Seattle

The Seattle Mariners are back. That's the main message that one can take away from their signing of Robinson Cano. The deal was first reported by ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas. 

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the deal is for $240 million over 10 years. While the years and the numbers are stunning, they are almost besides the point. The Mariners are telling MLB that they are back to being a relevant franchise again.

The Mariners vastly overpaid for Cano, but they know that. It was the only way that Cano was going to leave the New York Yankees. This is about setting a new tone for a franchise, one that has drifted toward mediocrity and irrelevance over the years outside of Felix Hernandez.

Seattle has the money to make this type of deal without crippling the franchise long term based on a new $2 billion television deal that Forbes' Mike Ozanian breaks down here. The Los Angeles Dodgers, for example, have spent heavily since signing their new television deal last season. 

Having prospects and a highly ranked farm systems is great, but no one was watching or talking about the Mariners last season. On Friday, everyone was talking about Seattle, talking about the deal, talking about other moves that the Mariners might be able to pull off this winter.

I would compare this deal to when the Boston Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez after the 2000 season. The Red Sox signed Ramirez to an eight-year deal worth roughly $160 million. It was a deal that no other team was offering. When the deal was announced, it immediately put a buzz back into the city of Boston and started the Red Sox back toward being a contender. Boston eventually won a World Series in 2004.

The Mariners remain an untapped gem of a franchise in a great market that hasn't been able to reap the benefits of not having to compete with an NBA or NHL franchise for consumer dollars. The fact that attendance was dwindling shows that the product on the field wasn't very exciting or interesting.

Last year, attendance was 1.76 million people, the third season in a row that attendance has been below 2 million. It's a far cry from 2002 when the Mariners led the American League in attendance at 3.5 million, more than twice as much as they drew last season. 

Signing Cano is just as much about what he can provide off of the field than what his numbers might look like at the end of this deal. As great as Hernandez has been for Seattle, it is really tough to have a pitcher be the face of the franchise.

Other free agents will now take Seattle more seriously when the offer a deal. Corporate and business partners might be far more likely to invest now that the team has a daily face of the franchise.

Cano's success in New York is something that can be sold as promise for the Mariners. Cano's brand comes with him winning a World Series in New York, receiving MVP votes during six different seasons, five-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger and a two-time Gold Glove winner. 

I am normally against teams signing players to this type of contract—there is normally just too much downside. In this case, I understand the reasoning behind it. Seattle wanted back in to the AL West, back to being in the playoff conversation, back to its fanbase having hope in spring training again. 

If Cano's contract results in the Mariners becoming relevant again, then it will be well worth it.  

Information used from Enrique Rojas/ESPN Deportes, Jon Heyman/CBS Sports, Baseball Reference, Mike Ozanian/Forbes and Baseball America.

Is it me or do you get the feeling that when Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels picks up the phone, people listen?

How about Detroit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski?

Last week when the two men worked out a blockbuster deal involving Prince Fielder and Ian Kinsler, it made me wonder if Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik could possibly make such a deal.  

As Larry Stone at The Seattle Times pointed out, the potential to at least try is certainly there when you give the Mariners situation some thought:

I fear that the top free agents will view the festering mess that currently exists in Seattle and decide to pass, even if the Mariners pony up with a competitive offer. That will leave them to either dip into the trade market, where the danger is robbing Peter to pay Paul, or targeting second-tier free-agent talent. Then the temptation will be to overpay in order to provide the fans with some evidence of change — a trap to which the Mariners have succumbed too often.

As I said, it’s treacherous terrain. But it’s also the most fun time of the year, when you can at least dream of better times ahead for the Mariners.

Either that, or go back to watching Seahawks highlights.

Given the 'Hawks are off on a bye week and don't play until next Monday night, I figure we might as well discuss.  

But what exactly should we be discussing?

Fact is, it's silly season once again, that time of year when rumors of all shapes and sizes get tossed around by writers and fans all throughout baseball. Making matters all the more entertaining, the Mariners continue to be linked to every outfielder or a corner bat with a pulse. 

In fact, it's so bad that rumors from last year are being recycled by FoxSports.com this year. 

In case you're wondering if the Mariners should trade for Billy Butler now, let's just say my answer hasn't changed all that much since last year. 

