the tax threshold.

(At this point I would imagine that you have said Grant Green at least once. Maybe twice.)

There is good reason to have concerns about Kendrick’s replacement, especially if the third base position becomes a major question. But Green showed a solid progression after coming over from the Oakland Athletics (via the Alberto Callaspo trade). Third base will have to play out in spring training. It’s a risk, putting a lot of pressure on players like Andrew Romine and Luis Jimenez.

That risk, however, doesn’t seem to concern the Angels all that much. Otherwise, they wouldn’t mention Kendrick or Aybar this winter.

Peter Bourjos

The Angels can stand to lose portions of the outfield group. It’s loaded. And if cutting ties with a fan-favorite like Bourjos will help solidify a deal, then so be it.

He showed improvement at the plate in 2013, hitting .333 in his first 40 games, before suffering a wrist injury that limited his play to only 15 more after that.

Bourjos‘ defense is still his strongest asset, providing the kind of solid center-field coverage teams love and have trouble finding, and with Olney tweeting that the Angels are willing to move him or Trumbo, there should be some interest in Bourjos.

Though a deal for the speedy center fielder would probably need to include other pieces for teams to bite, it’s still a smart move by the organization.

Any scenario that gives Trout complete control of center field in Anaheim is a good thing. Maybe it will help with a future extension?

Jerome Williams

Williams hasn’t been linked to any trade deals, and I doubt he will. But his inclusion in the list is important.

He will be the one arbitration-eligible player I can see the Angels having second-thoughts about non-tendering.

I considered a few scenarios in which the Angels keep the right-handed, sinker-baller as a spot starter and reliever, but $3.9 million (his arbitration value) is a lot of money to give a pitcher as inconsistent as Williams. I can’t see that scenario working.

Non-tendering him seems to be the plausible route. The move will free up money that can be used elsewhere—maybe towards the Jason Vargas negotiations—and give the Angels more wiggle room with their bullpen.

However, that doesn‘t mean he wasn’t a key element—bad or good—the past few seasons. 

Hank Conger

The Toronto Sun’s Bob Elliott reports both Conger and Chris Iannetta have gained the interest of the Toronto Blue Jays, as possibilities to fill their catching needs in 2014.

Iannetta, the older, more experienced and pricier of the two, would presumably be the expected offer from the Angels. But I don’t think this is going to be a one-for-one-type of deal that only sends Iannetta north.

Because the Jays are seemingly intrigued by several areas the Angels can offer players (catcher and second base), I still believe this will be a deal that involves Kendrick and a catcher.

Because Iannetta and Kendrick together would be pricier, the younger, switch-hitting option is Conger. The 92 games he played in 2013, hitting a decent .249 while improving behind the plate, should add intrigue to the entire deal, which should still get a nice return to the Angels. And that’s the goal.

As Jerry Dipoto told MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez, they know it’s not going to be easy:

Obviously, we’re on the lookout for it. But there aren’t many ways to access that type of talent. You draft it, develop it, wait. That’s the most tried and true and sure method to acquire that type of pitcher or potential impact. Obviously, the other way is via trade, because those aren’t guys that pop up on waiver wires, they’re not guys who pop up on six-year free-agency lists, etc.

Hopefully, it works.

Otherwise, it’s the Los Angeles Angels GM today, not the Los Angeles Angels GM tomorrow.

Note: All stats provided were courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Salary info was courtesy of MLBtraderumors.com.

Follow Rick Suter on Twitter@rick-suter

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Grant Balfour has been a force at the back of the Oakland Athletics‘ bullpen for the last three years, but could be on his way out now that his contract has expired.

After the A’s second straight trip to the American League Division Series in 2013, MLB.com writer Jane Lee said the team wants to maintain its solid core.

Retaining Balfour would help the A’s return to the playoffs, but he comes with a lot of baggage. A’s general manager Billy Beane needs to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of bringing backs his closer.

