Mariners Analysis

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

No chance the M's release Boone

Now that the majority of M's fans finally realize trading Boone is not really an option- ie. they finally figure out there is essentially no trade value for him, the next rumor seems to be the M's releasing him.

There is really no chance Boone gets released. I don't think it has been seriously discussed, and doubt it will be. It is reasonable to wonder why Olerud gets released, but not Boone.

A couple of quick thoughts on why Boone stays-
* Boone had almost MVP-caliber seasons, while Olerud's best years were barely tops among first basemen
* M's have plenty of options at First
* Olerud is in the final year of his contract, Boone is not with 450 BA
* The team realizes it must keep SOME veterans for next year
* Boone looks like he may come out of his slump, while Olerud just looked old and distracted

So Boone stays, and the M's will not be releasing him. The only way he gets traded is if a team gets desperate to make a move, or the M's eat most of next years salary, which doesn't really make any sense.

Meanwhile, the M's are 3-3 after the break. If they get any kind of starting pitching, they should play .500 ball for awhile.