Season's Greetings!

As I write this, it's four days until Christmas. There is a nip in the air, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and everything I asked for is wrapped and nestled under the tree to be opened and enjoyed for Christmas. Everything, that is, except a top-of-the-line starter for the Seattle Mariners.

Seriously, we let Adam Eaton- coming off a 65-inning season- slip off to the Phillies? Were the M's even in the running for Jason Schmidt? Grrrr....

Regardless, I'm kind of glad the Mariners stayed mostly pat this off-season. Otherwise they would've made more stupid moves like the Jose Vidro trade. (Seriously, is this who they traded Doyle for? And for what reason- to be Jose Lopez's back-up? Ridiculous! Sure, Vidro may have been an All-Star in the past, but simply because of that arcane rule that every team, including some lousy Montreal Expos teams, need to have a representative.) And with the signing of Jose Guillen- and absence of Snelling- there will be a gaping hole in right field next year rather than center. I guess Jeremy Reed will be getting another chance to prove he belongs in the majors.

I've heard grumblings from some disappointed Mariners fans that General Manager Bill Bavasi is hoping to put a weak team on the field, and make the AL West division easier for California teams (namely Bill's former team, the Angels) to win. I don't necessarily buy it. But I am more interested in whether Bavasi has connections with the new ownership in D.C., which could offer why he's so willing to take the Nationals' dreck off their hands and burden the Mariners' roster with them instead.

Ultimately, if you break it down position-by-position, the Mariners have the best offense in the division. Yeah, you might make a case for Teixeira over Sexson, and Vlad is obvious, but otherwise you'd want a Mariner plugging those holes. The only thing keeping the Mariners from the division title this year will be the fact that the pitching needs another year to mature (the Angels still have the best staff) which is why I was hoping the M's would land a front-line starter, an "ace", which would propel them up over the edge to be a winner rather than a competitor.

Horacio Ramriez is a serviceable enough starter, and can more than make up for the departed Gil Meche or Joel Pineiro as a #4 man in the rotation. Miguel Batista I'm not too familiar with, even given his days with the Blue Jays. Still, last year he averaged 6.24 innings per start, better than Meche's 5.84 IP/GS stat. Batista screams league-average, but at least he'll give the Mariners' bullpen a slight break. I see Batista playing the Jamie Moyer "elder statesman" role, but with a rotation of him, Washburn, Ramriez, and Felix- unless Felix magically shows that he's ready to be a 17-game winner, 220-inning starter at the age of 21- this rotation is about as league-average as you can get, and that poses a problem for the Mariners' chances to win the division.

The Mariners' secret weapon in 2007 which will help their chances to compete will be their bull-pen depth. Losing Rafael Soriano to the Braves in the trade for Ramirez will hurt, as Soriano will no doubt be a sterling set-up man in Atlanta. Still, his shoes can easily be filled from the mix of Mark Lowe, Ryan Feierabend, and Francisco Cruceta. And keep an eye out for "Ranger-killer" Cha Seung Baek, who I think has the ability to surprise as the #5 man.

Regardless of the lousy players picked up by the Mariners this off-season- Jose Guillen will be this year's Matt Lawton- I am optimistic by the team's chances this year. I believe dividends will be seen from the wild off-season of a couple years ago, and Beltre and Sexson will help lead a solid offensive team. Of course, all of that would be nullified if the team plays Vidro too much, even as a full-time DH. (Isn't that the position that Ben Broussard best fits?)

Anyways, Happy Holidays to everyone, and keep an eye peeled for more updates and discussion of all things Mariners. Less than two months remain before pitchers and catchers report, and the countdown has officially started!