At this point you may be inclined to ask, what then is my idea of an ideal trade?

If I had my druthers, I'd trade Jesus Montero, Justin Smoak, Dustin Ackley and Danny Hultzen to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Gerrit Cole. 

Of course the odds of this happening are exactly zero as Pirates GM Neal Huntington would never in a million years consider such a ridiculous swap, but I like to think this extreme example can be used to serve as a starting point of sorts for Zduriencik. 

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's be clear that an ideal trade for the Mariners does not include Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma or Kyle Seager. Meanwhile, in terms of the future as Larry Stone discussed, I too would like to avoid robbing Peter to pay Paul. Therefore, no ideal trade would have the M's give up too soon on the likes of Nick Franklin, Brad Miller, Mike Zunino, James Paxton or Taijuan Walker.

So why have I excluded pitcher Danny Hultzen from this list and mythically shipped him off to Pittsburgh?

First off, I don't think the Mariners will or even can actively shop Hultzen this winter without having to place a huge "Buyer Beware" sticker upon his head. 

To some this may seem a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to Hultzen's lost season due to injuries, but until he can stay healthy and show some level of consistency, I'd be willing to consider him as part of any deal to help the team in either the long or short term. 

Sadly, the same could be said of nearly the entire Mariners roster.  

Therefore, an ideal trade could include just about anyone else from the bullpen, the back end of the rotation, infield or outfield as far as I'm concerned. 

Unfortunately, there is nothing ideal about a trade involving the likes of Michael Saunders and Yoervis Medina for a potential partner, which leads me to believe that Jack Z doesn't get many of his phone calls returned these days without someone asking for Taijuan Walker. 

Even if a fellow GM did respond and move past Walker, you still have to imagine the players exchanged for Saunders and Medina probably wouldn't be considered much of an improvement. It's part of the reason I struggle to see Zduriencik making a move this winter that will actually make a difference for the Mariners next season. 

Understand this goes beyond my loss in faith of Zduriencik, as I'm not sure any GM right now would have much luck painting their way out of the corner the Mariners are in without spending money on free agents and hoping roughly a half-dozen deals work in their favor.

Then again, maybe Trader Jack will surprise us all and pull off a minor miracle?

If so, he best get moving because the market seems to be picking up with each passing day. 

Until then, I will dream of a day when the Mariners have someone like Andrew McCutchen patrolling the outfield at Safeco. Some fanbases in other markets can secretly pine for, but deep down know is off-limits, because the Mariners would never trade him in a million years and have him under contract for his prime.

Something like that, right?

Truth be told, back in 2005 the Mariners could have actually drafted McCutchen or roughly a half-dozen other All-Star-caliber players, including an outfielder from Oregon State named Jacoby Ellsbury. Instead, Bill Bavasi with the No. 3 pick selected Southern California catcher Jeff Clement.

To think the ideal trade scenario this winter could have been finding complementary pieces to support McCutchen or Ellsbury; instead the best we can hope for is trading for a player possessing some degree of McCutchen's skill set or overpaying Ellsbury.  

Maybe that's oversimplifying things a bit, but let's face it, it's hard sometimes to shake the notion that the Mariners could have had either player paired with Adam Jones and Ichiro at some point covering all three outfield positions. 

So what's the ideal trade?

The one that helps us all move on from foolishly wondering what could have been. 

Hiring a manager is a lot like electing a president. You may not be thrilled with the final choice, but you ultimately want them to succeed for the greater good.

Lloyd McClendon is now the Seattle Mariners' new manager, and whether you like him or not, it doesn't do anyone much good to root against the guy.

So while some may consider the choice of McClendon uninspired, I'm generally okay with it.

I reserve the right to feel differently come late May or early June. Until then, however, I see little reason to get too upset about the move.

Why?

Well, as far as I'm concerned, there are much bigger issues to deal with this winter, as general manager Jack Zduriencik goes about reshaping the Mariners' roster to help McClendon. 

Fortunately, there is still time, space and money for Zduriencik to work with this winter, but what big moves can the M's front office actually pull off this offseason?

For the moment, it would appear that the team intends to pursue an outfielder and starting pitcher on the free-agent market. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal continues to link the team to Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo.

