Mariners Analysis

Monday, December 18, 2006

Vidro officially an M

Unfortunately for all M's fans, the newest Mariner Jose Vidro did indeed pass his physical. There was a glimmer of hope the same team that examined Omar might have found Vidro physically unable to perform, but alas it was not meant to be.

As we have all come to grips with the ramifications of this deal, we realize:
  • A combination of Hargrove coming back, no big signing and now this makes getting excited for next year difficult
  • Bavasi has basically no supporters left
  • Hargrove/Bavasi are now r-e-a-l-l-y tied to the hip. Either both come back in 2008, or both get canned in '07 (the former is really hard to think about right now)
Things could get ugly for Bavasi faster than normal if this team struggles out of the gate. Even the local papers, historically PR reps for the team this time of year, have been surprisingly critical. Local beat writers have been going on talk shows and noting the FO has very little credibility left on any type of deal. The basic "trust us" and "let's see how this plays out" is getting old even for the most ardent Lincoln/Bavasi supporters.

Getting an aging 2B to play DH is one of the more "unusual" moves Bavasi has ever done. Forget about for a minute what he gave up, just focus on what he obtained- an aging NL hitter who has struggled to stay healthy, and who will have to hit best-case-scenarios for next year to be even league average at the position. Who can possibly justify the risk/reward involved?

I've seen a few bloggers try to defend the trade. I believe they are guilty of simply being argumentative. If everyone was loving the trade, they would be against it just to create controversy and liven the debate. In their hearts, they know this is a bad deal. When combined with other moves, it leads one to believe the person in charge of your team is essentially inept. Woody Woodward is back in charge of the Mariners, or so it would seem.