Quick thoughts on last nights game

A few things that struck me about last nights game:

- I wonder if Melvin still thinks Villone is the teams "MVP."

- Let's hope Anaheim wins the West. Oakland fans simply don't deserve to see their team in the playoffs. Can you imagine if the M's were at home fighting for a playoff spot and Safeco was only half full? I can't either, and the fans simply don't support the A's enough to deserve seeing them get swept by the Yanks.

- Melvin and the entire Seattle FO are complete idiots for running up Bobby's pitch count time and time again. I don't care how much Bobby wanted a complete game; that's why we pay our manager to make those decisions. Bobby can have a complete game when he enters the 9th with under 100 pitches. He is far and away our most promising pitcher for next year, and there is simply no reason to have him risk injury like that. Have the Mariners already forgotten what happened with Soriano? He pitched all year and got hurt. It's not rocket-science folks, let's err on the side of caution during this dismal season.

- Kudos to the Yanks for yesterdays sweep over the Twins. They reminded me again how they always find a way to win. I am rooting against them in the playoffs, but I do admire their ability to beat find a way to win. I cannot wait for the playoffs to get started.

- I want the Cubs to make the playoffs, but the truth is they are simply a huge disappointment this year. They simply don't deserve to make the playoffs with the way they can't score runs.

Big day today for Yanks

While the Mariner's continue to pray they don't lose 100 games, there are some big games being played this week.

With the Yanks having a doubleheader today against the Twins, it will be interesting to see how they do in a possible playoff preview. The Yanks have serious starting pitching issues, while the Twins counter with Santana. Should be fun to see who gets the upper hand. Meanwhile the Red Sox are still hanging around.

Meanwhile, David Letterman had Gary Sheffield read a Top-Ten List on his show that read:

Top Ten New York Yankees Strategies For Winning the World Series presented by Gary Sheffield

10. Blind opponents with light reflected off Jeter's World Series rings.

9. Thanks to some scientist friends of mine over at Cal Tech, Mickey Mantle will be playing centerfield.

8. We added a home run-hitting kangaroo and there ain't a thing anyone can do about it.

7. Replace opponents' bats with hilarious novelty exploding bats.

6. Never swing at the first pitch and always hit the cutoff man or some crap like that.

5. Can't think of a number 5 so check out these pythons, ladies.

4. Here's a secret I used when I won the World Series with Florida in '97--in the postseason, give 112%.

3. Hideki Matsui taught us some crazy Kung Fu.

2. Convince Mr. Steinbrenner to spend a little money on this team for once.

1. Hit a home run and Oprah buys you a new car.

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As a non-baseball bonus, I offer a classic Letterman Top-10 list: (for those that might have bought the new Star Wars DVD set)

Top Ten Signs You've Seen the 'Star Wars' Movies Too Many Times

10. Your poodles are named "C," "3," "P" and "O"

9. You won't sleep with your wife unless she says, "Help me, Obi Wan, you're my only hope"

8. You spent $10,000 trying to Rogaine yourself into Chewbacca

7. You're continually stunned when the President makes major decisions without consulting Mark Hamill

6. Your favorite pickup line: "Would you like to handle my light saber?"

5. You keep referring to your lawn mower as "that crazy droid"

4. You spend most of your days trying to use "the Force" to open a can of pears

3. You once saw an eggplant that looked kind of like Darth Vader and almost had a heart attack

2. Your sex life is strictly "Han Solo," if you know what I mean

1. You like Yoda so much, you voted for Ross Perot

good times, good times...

Should the M's be concerned about losing 100 games?

It's pretty obvious the M's management is trying very hard to not lose 100 games. How do we know this?

Because Melvin is making idiotic statements that can only be coming with the approval of the FO.

When we keep hearing about rookies who won't play because we are playing "good" teams, like we heard from Melvin yesterday: link

"If we were playing anybody but the teams that we're playing, Dobbs would be out there right now a lot. We feel that he'll be a consistent bat at the major league level. He's got a nice short swing and his bat stays in the strike zone a long time."

This consistent talk from Melvin is more than just trying to save his job. Melvin is a company man first and foremost, and losing 99 or 100 games is not going to save his job. Why in the world would an organization bring up a lot of rookies and then decide only some get to play based on the teams they are playing? Sure, if there were logical reasons for playing certain players, you might buy it, but when a team sucks like the M's it's hard to say the current crop is an "improvement."