Of course, we've heard this all before. 

Such is life in Seattle over the past few years, as the rumor mill always seems to "attach" the Mariners to the biggest name(s) on the market only to see them sign elsewhere once negotiations get started.

This year, I find myself all the more skeptical of such rumors and could easily see Zduriencik left standing at the altar, once again rejected by a handful of Scott Boras' clients.  

If that happens, Zduriencik may become desperate and dive into the trade market in search of a deal to help salvage this offseason.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, though, it's important to remember that with trades, what you give is often what you get in return. This tidbit is all the more sobering when you consider that the Mariners don't have very much to offer anyone.

To save time and avoid any confusion, let's be clear that trading the likes of Carlos Peguero, Carlos Triunfel or Jesus Montero probably won't net anyone worth getting excited about.

That's not to say Zduriencik will dismiss the chance to find a new home for each of these players over the winter if someone should happen to ask.

Realistically speaking, in order to make a big move, big names will need to be included.  

Yet after depleting the farm system of nearly all of its top major league-ready prospects this past season, the Mariners find themselves at a bizarre crossroads in trying to determine who to keep and who to offer up as bait.  

Across the board, performances from top prospects Nick Franklin, Brad Miller, Mike Zunino, Taijuan Walker and James Paxton were mixed. 

Any one of them could prove to be a solid major league player some day, but based on what we saw in 2013, it's impossible to be certain about who will succeed.

What I did find interesting is that both Lookout Landing and U.S.S. Mariner both sent Nick Franklin packing in exchange for an everyday outfielder in their offseason plans. Overall, it makes sense given how well Franklin performed early on following his promotion this summer. Of all the youngsters the Mariners brought up this season, Franklin should yield the best return. 

It's usually at this moment that I offer an "if" or "but" to debate such a move, yet much like the McClendon hire, I'm hard-pressed to find a counterargument here.

The same could be said of just about anyone that could potentially be in the mix if the right deal were to come along.

Does this mean I would advocate Zduriencik going for broke and offering up half the M's farm system to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Giancarlo Stanton if he misses out on both Ellsbury and Choo?

Perhaps, but while such a deal is possible, ESPN's Jim Bowden suggests that it's improbable.

Besides, dealing for Stanton isn't exactly the point.

Instead, what I want to drive home here is that at some point in the next few weeks or months, we will likely see the Mariners part ways with someone we once had placed hope in for the future in exchange for someone to help make better sense of the present. 

Such news is far from tragic, as it could perhaps lead to progress, but at the same time it is a bit sobering. 

For the past several years, we've been waiting on the kids to arrive, and now that they have, the reality of them being in Seattle isn't nearly as satisfying as the idea of them one day coming to Seattle.  

While nobody said the path to victory would be a straight line, it's hard to get a clear sense of direction when Kyle Seager has been the only prospect to make a successful transition to the majors since Zduriencik took control of the front office five years ago.

Meanwhile, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi is reporting that Seattle is interested in Dexter Fowler. With the one or two once heralded prospects it would take to acquire him, it suddenly becomes that much harder to get excited for next season.

It's nothing personal against Fowler so much as the fact that he isn't a player you would drop everything to see play.

Dare I say it, but the same could be said of Ellsbury and Choo, yet both are set to become ridiculously wealthy in short time based on the utter lack of talent available this winter.

Eventually, though, you have to figure the Mariners will make a big deal of some kind this winter. The question is whether it will make a big difference.

So what, based on your point of view, is better or worse? Breaking the bank for either Ellsbury or Choo or trading Nick Franklin and perhaps James Paxton away for Dexter Fowler?

In both cases, I'm left feeling underwhelmed.  

Either the M's will bankrupt themselves in free agency, ship off highly rated prospects for slightly-above-average, everyday players or quite possibly both. 

Honestly, I'm not sure what's going to happen next, but I am willing to wager that if it doesn't work, both Zduriencik and McClendon will be gone sooner rather than later.

Until then, I will remain cautiously optimistic, hoping some day that the addition of McClendon and the moves made by Zduriencik this winter work out for the best. 

What other choice do we have?

For now, all we can do is sift through the endless string of rumors and patiently wait for the drama to unfold.