Pros:

He Locks Down the Ninth Inning

Balfour served as a set-up man for the Tampa Bay Rays and worked the eighth inning in front of Andrew Bailey in his first year with the A’s.

Once Bailey was traded in the Josh Reddick steal of a deal, Balfour took over as the team’s closer and proceeded to slam the door for the next two years, averaging a 2.56 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.

The veteran reeled off 44 consecutive saves, breaking Dennis Eckersley’s club record, and earned his first All-Star nod in 2013.

He’s a Great Fit in Oakland

On a team full of young stars like Josh Donaldson and Sonny Gray, Balfour and fellow free agent Bartolo Colon are two of the only vets.

Pitching talents aside, Colon’s mild-mannered demeanor is far more replaceable than Balfour’s fiery rage. If Balfour leaves, the silence and stillness from the right field bleachers will be deafening.

Balfour has flashed his competitive spirit twice in the playoffs, getting into it with Orlando Cabrera in 2008 and Victor Martinez last year before retiring both hitters. It never hurts to have an enforcer at the end of a close game.

Cons:

He’s Old

Balfour may be relatively new to closing, but he has spent plenty of time in the majors. He broke in with the Minnesota Twins back in 2001, and will turn 36 this winter.

That’s awfully old for a pitcher, especially one with a history of forearm, shoulder, knee and elbow injuries. While Balfour has moved on from his Tommy John surgery from 2005 and torn rotator cuff and labrum from 2006, the A’s have reason to be concerned as he ages.

He Broke Down Late in the Season

Balfour put together a legitimate case as the American League’s best closer in the first half of the season. Come August and September, things were a little different.

He couldn’t throw strikes, and when he did, they were hard-hit mistake pitches. Balfour had a 1.76 ERA on August 26, but closed out the year by giving up eight earned runs in 11.2 innings.

Every late-season save situation seemed to end with Balfour saying he was gassed, running on fumes or some other declaration of being burnt out. Sure, he’ll have the offseason to recover, but the A’s will have to watch his workload if he returns.

He’s Replaceable for a Lesser Price

Billy Beane pioneered the art of trading the closer, pulling in lucrative packages for Billy Taylor, Andrew Bailey and Billy Koch. While Balfour’s free agency makes him untradeable, Beane‘s track record shows how little faith he has in long-term closers.

Balfour is due for a big payday after raking in $4.5 million last year. As always, the A’s will need to be financially conservative and might not meet Balfour’s salary demands.

So who would replace Balfour? Set-up man Ryan Cook is the obvious answer, though Beane could also look for outside help like the Rays’ Jesse Crain.

Balfour has been very good for the A’s over the past three years, but it’s time to cut ties. Re-signing him would be a sizable investment, one Oakland cannot afford to make.

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Contrary to what it may seem, the Seattle Mariners are a mess at first base. 

Justin Smoak was supposed to be Seattle’s first baseman of the future, but has been wildly inconsistent, even getting demoted to Triple-A for stints in each of the past two seasons. The relegations have helped, but he hasn’t made great strides in his offensive game. 

Dustin Ackley can play first, but may need to share time at second base or in the outfield next season, depending on who Seattle can sign in free agency. He’s also been disappointing and may be better suited for a utility role until further notice. 

First round pick D.J. Peterson will probably eventually be making the transition from third to first, but is in Single-A and won’t be seen in Seattle for at least another season or two.

Kendrys Morales is the ideal first baseman for the Mariners, although he was mostly a DH. He’s already said he won’t accept Seattle’s qualifying offer, but that doesn’t mean Morales won’t play for the Mariners next season. He’ll be tough to bring back, considering the limited power on the market, but his familiarity with the club and the organization could help Jack Zduriencik’s chances of bringing him back, or hurt them depending on their relationship.

Based on their career-long body of work and estimated salaries, here are free agent first basemen the Mariners should target this winter.

All stats via ESPN.com and baseball-reference.com.