Rest assured Bavasi and Lincoln have decided that losing 100 games is not something they want on their resume, so they are pulling the strings right now.

Rafael Palmeiro an M in '05?

Depending on who the Mariner's sign during the off-season, you know the FO will at least consider Rafael Palmeiro. I'm not campaigning for it, just saying don't be surprised if the name comes up.

You just know Bavasi will offer up his stats at Safeco as reason to offer him a contract.

Melvin and Rivera

Here is what Melvin had to say about Rene Rivera getting a start if Olivo is suspended.

When and if Olivo does get suspended, it still would not be a lock that young Rene Rivera would get a start behind the plate. "It would be tough to give him a start. Texas is right there (in contention)," Melvin said.

You can read the quote in the Seattle Times here- link

Melvin just drives me crazy. He has a choice to run out a young kid who can't catch, an old guy you can't hit, or Rivera.

Why not give the kid a chance and see how he performs. Who gives a crap about Texas!

Ichiro's amazing singles

With Ichiro's 5 for 5 evening last night, we should hardly be surprised all 5 were singles, right? In the month of September, Ichiro has 33 hits, of which 31 are singles!!

Plenty of people have commented on Ichiro's ability to hit for power when he so chooses. The display of power he shows during batting practice is used as proof of this power. We also have Ichiro claiming that all his home runs are on purpose- in the new book about Ichiro he is quoted as saying his HR's aren't just well hit line drives that leave the park. He says he changes his swing to try to hit it over the fence.

It would seem then that Ichiro is clearly going up to the plate trying to hit singles. In doing so, he is also seemingly cutting out doubles and triples.

How is this possible?

You would think Ichiro's speed would result in a larger number of doubles hit in the gaps- but they aren't showing up. Is this just a statistical anomaly? Or is Ichiro going up to the plate, not trying to hit the ball hard, but actually trying to slap the ball for a single?

What he is doing is not entirely unprecedented. Look at Wade Boggs season in 1985. He had 240 hits that year, with only 42 doubles, 3 triples and 8 home runs.

Ichiro currently has 243 hits, with 23 doubles, 5 triples and 8 home runs.

Wade Boggs, w/o Ichiro's speed, still had nearly nearly twice the doubles in a similar number of hits.

There is a side of me that is bothered by the lack of power, but given how poorly the season has gone, does it matter?

For the rest of the season, I'm going to just watch Ichiro hit singles, and worry about the M's lack of power during the winter.

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Nice article in the Seattle Times about blogs and USS Mariner. If you haven't already, check it out- link

"Bloggers, those crusading individuals ranting away on their keyboards to anyone with a live modem, have already influenced national political debates, including the firestorm over Dan Rather's reporting. Even in the relatively bland landscape of Seattle politics, they are starting to find a voice, too.

"We're like the Radio Free Europe for Mariners fans," said Derek Zumsteg, 30, who blogs on the baseball fan site U.S.S. Mariner and says he wants to stimulate "a good fight with hair-pulling and name-calling."

Good stuff!

Ichiro with 3 hits already; get your tickets now

After Ichiro opened tonight's game with two hits, you figured anything after that was gravy. Now that he's 3 for 3 as I type this, he's just getting greedy... (grin)

So it looks like Ichiro's chase for the record is alive and well, and will in all likelihood come down to the final games of the season.

With Ichiro chasing the hits record and Gar retiring, I say buy your tickets now!

While I am not normally one to buy a ticket to watch a mult-millionaire "retire" at an age most of use would kill to stop working by, I can see these final games being a lot of fun.

Seriously, if you don't have tickets to at least one of the games, you'll regret it later.

You'll have fun, I promise.

Now back to the game...

Response to Thiel column

Art Thiel's column in the Seattle-PI is interesting for M's fans, especially those who are smart enough to use a computer- link

"Melvin's biggest public shortcoming is the 30-second audio and video bites after games in which he comes off as passive and uninspired. How a laconic public demeanor failed to prevent Walter Alston and Tom Kelly from winning championships has never been explained, but a whole lot of Mariners fans equipped with an Internet service provider seem to think it's the be-all and end-all of managing."

Alright, so he takes a cheap shot at those who have documented dozens of reasons why they have an issue with Melvin's managerial skills. Perhaps he should acquire an ISP for himself so he can actually find out what was said. I don't know, maybe he doesn't know how to operate a computer...