The Seattle Seahawks have been struggling, sure, with confounding wins against the mediocre and underpowered Rams and the even lowlier Buccaneers.

But while Seahawks fans resort to the old "a win is a win" adage, other fans and critics are quick to point out the team's flaws: A very weak offensive line, a wide receiver corps that (so far) doesn't have a "star" receiver and a puzzling collapse in run defense have all been documented extensively across the past few weeks.

Seahawks fans, take heart: Even though a "win is a win," the Seahawks have a lot going for them as they enter the second half of the season.

The Schedule

The first thing we need to remember is that the schedule favors Seattle from here onward: They've played the most difficult portion of their schedule, and will now have contests against lower-tier teams like the Giants, the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings. Each of these teams has a total of two wins so far this season.

In fact, the only potential losses on the remaining schedule are at the 49ers and at home against the Saints.  The Rams and the Cardinals usually play Seattle tough, but both of these teams will be making a trip to CenturyLink Field at the end of their season, when many teams with .500 or under records start to look at next year.  If Seattle continues to win, ugly or pretty, a 13-3 record or higher is entirely possible.

Depth, Depth, and More Depth

Unlike many teams, the Seahawks have a near-astounding amount of roster depth.

Outside of the offensive line, the Seahawks have a wealth of riches on both sides of the ball. Marshawn Lynch is backed up by the massively biceped and astoundingly speedy Robert Turbin, and Christine Michael has shown promise.

Most NFL fans can name the members of the Legion of Boom: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Brandon Browner. But a well-kept secret in Seattle is that they have a large number of capable backups: Jeremy Lane, Jeron Johnson, Walter Thurmond, Byron Maxwell and Chris Maragos are all understudies who have seen a lot of playing time as well.

And, of course, the defensive line has transformed from the team's weakest link during last season to the team's strongest link this season, with free agents such as Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett joining the massive Red Bryant, Brandon Mebane and Chris Clemons.

Strengthening Rather than Weakening

In a time of the season where teams are scrambling for replacements, often signing players off of each others' practice squads, the Seahawks are building up to full strength on all sides of the ball.

Bobby Wagner is back. Bruce Irvin is back. Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini are on the way back to strengthen the offensive line. And, of course, the Seahawks are waiting for Percy Harvin and his game-breaking abilities to return as well.

When the playoffs come, there will be players who are fresh, having played less than a full schedule.

Russell Wilson

The Seahawks also have Russell Wilson.

No, he doesn't put up gaudy stats like Tony Romo or Peyton Manning. But Wilson is the soul of the team: He's unflappable, and even when the team plays poorly, or when he plays poorly, he still has the belief that he can win.

Indeed, time is really Wilson's only enemy—the time he has in the pocket, or the time he has at the end of the game. The Colts did an excellent job against Seattle by game-planning in such a way that Wilson essentially had no time to engineer a comeback.

But if teams don't plan for Wilson getting the ball at the end of the game, then he can hurt them. Badly.  Wilson already has nine fourth-quarter comebacks in his short career.  For a team to beat Seattle, they need to work on a blowout.  Since Wilson has taken over, the biggest "blowout" loss against Seattle was a 13-6 loss against the 49ers in 2012.

Who Are the 49ers?

Finally, the 49ers. It is hard to figure out just who they are at this point in time.

Are they the team that clobbered the Packers in Week 1? Are they the team that got clobbered against Seattle and Indianapolis by a combined score of 56-10? And what do we make of their current win streak, featuring wins against teams with a combined 13-28 record?

The 49ers have a trip to New Orleans, and home games against Seattle and a surprisingly resurgent Panthers team as well. Right now, the 49ers are an unknown.

So, rejoice, Seahawks fans. They haven't played  a complete game since Week 2 of this season, but there are plenty of reasons for Seattle to not only win the NFC West crown, but to advance deep into the playoffs. All the team has to do is put the pieces together, and they can be nearly unstoppable.

Perhaps I'm getting old, but if I'm not mistaken I could have sworn I saw former Mike Carp pinch hitting for the Boston Red Sox in both Games 3 and 4 of the World Series. 

Carp in case you may not remember, spent parts of four seasons with the Seattle Mariners and for a time two summers ago looked like a potential long-term fixture who the following spring was named the team's starting left fielder coming out of spring training. 

