Thumbs up on the Cedeno trade

Part of the problem I had with the Mariners this coming season involved the infield. Woefully short of backup talent, there did not seem to be much of a backup plan for the middle infield if anything were to happen (either due to injury or ineffectiveness).

Pretend for a second Yuni pulls his hamstring in spring training. Who is your replacement?

Years past, it would be Willie Bloomquist. (cough, cough)

Fortunately we don't have to live in that world anymore.

Now we have an answer- Ronny Cedeno. Not only is he a backup in case of injury, you now have a 26 year old player hanging around which just might send a subtle message to both Yuni and Lopez. Our new GM took something we didn't need (more starters) and got back something we desperately needed (infield depth).

When you realize we didn't just get Cedeno, but actually get a pitcher too (Olson) this makes it a no brainer win for Zduriencik and team.

Hope this isn't it

So far I've been really happy with everything Zduriencik has done. He's made smart baseball decisions and I'm taking the winter off with the expectation of watching a fun, exciting team come spring training.

But as we get closer, I'm getting a little worried. I've liked all the trades and player moves he's made, but always assuming more are coming. Every day I wake up expecting to hear Yuni has been traded, or Lopez is gone or Johjima is FedEx'd to Japan or something...

If the team we have today is the one that takes the field on openign day, I'll be really, really disappointed. I know Jack has to cut the budget and completely revamp the Front Office, but still... I want to see a good bat come to this lineup, and no I'm not talking about Griffey.

Jack, please make this team better.

Payroll and the Nationals

The word is apparently out the Mariners want to cut payroll by 20%. Last year payroll went up roughly 20%. Last year the Mariners received a one-time payment of $20 million from the sale of the Nationals.

Coincidence?

The Mariners have never been one of the top spending teams in baseball. The team has always tried to pretend it was to the casual fan, but it's not even the top spending team in its division (Angels) much less baseball.

When the season starts, take a gander at the Athletics payroll and the Mariners. You'll see the difference is far smaller than one might think given how Beane and the A's are always mentioned as a small market team.

Our ownership group is more concerned about paying down the debt on Safeco then they are about winning. Period. They don't understand the best way to make the debt seem insignificant is to build a winning team and watch the overall value grow. Wonder why the Angels are able to spend more per year than the Mariners?

Competent ownership. The 2009 Mariners will have a payroll a little above average despite the sweetheart stadium deal and sun worshiping fans who watched a terrible team the past 5 years.

Good luck Z. We understand you're working for a boss who nixed the Washburn trade and now tells you to cut payroll 20%. Not exactly the Yankees formula for winning, is it?