Of course the bigger issue here is that no one has any idea how successful this team would have been with any manager. We simply have no way of knowing if the M's would have made the playoffs last year with an experienced manager, or if someone like Lou would have prevented Guillen from being traded. Or made the case for keeping Cameron. Or...

In this article, whereby Thiel seems to be a card-carrying member of the BoMel fan club, he is trying to document all the things that have gone wrong this season. For example, he mentions Garcia, Olerud, Spiezio etc...

Sure, these aren't things you automatically blame on the manager. However, it is amazing all the things Thiel didn't say, while indirectly coming out in support for Melvin:
- Melvin endorsed the Guillen trade
- Melvin took no chances last year as the M's faded during the playoff stretch
- Melvin can't manage a bullpen
- Melvin makes idiotic statements about using young players in September
- Melvin wastes out during a game
- Melvin recommends bringing in players and then never uses them
- and so on...

Melvin was hired to be a company yes-man, where he has excelled. If Bavasi asked Melvin to start Willie in RF for the rest of the year, he'd do it. By the Mariner's FO standards, Melvin has been an unqualified success.

The problem for Howard Lincoln and Bill Bavasi is simple. The team is not winning, and they aren't about to fire themselves. Therefore, Melvin is fired as a scapegoat.

If the M's FO had real guts, and really believed in themselves, they'd re-sign Melvin to a 5-year contract. He has done everything they have asked him to do, and that of course is the real problem.

Everyone capable of reading this understands that unless our ownership group makes a fundamental change in running this club, it doesn't matter who is the manager.

Finally, if Thiel really wants to mention Melvin's post-game interviews, how can he not mention the embarrassing use of nicknames for every player? OMG, don't even get me started on that!!.... (grin)

Ichiro going to have a tough time

We have all wondered what it will be like for Ichiro as he chases the hit record when he faces teams in the playoff hunt. Tonight was a perfect example of what he is going to see...

Not much.

If Ichiro is up when first base is open and runners are on, he is going to get walked.

Teams aren't stupid. If your choice is Ichiro or Randy Winn, it's pretty obvious who you're going to pitch too. Ichiro is going to have to adjust to fewer chances in a game to get a base hit.

Barry has perfected the art of making the most of his opportunities.

Will Ichiro?

At this point, you have to assume the record won't be broken.

What a shocker- woman sues over chair

Boy, who saw this coming- the woman hit by the chair in Oakland will sue- link

If somebody gets hurt in this society, its never your fault, you've got to sue to get your money.

I would love to be the judge in this case.

me-as-judge: "I hearby dismiss this case, as it is commonly accepted in society that if you stand up and yell obscenities at a large group of people, you can expect to have something thrown at you shortly. "

In fact, I wish we could sue the woman and her idiot husband for disrupting the game and in general wasting all of our time. The only thing that gives me any pleasure at all is that Tom Hicks will indirectly pay for some of the woman's new-found fortune.

I wonder if the idiot husband will also sue. He will probably argue that since he was ALMOST hit with a chair, while ducking to let his wife take it square in the face, he should get a couple million too.

If there was any justice in the world, the woman would sue the husband for creating the situation in the first place that landed her a chair-in-the-nose right out of a WWF script.

How great is it to know these yahoos purposefully purchased their tickets to be near the bullpen so they could yell their little low-IQ hearts out?

Is this enough to make me root for Anaheim over Oakland in the drive to the playoffs?

If the Angels or Rangers do overtake Oakland, perhaps there is some justice in the world...

Great article regarding bleachers; thanks to USS Mariner

The article in the Seattle-PI regarding the bleachers and Mariner FO arrogance by John Levesque was great to read- link

My first thought was that Levesque reads USS Mariner and picked up on the story. I have no idea if that is true, but that is what my gut told me. Kudos to Derek for generating the interest in this.

I wasn't planning on talking about the story, as the USS Mariner has it very well covered.

However, I notice that some people are speaking in favor of the stands, on the grounds that the extra revenue is what is needed to keep this team competitive. Sorry, but this is a complete load of crap, and I couldn't help but respond to this line of thinking.

If the M's FO actually used extra revenue on the team, this might make sense. When you have a team like Boston, who has an $117 million payroll and brings in less money than the M's, you can make that argument. When the M's came into the season with the second highest revenue stream in baseball, and an $82 million payroll, you can't make that argument.