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The Oakland A’s won’t have to worry about losing a large quantity of players this offseason in free agency as they only have two players who can test the open market.  Those players are the A’s two All-Stars in Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour.

Most of the players who were instrumental in bringing a second straight A.L. West title to Oakland are under team control.  Then there are the several players with contract options such as Coco Crisp, Kurt Suzuki, Chris Young and Brett Anderson.

Anderson can be bought out for $1.5 million or can have his option exercised and be on the 2014 roster for $8 million.  

When you combine a low-payroll team like the Oakland A’s and an injury-prone player who has appeared in 22 games between the last two seasons, the outcome is not good.  Oakland will be paying him $8 million when he has not played more than 20 games in a season since 2009.

When you do the math, the A’s would save $6.5 million to buy out Anderson and let him walk.  For the small-market A’s, that amount of money could be put to a much better purpose.

Oakland will need to compete financially with the open market to re-sign Balfour and Colon. If the A’s could offer that $6.5 million to Balfour instead of Anderson, they will have a much better shot at keeping their All-Star closer.

There was a time when Anderson looked like the future ace of the A’s rotation, but the times have changed in Oakland.  The A’s have Sonny Gray, Dan Straily, Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone and more prospects who are far cheaper than Anderson and can play all—or at least most—of the season.  I didn’t include Colon on that list because of his free-agent status.

I’m not against Anderson staying in Oakland.  If the A’s were to buy him out and then re-sign him with a cheaper, incentives-based contract, they would save some money and keep a pitcher with potential.  The A’s could continue to use him as a relief pitcher to see if that helps his durability issues.  

I am against paying him $8 million when he has not proven himself capable of playing a full season.  That’s $500,000 more for Anderson than Coco Crisp’s club-option is worth.  There is no way that Anderson means more to Oakland than Crisp.  The A’s can’t afford the mistake of exercising Anderson’s club-option for 2014. 

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One of the biggest questions facing the Oakland A’s front office in the offseason is what to do about Bartolo Colon. 

As the veteran explained to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the right-hander doesn’t plan to stop pitching anytime soon:

Three more years? 

That’s a bit bold considering he will be 41 years old in May. It’s hard to see any team giving Colon a three-year deal, but a two-year contract isn’t off the table. Plenty of teams are desperate for starters. Colon is certainly getting up there in age, but it’s impossible to ignore the results.

In 2013, Colon was one of the best pitchers in the AL. The righty ripped off 18 wins and posted a 2.65 ERA, while earning an All-Star berth along the way.

As GM Billy Beane put it to John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group:

Ultimately, the deal will come down to dollars.

How much money will the team have to pay to keep Colon around? There are no obvious comparisons from last year’s class of free agents because there simply aren’t that many starters still pitching at his age. There are even fewer who are posting numbers similar to those of Colon. 

The best comparison came nearly 10 years ago.

In 2003, Jamie Moyer won 21 games as a 40-year-old for the Seattle Mariners and then earned $7 million in 2004. That was almost a decade ago, but it provides a framework for a potential deal for the A’s ace. 

The front office will also have to evaluate just how vital Colon will be to the starting staff in 2014. Here are the six starters that the team has under club control for next season:

• Sonny Gray
• Jarrod Parker
• A.J. Griffin
• Dan Straily
• Brett Anderson
• Tommy Milone

In the case of Anderson, the team still needs to pick up the $8 million option on the lefty. According to Slusser, the team is leaning that way:

Anderson’s durability is a huge question mark, but that’s still a solid group of starters. However, depth is crucial. In the wake of the team’s ALDS exit, Jane Lee of MLB.com reported that both Sonny Gray (thumb) and Jarrod Parker (elbow) had to undergo MRIs. 

It’s still too early to know how serious those injuries will be, but they serve to remind just how quickly health problems can deplete a team’s depth. 

There’s also the PED angle to consider. 