Naturally just when it seemed that Carp had finally "made" it, he injured his shoulder on Opening Day and spent the rest of the season scuffling to reclaim his job to no avail before the M's front office shipped him to Boston this past February. 

Strange to think this time a year earlier Carp was on the bubble with the Mariners, and it makes me wonder which players on this year's team still on the roster may have technically played their final game for Seattle.

To this point the Mariners have already whittled down a lot of the players you would expect to see gone, including veterans Brendan Ryan, Mike Morse, Jason Bay, Jeremy Bonderman, Aaron Harang and Henry Blanco, most of whom were sent packing before the season ended.  

Meanwhile, if we look at the remaining roster, who exactly is left?

To be blunt, with the exceptions of Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma and Kyle Seager, I'm not sure I'd consider anyone a lock to return in 2014. 

Yet if you take Howard Lincoln at his word going back a few weeks ago during his one-on-one interview with Ryan Divish of The Tacoma News Tribune, it would seem his list is a little bit longer than mine:

If I go around the infield [Kyle] Seager, [Brad] Miller, [Nick] Franklin, [Justin] Smoak, [Mike] Zunino – I think that’s our future. As I look at the starting pitching, not only Felix [Hernandez], but [Hisashi] Iwakuma had a fabulous year. And we’ve got guys like [James] Paxton, Taijuan Walker and [Brandon] Maurer and [Erasmo] Ramirez – we’ve got a solid foundation there.

In total that's 11 players, which still leaves more than half the big league roster in limbo. 

At first glance when I start to think of players the team may not bring back next season, I focus mostly on the veterans.  Players like Endy Chavez, Franklin Gutierrez, Raul Ibanez, Oliver Perez, Joe Saunders and Kendrys Morales are one way or another too old, too fragile or too expensive.

I can't see the front office bending over backward to get any of these players with the possible exception of Morales who decided he'd rather test the free-agent market than accept the team's qualifying offer.  Beyond him, everyone else will need to probably need to think twice before asking for too much money this winter if they wish to come back to Seattle.  

Honestly though, I'm not sure if any of those players are worth losing much sleep over. 

It's the players beyond the core that Howard Lincoln outlined and veterans that intrigue me far more.

Players that roughly make up both the M's outfield and bullpen.

While I do believe there is a fair amount of talent spread between both groups (mostly in the bullpen), it's hard to argue with Lincoln's exclusions here, as no one should be considered safe between now and the start of next season.       

In the outfield I'd imagine Abraham Almonte will be given a chance to build upon his September audition, but the real question is: What do you do with either Michael Saunders or Dustin Ackley?

Going back to where we started, it's sad to think that Mike Carp's numbers this season were arguably better than both Saunders and Ackley (ESPN.com), especially when you realize that Carp did it in barely half a season of games.  

Granted that's just one example, but beyond Ackley's positional flexibility, Saunders' raw tools and the fact the Mariners have no one else to play in the outfield, I still can't rule out the potential to see one of them bundled in a deal this winter. 

Same goes for the bullpen with an endless cast of relievers I'd imagine Jack Zduriencik will have a tough time sorting through.

Beyond Charlie Furbush and youngsters like Carter Capps, Yoervis Medina and Stephen Pryor, I can't see anyone else as being safe here either.  Names like Tom Wilhelmsen, Blake Beavan or Bobby LaFromboise could all be moved if the right deal comes along, but much like the situation in the outfield, it's hard to weigh positives versus the negatives.

Long story short, it's anyone's guess what may happen this winter.  However I think it's safe to say that general manager Jack Zduriencik will have his work cut out for him in deciding who to keep and who to cut loose. 

The roster we see today will likely change simply because it has to, as the team stinks and this is Jack Z's last chance to save his job. 

So whether it's someone we all expect like Endy Chavez or someone a bit surprising like Tom Wilhelmsen, the time will come this winter where someone will be sent packing. 

Let's just hope it doesn't come back to haunt the Mariners. 

While one can argue that the loss of Mike Carp isn't significant in the grand scheme of the universe, the sad thing is the Mariners still could have used him this year. 

Who knew that one team's trash would serve as a solid contributor off the bench for a World Series winner?