The M's aren't even spending the full amount of money Safeco is generating right now. If they were stockpiling the money for some future free-agent spending spree, that might be somewhat acceptable. But, we've heard Lincoln himself say money doesn't carry over from year to year. That Sasaki money?

Kiss it good-bye.

So to those would defend the outfield seating on grounds of being competitive...

Resign from the Howard Lincoln fan-club and come up with a better argument.

Ugly incident in Oakland

So Frank Francisco is suddenly the hot story of the day, after throwing a chair at a woman and in all probability making her a wealthy women. It has to be one of the dumber things a player has done in some time, as there is simply no excuse to throw a chair at anyone, much less a lady who is essentially your boss.

Let's face it, fans are the reason these guys are getting paid to do what they do. If it wasn't for people like this lady showing up at the ballpark, Frank Francisco might be her gardener, school bus driver or janitor. After viewing his actions in Oakland, it may be a stretch to think he is capable of these activities, now that I think about it.

All of us agree it is completely irresponsible for Francisco to do what he did. Period.

However while we're on the topic, I have to say I am equally disgusted with the fans that somehow feel since they bought a ticket they suddenly have the right to turn into the biggest jerks imaginable. At this point I can only imagine what he yelled to get the Texas players so upset.

I have two kids and don't enjoy taking them to hear some idiot screen obscenities at players, knowing full well the players can't do a thing about it. It is fascinating to watch these people scream at someone on the field, when they wouldn't say jack-sh*t to them in the street. People who scream really nasty stuff to players on the field deserve to be hit over the head every bit as much as Frank Francisco.

I have no problem with fans getting into the game. When Alex comes to town, it is perfectly acceptable to boo all you want. If you want to call a guy a bum, when he can't do his job, feel free to yell away.

How then, do we distinguish between good-natured yelling, and that which crosses the line?

Well, if you wouldn't say it if your Mom is sitting next to you, you might want to re-think what you are about to yell.

If there are kids in your section, you might want to consider if you are okay if someone yells them in front of yours.

It's a little like porn and the Supreme Court. It's hard to define exactly what is over the line when it comes to yelling at players, but I know it when I see it.

Article on Ichiro in NY Times

Article in NY Times worth reading on Ichiro- article (registration required)

Regarding Ichiro and hitting more home runs-

"The power stroke probably will not help Suzuki break Sisler's record, but some of his teammates would like to see it more often. A couple of players grumbled privately last week that Suzuki bunted twice with two outs and a runner on second base.

Suzuki is caught between two spheres. While the team is desperate for run production, the organization is promoting him for the record. After every hit, the scoreboard at Safeco Field flashes his total. "At least they don't do it before I hit," Suzuki said."

________

Meanwhile, the Yanks are getting crushed by KC. When the Yanks decide to lose, they don't mind getting drilled it would seem.

Their pitching is not what NY fans expect to see in September. This will take their lead down to 3 games over Boston, in the fight for home field advantage in the playoffs.

NY fans owe us a little something

After taking 2 games from Boston, the Yanks fans owe us something. Coming into the series, Boston was the hottest team in baseball, while the M's had lost seven straight. Taking two of four games might be the M's most impressive series all year.

I'm sure plenty of people are wondering how Ichiro will perform now that he is facing better pitching. No question he cooled off a bit with Boston, but we'll have to see if the trend holds. He still should break the record, and I'm not going to bet against him.

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I really hope the M's limit Meche's pitch count for the rest of the season. While it was nice to see Meche finish the game against Boston yesterday, in the big picture did it matter if we won the game?

First off, Meche showed a noticeable decline in performance last year as the season progressed. This year, while he may not have been on the club all year, he still logged innings in AAA. Running a pitcher out there and having him throw 130 pitches in a game is just asking for trouble.

Let's say you yank Meche and have a reliever finish the game. Meche still has his confidence, knowing his line was 8 scoreless innings. Meanwhile, he will save some strength for his next start. This is what happened with Bobby last week. So what if the shutout was lost in the 9th- he still had his 8 scoreless innings to build on.

Second, if Putz is going to be a guy making the roster next year, let's see how he does in a pressure situation in the 9th.

I see no point in runnng out any of our pitchers for late-innings in meaningless games. Let's keep the pitch counts down, and make sure Meche goes into this off season with a reasonably fresh arm and some confidence.

It will be interesting to see how Meche throws on Friday.

Meanwhile, I can't wait for the playoffs to start. If everything holds, NY against Minnesota while Boston takes on Oakland.

