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As the 2013 season begins, the Seattle Mariners, like many teams, have several story lines to monitor moving forward. Whether they are at the major league level now, or on the verge of being there, Mariners fans will have plenty to think about other than the win-loss record.

It is far too soon for fans to start worrying about anything since it’s only one series into the season, but there are still plenty of things that could be taken away after just four games in Oakland.

With that in mind, here are the 10 story lines Mariners fans should be keeping an eye on early in the 2013 season.

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The 2013 Major League Baseball season is finally underway, and the Seattle Mariners have one series under their belt. In the first two games of the opening set with the Oakland Athletics, the Mariners looked like the hot team of 2013.

In the second half of the series, fans were reminded why this team has struggled over the last few seasons.

It is obviously difficult to make an extended judgment on a team after one series, but there are some things that immediately stand out about this squad. Some results from the series were positive, while others are reasons for concern.

This team may look very different after a month of play, but here are five lessons from the opening series between the Mariners and the A’s.

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The old adage tells us that the 162-game baseball season is a marathon not a sprint. One out into the first game of the season and Astros manager Bo Porter was sprinting out to argue about a botched call on a steal attempt by his second baseman, Jose Altuve. His complaints fell on deaf ears, but Porter showed his pregame excitement and enthusiasm wasn’t just for show.

The Astros would go on to drill the I-45 rivals 8-2, but the message they sent was even clearer: The Houston Astros will not lie down.

For the first time in recent history, the Astros have sole possession of the best record in baseball and for the first time since April 20, 2007, the Astros are the undisputed leaders in the division. Sure it’s only Opening Day and they will be tied at some point Monday, but the Astros delivered their message over nine innings after their manager got the ball rolling.

Porter set the tone for the game, the season and the new era in Astros baseball.

The Astros were smart and aggressive at the plate and on base, something the Rangers have become known for under manager Ron Washington. These are qualities that are a direct reflection on what Porter has been preaching all spring. Per MLB.com:

“I think it starts with Bo — the tone he sets every day,” said first baseman Brett Wallace. “He’s got that energy and an aggressiveness about him. He’s really instilled that in us. Every day, whether we had drills or we had a game, we were attacking it and being aggressive. I think you can already see it in Game 1 today.”

Houston’s aggressive approach and base running forced mistakes by the Rangers defense and caused Matt Harrison to allow three walks—all of which scored.

“Bo’s aggressive by nature. He’s high energy. He’s passionate. If you spend time around Bo, he’ll make you more passionate about the game,” said Rick Ankiel, who pinch hit in the seventh and smashed a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence that sent three more runs across the plate.  

Bo kept the pedal down and the Astros would score one more run before the rout was over.

Bo changed the team and the atmosphere in one spring and they played his style of baseball to give him his first win, the franchise’s 4,000th. His team responded to the changes and the fans responded to his team.

“It was an electric atmosphere, and you take your hat off to the fans in Houston,” Porter said. “They came out tonight in great numbers and gave us a lot of support. We really thank them.”

The Astros are looking to bring an exciting brand of baseball back to Houston and, with Porter at the helm, it may be sooner than anyone outside the organization expected.

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Although unanimous top-prospect Jurickson Profar is ready for an everyday role in the major leagues, the Texas Rangers simply have nowhere to play him.

Blocked at both middle infield positions by Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler, respectively, the organization decided to send their phenom to Triple-A to open the 2013 season to ensure he receives regular playing time.

However, Profar’s long-term future with the Rangers may have been drastically altered late on Sunday night, as the organization announced an eight-year, $120 million contract extension with Andrus (via CBSSports). Including the remaining three years on his current contract, he will make approximately $131.275 million over the next 10 seasons and is now under team control through 2022. Meanwhile, Kinsler is locked up through the 2017 season with an option for 2018.

As for Profar, the Andrus extension could impact the 20-year-old’s future in several different ways.

Kinsler Changes Positions

Barring an injury to either Andrus or Kinsler, Profar will, in theory, be blocked at both middle infield positions until 2018. However, given the youngster’s prowess on both sides of the ball, it’s incredibly doubtful that the organization will stash him in the minor leagues for the next five seasons, let alone the entire 2013 season.

Therefore, expect the Rangers to create room for their prized prospect, and sooner rather than later. The most realistic scenario, at least at the moment, would involve Ian Kinsler moving off the keystone to a different position, presumably first base or left field. While he’s not a clean fit at either position per se, his bat and top-of-the-order ability warrants at least an exploration of the idea.

Given the organization’s current first base options of Mitch Moreland and possibly Lance Berkman (if the need arises), eventually moving Kinsler to the position represents the preferred course of action and gets Profar into the lineup as the everyday second baseman.

The Rangers Trade Ian Kinsler

If a future position change seems increasingly unlikely, the Rangers could try to trade Kinsler during the offseason. As Dave Cameron of FanGraphs.com noted yesterday, the 30-year-old now has the option to conform or be cast out. The former would involve a position change, an idea that he met with resistance over the offseason (via Fox Sports). And the Rangers already made it clear that Profar will not be moving to the outfield.