The autumn wind that whispers through the trees of the Pacific Northwest has once again started to haunt the Seattle Mariners as they find themselves at a crossroads.  

After five years of trying to help rebuild the Mariners, general manager Jack Zduriencik is running short on time and excuses as the ballclub continues to go nowhere fast. 

Strange to think that this time just a few years earlier Zduriencik appeared poised to right the ship in a little more than a year's time.  After coming aboard and helping the M's post a winning record straight away in 2009, 2010 seemed all the more promising following moves that added Cliff Lee, Milton Bradley and Chone Figgins to the Seattle roster.

Unfortunately, what happened next was nothing short of disaster.  

It was so bad that Zduriencik has been trying to pick up the pieces ever since.  

Initially, it seemed the Mariners would continue to rebuild from scratch through the amateur draft and trading for high-profile prospects that over time would help fill in the gaps following the disaster of 2010; however, in the years that have followed, that plan has yet to generate tangible results.  

Two seasons of "playing the kids" in 2011 and 2012 yielded nothing, but with Figgins still on the books Zduriencik came across as a man haunted by his past each offseason when it came to free agency.

Whether the Mariners were being cost conscious or players simply considered Seattle a black hole mattered little as big-name free agents avoided signing, especially hitters.  

Yet each of the past three offseasons, the M's have been linked to arguably the best free-agent hitter available. 

In 2011, early whispers had Prince Fielder coming to Seattle and by December Seattle Times scribe Steve Kelley was basically shouting from the top of the Space Needle to sign him:

The city is looking for a sign from this franchise that it isn't going to surrender to the Angels' boldness. It isn't going to concede the division, year after year, to Texas or Los Angeles.

The Mariners have to change the way they are perceived in Seattle and throughout baseball.

They need a booming bat like Fielder's that can alter the way pitchers approach their batting order. Fielder, 27, is the 38 home runs and 120 RBI in the middle of the order the Mariners haven't had since Alex Rodriguez left.

In 2012, the whispers had Josh Hamilton coming instead, and true to form, Kelley once again lamented the M's missing out:

The Mariners could have had Josh Hamilton. They could have had his 40-plus home runs. Finally they could have had a serious anchor in the middle of the order, and they could have given fans a serious reason to come to Safeco Field.

I don't want to hear that familiar Mariners mumbo-jumbo that Hamilton didn't want to come to Seattle, didn't like the geography or the climate or the new Ferris wheel. Good front offices find ways to make these deals. Good front offices know how to recruit as well as John Calipari.

This year, I'm already lamenting the fact that Kelley who retired back in January won't be around to make his annual heartfelt appeal for one Jacoby Ellsbury. 

In case you haven't heard, Ellsbury is this year's crush thanks in large part to Ken Rosenthal's bold prediction earlier this month linking the Boston Red Sox outfielder to Seattle. 

But even without Rosenthal's prediction, odds are we would be talking about Ellsbury regardless given the Mariners burning need for help in the outfield. 

It's at this point I truly feel that general manager Jack Zduriencik, largely of his own doing mind you, is in a no-win situation.

So, while there seem to be no lack of big decisions that need to be made this particular offseason, the story this winter will largely hinge upon Ellsbury and whether the Mariners sign him or not. 

From that point onward, the biggest decision/question becomes an either-or scenario.

If the M's get him, can they build around him?

If they miss out on him, can they recover?

Meanwhile, whether you like Ellsbury or not, it just feels like we're all being set up, including Ellsbury.  

Fortunately for him, he will likely have the final say.  As for the rest of us, it's hard to tell which scenario is better or worse. 

Is Ellsbury capable of being the face of the franchise? 

Perhaps more importantly, is he capable of being the face of this franchise?

Expectations will likely be unreal and perhaps unfair if he signs for the money Rosenthal projected or anything even approaching it.  Even if Ellsbury is as good as advertised, can he be enough of a difference-maker to push the Mariners past simply being a mediocre team?

In many ways, I can't escape the potential for Ellsbury's time in Seattle to rival that of Ichiro's final years with the Mariners.  Both players capably serving as catalysts, only to be stranded time and again by an inept supporting cast.

To be painfully blunt, it's one thing to have Dustin Pedroia hitting behind you—it's another to have Dustin Ackley instead.