Should be great.

Bobby Madritsch pitches gem; Ichiro ignores Melvin; Yanks suck

The M's had lost 7 in a row, Boston's the hottest team in all of baseball... and Bobby pitches the best game of his life (I'm guessing) and completely shuts 'em down.

I'd say this is a classic case of a letdown on Boston's part. They knew they had critical games against Oakland and Anaheim, and after sweeping both were a little flat when they came to Safeco. I'm not trying to take anything away from Madritsch, as he's easily been our best pitcher from Tacoma this year. I think plenty of fans are ready to put him in the rotation next year based on his performance.

Should Melvin have left him in to pitch the 9th? No way, as he'd already thrown plenty of pitches and you could tell he was laboring in the 8th. If he was sitting at 100 pitches and breezed thru the 8th, sure. But if Melvin put him back on the mound in the 9th, and he gave up three runs, how is that helping anyone?

Better to have him keep his confidence (8 scoreless innings against the best offense in the AL) and be fresher for his next start.

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Apparently Melvin spoke with Ichiro after Wednesday's terrible bunt attempt and told him to swing away- The Bunt, Reprise

So last night Ichiro did it again anyway in a similar situation.

Let's review what Ichiro is doing-

- putting himself over the teams needs
- ignoring his manager

Is Ichiro getting a free pass from the fans on this?

__________

Of course everytime the Mariners beat the Red Sox, it's helping the Yankees. However, there are still 6 games to be played between the two, and both are almost certain to be going to the playoffs.

While the Yanks are feeling better after beating up on the hapless Devil Rays, the fact is the Red Sox are still the better team right now.

Look for the Yanks to have trouble getting out of the first round of the playoffs- they simply don't have the pitching, and losing at least 4 of the games with Boston will only increase the pressure they will feel.

The Yanks will be playing not to lose in the playoffs- not the recipe for success.

Ichiro no MVP

Before last nights game, I was all ready to write down the many reasons Ichiro should be considered a legit MVP candidate. My basic premise is when a player does something historic over the course of a season, that helps make up for where the team finishes in the standings.

But then I saw last nights game.

Runner on second, 2 outs, Ichiro at the plate.

And on the first pitch, he bunts.

No way does my definition of an MVP bunt in that situation.

No way.

Ichiro starting to get national attention

In talking with M's fans, I notice a lot of talk about Ichiro not getting the attention he deserves. Basically the theory goes like this- Ichiro is having a better season than in 2001, when he won the MVP, so why not more attention now?

Talk radio is filled with this type of discussion. Of course the answer is pretty simple- the M's won 116 games in 2001, and now are one of the worst teams in baseball. That answers the MVP side of it anyway.

And of course the other problem is that people get used to a certain level of performance and are simply not as dazzled the second time around. Ask Barry Bonds or Atlanta season-ticket salespeople for examples of this type of behaviour.

Still, the national press is starting to notice Ichiro is doing something most of us have never seen- example

________

I see our good friend Lou wasn't real happy about the Yanks wanting the Devil Rays to forfeit after having problems with a HURRICANE-
Lou's comments

“I know the Yankees are in a pennant race, but I also know that our kids are young and have a lot of young kids at home. There was flooding, there are a lot of things that occurred over a two-day period in Florida, and I think everybody was more comfortable being with their family than being in New York sitting in a hotel waiting to play a baseball game.”

_________

I hear that Ben Davis may get a chance to be the starting catcher for the White Sox next season. Did the M's give up on him too soon?

He's having a nice season so far- it will be fascinating to see if Davis can rebound from his fiasco here.

__________

There is NO chance Beltran or Beltre signs here. Can you we all just agree there is simply no chance a premier free agent would come to Seattle with the current environment?

Spoke too soon- Rivera not called up

I got all excited when I heard from a friend Rivera was one of the callups. Obviously he wasn't, so we have Reed, Taylor, Dobbs and Lopez on the club.

Melvin regarding their playing time-

"The kids are here for a reason and need a chance to play, but for the most part, we're going to run our lineup out there," Melvin said. "We're not going to run nine rookies out there and say, 'Go get 'em' against these playoff teams. We owe it to them, and to the rest of the teams in the league and to ourselves to send our lineup out there for the most part."

I have no idea what Melvin is talking about here. His team has lost what six games in a row now? His team has played terrible all year, and he talks about not wanting to run out an inferior product!

