BlazersDozen wrote:I'd like the Mariners to be BUYERS, not sellers at the deadline.
This is something I hate about the baseball trade deadline. Teams who were good a year before but have down year due to injuries sell off all their quality veterans for prospects and probably only 33% of those prospects will play in the majors any time soon and when it comes to trading a superstar, the majority of the time 0% of those prospects will ever meassure up to the guy you traded.
Also, if you look at where selling can get you, just look at the Royals, Pirates, Orioles, Nationals. These teams sell sell sell year in and year out. They all have decent young talent on the offensive end of things but their pitching is horrible because you rarely get a stud pitching prospect in a trade when you're selling.
The main move I'd like to see is the Mariners trading Washburn for a good 3rd baseman then resign Wash in the offseason. I think baseball needs to start looking at things like the NBA and look towards the immediate future, not the 10 year future but next year. The Mariners are contending this season because of pitching, so add some offense in a trade this season FOR NEXT SEASON and go out in the offseason and add a good left field bat and Washburn and you'll be even better next season than you would be if you sell off half your pitching rotation, your top bullpen guy and one of only three players who is producing consistantly in your line up (Branyan)
The problem with making trades here, like the trading of Washburn, as you mentioned, is that we're 5 1/2 games back now. We're teetering on the edge of falling into the abyss of non-contention. Trading Washburn could send us over that edge in a matter of a week or two. It's that close, IMO.
We might be done here. Perhaps the only thing that still makes sense before the deadline is to trade a guy like Clement and one of our bullpen guys for....what? A better hitting shortstop? Who might that be now? Z has already made some smaller moves at 3rd base and the outfield.
I don't know. It's slim pickings here. I've already resigned myself to the notion that we wouldn't get much for Bedard, and it might be best for US to find out if he has much left to give the remainder of this season, and to attempt to resign him for a fair price in the off season. If we can't, or his late season performance doesn't warrant it, then we simply use such money to go shopping elsewhere for talent in the off season.
Anyway...