For the Mariners, signing Ellsbury may be a good starting point this winter, but that move by itself simply won't be enough to move the needle unless the team plans to clone him several times over. 

All jokes aside, what will happen if Ellsbury decides to sign elsewhere?

Beyond those who will carry the torch of Steve Kelley in the immediate aftermath lamenting yet another missed opportunity at buying this year's superstar free agent, I'd imagine most of us will resign ourselves to another long cold winter spent pondering whether the current wave of youngsters is capable of stepping up next year. 

While we wait, one would hope that Jack Z has Plans B and C ready to go, but I'm not entirely confident that will happen.  Zduriencik in recent years seems like a guy who has lost a few miles per hour off his fastball and can't quite get his mojo back as the majority of his moves both attempted and actualized have backfired.  

There was a time I might have pitied him, but those days have long since passed.   

All I can say now is that there needs to be a plan, it needs to come together and it had better work.  That's no small order especially when you consider that signing Ellsbury seems like a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" proposition. 

Honestly, I'm curious to see how things unfold as it's been a rough ride the past several years and you get the sense that something's got to give.  Then again, it seemed that way last year and the year prior when it comes to big-ticket offseason moves. 

Two years ago, I wanted the Mariners to sign Fielder.

Last year, I wanted them to avoid Hamilton.

This year, I still don't know what to think of Ellsbury. 

I can see both positives and negatives to him either signing here or elsewhere.  What's hard for me to separate is whether he makes sense or whether the idea of him makes sense for the Mariners.  It's a question that I can't answer today, and I find that a bit vexing.

The good news is that I don't get to decide. 

The bad news is that Zduriencik does. 

This decision will likely be the biggest he ever makes in Seattle.  Let's just hope he gets it right.

"What's next?"

With the passing of Seattle Mariners owner Hiroshi Yamauchi last week in Japan at the age of 85, that one question has been on the minds of Mariners fans all throughout the Pacific Northwest. 

If you had asked me this question a week ago, I'd have probably either shrugged or laughed before offering a simplified game plan for the team and whoever is going to be the general manager this winter.

Over the weekend, however, I couldn't help but wonder whether the Mariners' current ownership group will now sell the team or continue with doing business as usual. 

For now, it seems little will change based on what Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln told Patti Payne of the Puget Sound Business Journal within days of Yamauchi's passing:

"There are no plans to sell (Nintendo of America’s) majority interest in the team,” Lincoln said.

Nintendo’s interest is the same as Yamauchi’s, according to Lincoln. “I can't tell you what’s going to happen in the future, but now Nintendo feels very strongly that Nintendo wants to maintain its ownership interest in the Mariners.”

And what about the group of minority owners of the team? Lincoln observes it is a steady group of committed owners.

“I think all the members of our ownership group feel the same way. It’s basically the same group of people. Other than the fact that John Stanton acquired his (minority) interest from John McCaw (in 2002), and Mr. Yamauchi transferred his majority interest (in 2004), our group has remained the same. And it is very, very stable. In all those years since 1992, either under (now Mariners chairman emeritus) John Ellis or myself, we have had monthly ownership meetings. In all those meetings, we have never really had serious disagreement, never had a split in the ownership group. That in itself is a clear indication of how strongly the ownership group is committed to Seattle and the Northwest.”

With that matter settled and the fact that team president Chuck Armstrong confirmed on Tuesday that general manager Jack Zduriencik will be back next year, according to The Seattle Times, we can ask, "When exactly will the Mariners realistically contend again?"

It's been more than a decade now since the M's had a genuine shot at the postseason, and based on their current roster, it looks like we may have another decade of waiting in front of us.  

"But wait," you say. "We have Felix Hernandez, a fresh batch of youngsters and a ton of money to spend this winter. Can't the Mariners catch lightning in a bottle with a few smart moves and a whole lot of luck?"

While I like to believe anything can happen, I'm not going to hold my breath with this team.  

Beyond Felix, Hisashi Iwakuma and Kyle Seager, it's hard to tell what else the Mariners have to offer, as far as bankable talent is concerned.