Rene Rivera callup is indeed interesting

Bob Melvin had hinted there would be a "surprise" call-up this month. I know I was surpised to see the name Rene Rivera. Pleasantly surprised.

I like this move for a couple of reasons. One, it really shows the team is interested this season in seeing exactly what they have in the minors. If the M's had been winning this year, there isn't a chance in hell Rivera sees time in September, plain and simple. However, with the M's about to go into one of the most important off-seasons in recent memory, it's good to see Bavasi interested in knowing what he has to work with. Is he possibly showcasing Rivera for a team in need of pitching during the winter break? Is he trying the find out if there is a future for Rivera here in Seattle?

Yes and yes! He is doing both, and it's a good sign for M's fans.

The second reason to like it is the possibility, however remote, that Dan Wilson re-signing is not an absolute certainty. As much as I like Dan, the M's at some point have to realize they need to get some productivity from the catcher position. Let's see what this kid can do- I've heard good things about him, and in fact earlier in the season complained they should have brought Rivera up, not Pat Borders. I felt like we sort of wasted the at-bats on Borders, although of course I understood the M's thinking.

So anyway, interesting call-up for sure.

__________

On a completely different note, the Yankees trying to have the Devil Rays forfeit the game today because they couldn't make it due to the HURRICANE is completely bush league.

C'mon Yanks fans, let's settle this on the field. I know you are scared to death of a division race with Boston, but calling for a forfeit while people are losing their lives in Florida is crazy.

Let's reschedule the game, okay?

I mean, it's the fricken Devil Rays!

Seattle season recap

15 hits tonight against Chicago, 14 of them singles.

That is your 2004 Mariners.

There is nothing more we can say, other than...

Ichiro, we are not worthy!!!

Yanks making September very interesting

With Kevin Brown managing to hurt himself three times in a game- NY Times article (registration required)
the race for a playoff spot just became incredibly interesting. All Kevin managed to do was twist his knee, get hit in the forearm, and then punch a wall and break two fingers in his non-throwing hand. There is a very good chance he is out for the season- he will certainly miss some playing time anyway.

With the Red Sox only 2 1/2 games out, this makes the race for the AL East pretty much up for grabs at this point. In fact, I'd make the Red Sox the favorites right now, due to Schilling and Martinez, along with the best offense in the league.

If the Angels can get back on track, there is no reason to think they couldn't challenge the Yankees for the wild card in the AL.

In fact, I'd be hard pressed to favor the Yankees in any series if the post-season started today.

It's amazing how little $190 million gets you these days.

Why Edgar shouldn't be a GM...

I had to laugh when I read the PI's comments from 'Gar on Delgado- link

"If anyone could come to Safeco and do well, Carlos could."

I've been saying for the past two months I think there is a very good chance Deglado will be an M next season. I don't necessarily want him to be an M, since I think his best days are behind him. The only way Edgar is correct depends on the price tag.

John Hickey has a funny comment on the possible cost of signing Delgado. Noting that he is making $19 million this year, Hickey says-

"He might have to take a 25 percent cut, or more based on baseball's current economics and his off year in 2004 (.249 with 24 homers and 76 RBIs after an 0-for-5 game last night)."

Might have to take 25%?! Oh, he'll be taking more than a 25% cut, that much we know. Unless there is another Tom Hicks lurking out there, only an idiot would pay Delgado even $10 million a year. If that is what the price turns out to be, I hope the M's stay FAR away.

I would be willing to consider Delgado if we are talking Mike Cameron money or less, but nothing even close to double-digits is acceptable.

No, I take that back. I don't even want Cameron money for Delgado. At the end of that contract he'll be 36 with bad knees. How is that helping the M's?

Amazing that Carlos Delgado is making almost $20 million this year- amazing and sad that is. I sure hope Bavasi realizes a 33 year old who is hardly going to be motivated to play after taking at least a 50% pay cut is not the direction the M's need to moving toward.

But like Edgar, I think there is a good chance he ends up here anyway.

Why?

Because the M's will want to make a splash in free agency, and names like Beltre and Beltran are realistically not coming to Seattle. Beltre will more than likley sign with the Dodgers, and Beltran is going to the Yankees. As we move down the list of free agents, how many want to come to 100-loss Seattle?

Delgado will not be re-signed by the Blue Jays, so he is available and is a big enough name that a bad GM might think he can spin it to the fans as the power bat we've always wanted.

Then again, maybe Edgar is GM material after all...