Mariners Analysis

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Don't expect major changes for the M's any time soon

The interview with Bill Bavasi after yet another M's loss last night was fairly informative. A quick recap for those that missed it:

  • Bavasi acknowledged the M's have been getting many calls from teams inquiring about their players
  • He also indicated he is listening to those calls
  • He then admitted he had no intention of acting on any of those calls, but it was prudent to at least listen
  • He listed the Giants winning streak as a reason why no team is out of it right now
  • He mentioned the Reds as yet another "surprise" team
  • When pressed, he said mid-to-late June was the earliest he would actually consider admitting the season was not salvageable, and might trade a player


So after listening to all this, I just thought to myself "This is the guy who will be in charge of rebuilding this team? No!!..."

The articles mentioning major changes to the roster coming soon? Complete garbage. I demand the editors of the respective papers complete an internal investigation on these "sources" and apologize to all M's fans. It sounds like the sources were found on the Tops bulletin board, based on Bavasi's comments. I hope the authors of those articles address them in the coming week.

This isn't to say trades won't be made at the deadline, just that they aren't be planned by the M's right now. Management is living in such a dreamworld that they don't want to throw in the towel just yet. As we said earlier, they are praying the current M's start performing so they don't have to make tough decisions. It is so disappointing they will not recognize the poor value of the product they are running out on the field right now. I just cannot imagine not being active with other teams right now with regards to trades.

If I was Bavasi, here is the message I would have relayed in the interview-
1) We are actively calling every team in the major leagues targeting players we feel would improve this club.
2) Our scouts are currently evaluating several players based on conversations we've already had.
3) A large number of teams are interested in making deals, due to so many teams still in the race.
4) This will work to our advantage, and we expect a number of changes soon.

Last night, after the grand slam by Toronto in the second inning, the game was over. Did anyone actually believe the M's were going to come back? Even after loading the bases in the same inning, the M's never gave you a reason to think they were capable of taking this series. Pathetic team right now, and Bavasi is still feeling like they are a good run away from getting into the race. Unbelievable.

What is the line right now for over/under on record lows for Safeco this summer.

I'd say 5, but that seems too low.