Yes, there are plenty of prospects who at times have showed potential, but potential is a double-edged sword with this group.  One minute, Nick Franklin looks like the second baseman of the future; the next, he's mired in a horrible slump while occasionally "getting rest" or shifting to shortstop so the man he replaced, Dustin Ackley, can play at second base.

Speaking of Ackley, what exactly does he bring to the table at this point?

Based on what I'm seeing from him and the rest of his young teammates, this is a Seattle team loaded with 7-8-9 hitters. 

They have players who can occasionally get a hit and even have a little bit of power, but no one you would feel comfortable with as a catalyst hitting atop the lineup or in helping to drive in runs for the heart of the order.  

In time, someone like Mike Zunino may mature into a cleanup hitter, but that may take years before he becomes the kind of hitter the team can rely on.  The same could be said for just about any of the other Mariners' prospects we've seen promoted the past year, whether it's Franklin, Brad Miller, Abraham Almonte or even pitchers like Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Brandon Maurer.  

In fairness, not every prospect bursts out of the gate upon reaching the majors.  When you also factor in that some of these young men players have been rushed up the organizational ladder, like Maurer and Zunino, it's hard to say how they will respond in their second or third seasons. 

All we can do is cross our fingers and wait. 

And what if the Mariners sign Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo and Tim Lincecum?

It's fun to think of Ellsbury leading off while Choo helps hit cleanup and Lincecum returns to form as a Cy Young Award contender, but even if general manager Jack Zduriencik gets the green light to spend and signs several top free agents who can stay healthy, does that make the Mariners contenders?

If the Mariners sign a certain player, trade for another, have the kids produce and if everyone can stay healthy, then sure...why not?

That's a lot of "ifs" to string together, however, and it's not too different from how things sounded at the beginning of this season.  

To this point in his tenure, Jack Zduriencik and his staff have yet to consistently identify or cultivate full-grown major league talent capable of forming a potentially winning nucleus.

Sadly, the M's current roster does not inspire much hope for the near future.  Plugging in a few free agents will not be enough to compensate for the shortcomings of a young lineup still learning how to play the game.  

In short, whether Jack Z stays in Seattle beyond 2014 or not, it will probably take at least another five years before the Mariners can field a winner capable of more than merely pushing past .500 or staying in the hunt for a wild card beyond August.

The only way that I can see this timetable being accelerated is if the team was sold to a new owner who literally bursts on the scene and changes everything we know about the Mariners franchise.  I'm talking about an owner who would do anything and everything short of taking down Safeco Field brick by brick while putting people in place all throughout the organization who are capable of carrying out his vision. 

Essentially, someone very different from Hiroshi Yamauchi. 

What's particularly sad is that all of these years of making Yamauchi out to be the villain were, in some ways, a bit misguided, as he really wasn't a bad man. He made a donation to the city of Seattle as a means of saying thanks to save the Mariners, yet beyond that, the details of his involvement with the team are fuzzy memories, at best, depending on who you talk to. 

Moving forward, though, for the Mariners will need an owner that offers far more than a donation to field a winner in less than a decade. 

That's not to say the Mariners need a George Steinbrenner or an Al Davis figure so much as someone capable of making some tough decisions with little or no remorse and with a clear vision of the future backed up by smart people, some serious money and an uncompromising commitment to winning. 

Does such a person exist?

Perhaps, but we may not get a chance to find out for years to come, as Lincoln and Armstrong appear to be more entrenched than ever in running the ballclub.

Today, that is bitter pill to swallow, but it shouldn't come as a shock. 

In many ways, it's a shame of what has become of the Mariners, especially when you look across the street at what both the Seahawks and Sounders have achieved in recent years in Seattle.

Seattle is no longer a city that is simply satisfied to have professional sports. It's a city with fans who want to see a winner, or at least be given some tangible sense of excitement and hope.  Both the 'Hawks and Sounders have done great jobs to not only improve their products on the field, but even more importantly, they have made significant strides in making their fans feel that they are a part of their teams' success. 

Until the Mariners understand that fans want more than a big scoreboard, another worthless trinket handed to them at the gate and the constant reminders of the team's once-storied past, this franchise will remain irrelevant or worse...a sad punchline.

When will the Mariners realistically contend again?

Until the franchise is stripped down and rebuilt from scratch, it's going to be a long time—a very, very long time.