Owed $57 million (not including his 2018 option) through the 2017 season, there will undoubtedly be a market for Kinsler, with teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics representing potential suitors.

The Rangers Trade Jurickson Profar

The least likely of scenarios, it’s highly doubtful that the Rangers will try to move Profar, who is only entering his age-20 season. After serving as a September call-up last in 2012, he’s under team control through the 2018 season and won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2016. Given his potential impact in the major leagues, not to mention the amount of money the organization will save by moving Kinsler, it would presumably take the mother of all deals for the Rangers to part with their top prospect.

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The Oakland A’s made a couple of transactions yesterday by claiming a couple of minor league right-handers off waivers, and to make room the A’s designated Daric Barton and Travis Blackley for assignment.

Barton has been up and down for the last several years in Oakland. The first-base job has been his to lose for a while and, finally, the A’s found a power hitter in Brandon Moss to replace Barton. Barton had a stellar glove in the field, but lacked production at the plate.

As for Blackley, he was claimed off waivers on May 15, 2012 after the Giants let him go. Blackley became a reliable arm in the bullpen and was good to make a spot start in the rotation when needed. Blackley ended up starting 15 games in 2012, going 6-4, and had an ERA of 3.86 in his 24 total appearances.

Among Blackley‘s 15 starts, he started the second-to-last game of the regular season against the Texas Rangers. The win kept the A’s alive in the race for the AL West and led to their eventual division title in a sensational season.  

That was last year, though, and the A’s need to revamp their team to defend the division title in 2013. The A’s stocked up on relief pitching over the offseason and Blackley, and his poor spring performance, became expendable in the eyes of the A’s.  

Blackley is out of options so he must clear waivers for the A’s to be able to send him to Triple-A Sacramento. If Blackley does clear waivers, he must also accept the assignment to Sacramento. He tweeted what appears to be a goodbye letter to the A’s and the fans as if to signal he isn’t interested in playing in the minors to stay with the organization.

It is still possible that Blackley accepts the demotion to Triple-A and rejoins the team at some point in the regular season. It is also possible that Blackley joins a group of Jonny Gomes, Brandon Inge and Brandon McCarthy as guys who the A’s had to let go.

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What if each of Major League Baseball’s awards were given out to every team—who would end 2013 as the Oakland A’s Most Valuable Player? Who would be their Cy Young winner? What about Most Improved Player or Comeback Player of the Year?

Whether any player actually wins any award is yet to be seen. Regardless, there’s going to be a top hitter and a top pitcher. Someone will rebound. Guys will improve.

Count on it.

Here’s an analysis of who could win these awards if they were doled out, one to each team.

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The Seattle Mariners have not made a decision on their final roster spot, but as noted by MLB.com, signs point to Jason Bay winning the job. Casper Wells may still be in the running, but in this case, Seattle may go with the veteran presence of Bay.

A tweet from Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times suggests that Bay may be the guy:

#Mariners hold off on the Casper Wells/Jason Bay decision. BUT..Wells staying in Ariz. to play minor league games, Bay going with M’s to SLC

— Geoff Baker (@gbakermariners) March 28, 2013

Assuming that Bay does make the team, it will be interesting to see what role he plays for the Mariners. Will he make a solid contribution, or will he simply occupy a spot on the Seattle bench?

Realistically, Bay is not necessarily going to be an impact starter unless Franklin Gutierrez cannot stay healthy or another outfielder is unproductive. At 34 years old, Bay was never intended to be a long-term solution.

The Mariners hope that spring training will be a reflection of Bay’s performance during the regular season. When you look at the 2012 stats, there were certainly signs that there was trouble ahead for Bay.

His 2012 stats looked like this:

Spring training: 46 at-bats, .196 average, 9 hits, 0 home runs, 0 RBI, 15 strikeouts

Regular season: 194 at-bats, .165 average, 32 hits, 8 home runs, 20 RBI, 58 strikeouts

His 2013 stats are significantly better, at least in spring training.

Spring training: 52 at-bats, .327 average, 17 hits, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, 17 strikeouts

Regular season: TBD

Obviously the spring training statistics have to be put in context. Many players hit well during camp, as they are facing a wide variety of pitching talent. In addition, the strikeouts are still a bit high, as Bay is striking out almost 33 percent of the time.

Still, the .327 average and a .407 on-base percentage are good signs that Bay has regained some confidence at the plate. Realistically, the Mariners do not expect Bay to be a dominating presence in the lineup, but it would be nice to have some solid offense off the bench or in an occasional start.

Again, Bay has not officially been awarded the final spot on the roster. However, it seems reasonable that he will be in a Seattle uniform on April 1 when the Mariners face the Oakland Athletics.

If Casper Wells does not make the squad, what will be his fate? Greg Johns of MLB.com tweeted this about the reason that Seattle has yet to announce a decision:

@tjmaurizio I don’t think it’s about seeing Wells. It’s about buying time to make a move or for him to clear waivers.

— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) March 28, 2013

It will be interesting to see if there is actually any market for Wells. What team wants a 28-year-old guy who hit .228 in 2012? At best, the Mariners might receive a low-level minor league or the always popular “player to be named later.”

It is time for Jason Bay to show that he can still play. Otherwise, he won’t be on this team for very long.

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The Oakland A’s were doing a good job of staying healthy this spring until Tuesday.  The A’s suffered two injuries with Hiroyuki Nakajima and Adam Rosales getting hurt.

Nakajima jokingly downplayed his injury to the Japanese media as a cramp, but Rosales’ injury got him put on the 15-day DL.  

Rosales was a part of the wide-open competition for the job opening at second base and was strongly considered a lock to make the Opening Day 25-man roster because of his versatility.  Along with his versatility, Rosales was hitting .324 with three home runs during the spring.

The A’s were beginning to narrow down their spring roster after sending Jemile Weeks to Triple-A.  With Weeks gone, Scott Sizemore, Eric Sogard, Hiroyuki Nakajima and Andy Parrino are still competing for the remaining roster spots that remain open before Opening Day.

Although Weeks was out of the picture, the A’s still had many tough decisions to make with the competitions for the middle infield spots.  

So there lies the blessing in disguise to Rosales’ injury.  Rosales going on the DL opens up a roster spot for two weeks, giving Bob Melvin more time to figure out his 25-man roster.

With Rosales inactive, the A’s can take more time to answer their questions about their 25-man roster.  One of the questions is whether or not Nakajima is ready for the majors.  Another question is whether or not Sogard can continue his hot spring in the majors.  Another is whether or not Lowrie should be a utility guy or a starter.

With all those questions around the roster, the A’s are fortunate to get more time to get it right. It is unfortunate it had to be with the cost of Rosales for two weeks.

Rosales will surely take a roster spot upon his return from injury, but it will buy the A’s time to make up their minds.

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In an attempt to put healthy players on the field for opening day, the New York Yankees have dealt for veteran outfielder Vernon Wells.

In exchange, one of the prospects the Los Angeles Angels will receive is 21-year-old outfielder Exicardo Cayones (h/t Mark Saxon of ESPN), who came to the Yankees’ organization from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the A.J. Burnett deal.

So who is Exicardo Cayones and what’s he all about?

Here’s a breakdown of what the Angels received by trading Wells to the Bronx Bombers. 

Profile

Birth Date: Oct. 9, 1991 (21 years old)

Birthplace: Valencia, Venezuela

Experience: Two years (minor leagues, mainly Single-A ball)

College: None

Height, weight: 6’0″, 183 lbs.

About Cayones‘ Big League Time

The 21-year-old outfielder hasn’t reached the big leagues just yet, as he’s still trying to make his way out of Single-A ball.

In 47 games with the Staten Island Yankees last season, Cayones hit .228 with one homer and 15 RBI to go with seven stolen bases. In 200 plate appearances, he drew 33 walks and finished the 2012 campaign with a solid .374 on-base percentage.

Cayones‘ Offense

For his overall career in the minors (four years), Cayones owns a .261 average and .372 OBP to go with a .358 slugging percentage. Cayones‘ game isn’t built on power, as he has hit only two home runs during his time in the minors, but he has swiped 21 bags.

One favorable aspect of Cayones‘ offensive game is his eye at the plate and ability to draw walks. In his young career he has shown the ability to lay off pitches and pick one to his liking, as you can see here:

Cayones‘ first season in the minors was easily his most successful, when he drove in 34 runs and hit .302—including 18 doubles and two triples—with the VSL Pirates.

Cayones‘ offensive game is still a bit underdeveloped, as he’s clearly not a power hitter, but doesn’t have the speed and stolen base numbers to be considered a “speed guy.”

He needs to put in some serious work at the plate before a big league team is going to think about bringing him up to the majors.

Cayones‘ Defense

Cayones spent the majority of last season manning right field for the Staten Island Yankees, where he committed just one error and sported four assists. 

He has an average arm and has committed only nine errors in his four minor league seasons in the outfield, where he’s played all three positions.

Conclusion

As long as Vernon Wells isn’t a complete bust in New York, I’d say the Yankees made out on this deal.

Los Angeles is picking up most of the tab on Wells and the Yanks hardly gave up anything. In return, they’re getting a former All-Star who can fill the void in the Bronx with the slew of injuries that has struck the Bronx Bombers.

Follow me on Twitter: Follow @Pete_Schauer

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With the start of the 2013 MLB season just a week away, the Los Angeles Angels will be required to reduce their 40-man expanded roster to a 25-man active roster.

On Opening Day, the team’s active roster will most likely consist of five starting pitchers, six infielders, five outfielders, two catchers and seven relief pitchers.

With the Angels batting lineup and starting pitching already secured in the offseason, the team was faced with the task of determining its bullpen and bench players during spring training.

The following slides reveal who’s in and who’s out in regards to the team’s remaining roster spots.

*All projections are based off of the Los Angeles Angels team page on baseballprospectus.com 

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