MLB hit Colon with a 50-game ban back in August 2012 for PED usage. Ever since then, there have been questions every time the veteran rears back and fires off a 96 mph heater.

It’s worth noting, though, that it wasn’t power than made Colon so dominant in 2013. It was his remarkable control. According to FanGraphs, the righty finished the season with a 1.37 BB/9. That was second only to David Price in the AL. 

Nobody will expect him to win 18 games again in 2014. If he can maintain his pinpoint control, though, there’s no reason why Colon can’t be a highly effective starter for Oakland next season. 

Beane and manager Bob Melvin both told Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area that the team would love to keep Colon.

In particular, if the team can secure a deal on similar terms to the $3 million that Colon earned in 2013. That would be ideal, but there figures to be far more interest in the 18-game winner this offseason.

A more realistic target would be around $5 million with incentives that would allow Colon to earn as much as $8 million. If the A’s wants to be really aggressive, the club can even offer him an option for 2015 based on Colon making a certain number of starts next year.

Admittedly, that’s a lot of money for a pitcher at Colon’s age.

Then again, $5-8 million just doesn’t go that far on the market for free-agent starters. Look no further than Anderson. With all the inexpensive, young starters the team has under control, it’s a gamble that the club can afford to make.

In the end, though, the decision could be out of Beane’s control. If another team offers the starter  multiple years, then Colon’s time in Oakland is up. 

All salary figures courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

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It’s unclear what direction the Seattle Mariners want to go in. They have a wealth of young talent in the minor leagues, some of which has seen major league action. 

The front office also has some fairly deep pockets to play with this off season, so it will be interesting to see whether Jack Zduriencik wants to rely on a mix of veterans and youth, or bring in a superstar player or two to help right what has been a very disappointing and consistently mediocre ship.

Besides the likes of Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Danny Hultzen, here are three prospects the Mariners can build around in the near future, provided they elect to go that route.

Begin Slideshow

The Oakland Athletics are one win away from clinching the 2013 American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers and will have to go through Tigers starting pitcher Doug Fister if they want to do so in Game 4, which will start at 5:07 p.m. ET on October 8.

Fister finished the regular season with a 14-9 record and a 3.67 ERA.

Fister will have to contend with an Athletics team that has turned up the heat as of late.  After scoring a combined three runs in their first two games of the series, Oakland eventually scored six against Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez en route to their series lead.

Now, Detroit has to count on Fister to keep the team in the series and avoid elimination.

The A’s are wondering which Fister they will face in Game 4.  Will it be the pitcher who threw seven innings of two-run ball against Oakland in Game 2 of last year’s ALDS and owns a 1.71 ERA over five career postseason starts?

Or will Fister emulate the start he had against the A’s back on August 28 when Oakland put up 13 hits and seven earned runs over five innings?  In that game, Oakland was able to find Fister‘s weaknesses and went on to win 14-4.

It is safe to assume the A’s are hoping for the latter.

Fister owns a career 3.17 ERA against Oakland over 12 starts.  He has faced only the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals more.  Yet the A’s roughed him up during his lone start against Oakland in 2013, and that is a good sign for a team that has all the momentum in their dugout.

Which A’s bats will make the difference?  Well, Coco Crisp owns a .368 batting average against Fister, and there is the saying, “How Coco goes, so do the A’s.”

If Crisp can set the tone for Oakland’s lineup, the A’s should be able to continue their offensive surge, which came to life in Game 3.  Crisp reaching base would be a great start to giving the rest of the lineup a chance to do some damage.

With the Tigers’ bats mostly silent in the series thus far, Oakland hopes to put up just a few runs early against Fister and counter with starter Dan Straily, who is 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA over his last six starts.

If Oakland can muster the same success it enjoyed against pitchers like Sanchez in Game 3, there should be little reason to assume the A’s will not clinch the series in Game 4.

The only thing standing in their way is Fister.

All statistics and records courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise stated.

Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.  Follow him @PeterMcShots on Twitter.

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