Two years into a five-year, $64 million contract, Adrian Beltre has produced a .262 average, 44 home runs, and 176 RBIs. However, after the All Star break in 2006, Beltre slugged .552 with a whopping 18 home runs. Does this strong second half bode well for a turn-around in 2007, or will Mariners fans have to deal with 'A-Drain' once again? This blog intends to follow the 2007 season for Adrian Beltre, and the Seattle Mariners, and promises to hold no punches.
Surfing over to Yahoo! this morning, I saw two Mariners- related news items that made me blow my corn flakes.
First, the washed-up Arthur Rhodes has signed a one-year, $1 million minor league deal with the M's. This is a good deal- as long as he stays in the minor leagues. Perhaps Rhodes is relocating to the Northwest as that was the home of the greatest success of his career- 8-0, 1.72 in the Mariners' magical 116-win season of 2001. After leaving the M's after the 2003 season, Rhodes has sucked. Actually, the downward trend of his career began with his final season in a Mariners uniform, which included a 3-3 record and 4.17 ERA. Granted, Rhodes had a 2.08 ERA in 43 innings for the Indians in 2005, but the fact remains that Rhodes went 0-5 with an ERA north of 5.00 for the Phillies last year. He's six years removed from his most recent dominating season, and his presence in the Mariners bullpen doesn't bode well. I think picking up Horacio Ramirez was a nice addition for the M's rotation, but now it appears they gave up to much for Ramirez. Replacing the raw stuff of Rafael Soriano with the combined hacks of Rhodes and Chris Reitsma is too much, and a typical move you'd expect from a front office helmed by Bill Bavasi.
The other item probably doesn't rank much higher than rumors, but Jeff Weaver has been in talks with the Mariners about signing a one-year contract. Yes, the former first-round draft pick is expressing interest in making Safeco his new home. Granted, Weaver had all but re-upped with the team that garnered him a World Series ring yesterday- and was the new member of the Pirates' rotation the day before that- but now he's making googly eyes at the M's. It's a complicated dance to extract the msot amount of money from any possible team, and it's hard to believe the M's could offer Weaver more in a one-year contract than the Cardinals could in their two-year offer. However, I'm sure Weaver and his agent, Devil Incarnate Scott Boras, realize that the M's are lacking reliable starting pitching, so are doing whatever they can to get a deal most favorable on their terms. If a deal is successful, batters throughout the AL West will yell in joyful unison, as Weaver's awful, awful numbers as a member of the Angels staff last year- 6.29 ERA, .309 opponents' batting average, and 18 home runs in 89 innings- awaits a return to the AL West.
A rotation of Felix, Washburn, Batista, Weaver, and Ramirez is a testament to mediocrity and would be the M's most serious challenge of posing a run at the division. One the plus side, allstarters are experienced and should eat innings, thus sparing the involvement of the M's bullpen, which could stand to be even more of an embarrassment.
First, the washed-up Arthur Rhodes has signed a one-year, $1 million minor league deal with the M's. This is a good deal- as long as he stays in the minor leagues. Perhaps Rhodes is relocating to the Northwest as that was the home of the greatest success of his career- 8-0, 1.72 in the Mariners' magical 116-win season of 2001. After leaving the M's after the 2003 season, Rhodes has sucked. Actually, the downward trend of his career began with his final season in a Mariners uniform, which included a 3-3 record and 4.17 ERA. Granted, Rhodes had a 2.08 ERA in 43 innings for the Indians in 2005, but the fact remains that Rhodes went 0-5 with an ERA north of 5.00 for the Phillies last year. He's six years removed from his most recent dominating season, and his presence in the Mariners bullpen doesn't bode well. I think picking up Horacio Ramirez was a nice addition for the M's rotation, but now it appears they gave up to much for Ramirez. Replacing the raw stuff of Rafael Soriano with the combined hacks of Rhodes and Chris Reitsma is too much, and a typical move you'd expect from a front office helmed by Bill Bavasi.
The other item probably doesn't rank much higher than rumors, but Jeff Weaver has been in talks with the Mariners about signing a one-year contract. Yes, the former first-round draft pick is expressing interest in making Safeco his new home. Granted, Weaver had all but re-upped with the team that garnered him a World Series ring yesterday- and was the new member of the Pirates' rotation the day before that- but now he's making googly eyes at the M's. It's a complicated dance to extract the msot amount of money from any possible team, and it's hard to believe the M's could offer Weaver more in a one-year contract than the Cardinals could in their two-year offer. However, I'm sure Weaver and his agent, Devil Incarnate Scott Boras, realize that the M's are lacking reliable starting pitching, so are doing whatever they can to get a deal most favorable on their terms. If a deal is successful, batters throughout the AL West will yell in joyful unison, as Weaver's awful, awful numbers as a member of the Angels staff last year- 6.29 ERA, .309 opponents' batting average, and 18 home runs in 89 innings- awaits a return to the AL West.
A rotation of Felix, Washburn, Batista, Weaver, and Ramirez is a testament to mediocrity and would be the M's most serious challenge of posing a run at the division. One the plus side, allstarters are experienced and should eat innings, thus sparing the involvement of the M's bullpen, which could stand to be even more of an embarrassment.
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