Rosenthal: Swapping Figgins for Ichiro at leadoff could revive Mariners’ offense

The truth, though no one dares say it around the Mariners, is that hitting behind Ichiro isn’t easy. Ichiro’s goal is not to get on base, but to get on base with a hit, collect 200 hits a season. He is unpredictable, playing at his own rhythm. And when he starts an inning with a quick at-bat — Ichiro ranked near the bottom in pitches per plate appearance among leadoff men last season — the No. 2 hitter is in a difficult spot.

At that point, a rival hitting coach explained, the No. 2 hitter is almost forced to be patient, or the pitcher will stand a good chance of breezing through the inning. Someone has to work counts, especially in the first inning when pitchers often are at their most vulnerable. And that task shouldn’t fall to the No. 3 hitter.

...The numbers indicate Figgins has lost his way. He is chasing more pitches out of the strike zone than he did with the Angels, and his walk rate declined markedly in each of his first two seasons with the Mariners. Yet, Figgins maintains he still isn’t aggressive enough.

“Being in that spot and understanding that Ichiro is an aggressive player — that’s what makes him great — I need to understand that when he is aggressive, I need to be aggressive, too,” Figgins said. “A lot of times I get behind in the count too much.”

But isn’t patience his game?

“That’s the adjustment I have to understand and make,” Figgins said. “There were spots in 2010 and last year where I got better at it, got back on track because I was being more aggressive. I’m still having my patient tendencies. But at certain times, I have to be more aggressive. Early in the game, I have to be more aggressive.”

Thanks to Butch.

Fangraphs: Dave Cameron’s Top 10 Transactions

#6signing

#6 -Yankees Sign Hiroki Kuroda for 1/$10M

Remember how acquiring Pineda left the Yankees room to upgrade elsewhere? Meet elsewhere. Kuroda isn’t a spring chicken anymore, but his combination of strikes and ground balls have made him one of the game’s better starting pitchers since arriving in the U.S. With the rotation depth that they have, they don’t need to get 35 starts from Kuorda, so they can afford to deal with some nagging injuries or missed starts from time to time. Having another quality starter who can pound the zone and get hitters out from both sides of the plate will greatly increase their odds of going deep in the playoffs, and on a one year commitment, it’s hard to go wrong with a pitcher of this quality.

Hong-Chih Kuo agrees to one-year deal with Mariners

Sorry, we’ve moved on to Jeremy Lin.

Hong-Chih Kuo has parlayed reported interest from multiple teams into a major-league contract with the Mariners, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.

After three years as one of the most dominant relievers in baseball Kuo was awful last year, allowing 29 runs in 27 innings. As usual he missed a ton of bats, racking up 36 strikeouts, but Kuo struggled to throw strikes with 23 walks and also battled anxiety issues.

Tino Martinez savors place in Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame

Woo-hoo! Next stop, the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame!

Tino Martinez only met Ted Williams once, a chance passing at Fenway Park in the early 1990s when Martinez was first establishing himself as a major-leaguer. Martinez, the quiet kid from Tampa, stumbled through a forgettable version of hello; Williams, the game’s pre-eminent expert on hitting, replied with words as memorable now as that afternoon:

‘‘You’ve got a great swing.”

Martinez swung that way for most of 16 seasons, piling up strong numbers (a .271 average, 339 homers, 1,271 RBIs) and, most impressively, four World Series championships. And Friday, in a ceremony at Tropicana Field, Martinez will be inducted into the Ted Williams Hitters Hall of Fame.

“Obviously I’m not going to the major-league baseball Hall of Fame, but to be considered and have the criteria to get into the Ted Williams Hall is quite an honor,” Martinez said. “I can’t think of anything better, (other) than the major-league baseball Hall of Fame, than the Ted Williams Hall.”

...And there was talk of catching on somewhere to get to 2,000 hits — he finished with 1,925, plus 83 in the postseason — but decided, “You don’t stick around for the numbers.”

RLYW: Too-Early Marcel 2012 Season Forecast

Crikey, such excitement in the NL West!

This is current through Francisco Cordero signing with Toronto, and assumes Prince Fielder at 1B and Miguel Cabrera playing a terrible version of 3B for Detroit in 70% of their games, and DHing in 25% of them.

Bobby Valentine not surprised by Montero trade

Special Valentine’s Surprise encourages you to celebrate all the sweet blabbering that is Valentine’s Day!

Seeing the Yankees trade their young catcher, Jesus Montero, didn’t come as a surprise to new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine.

“I thought that was kind of in their plans,” Valentine said on Sunday at Rippowam Middle School in his hometown of Stamford, Conn. “He helped their plans come to fruition by the way he played that last month of the season. I didn’t really ever think he was going to be their catcher of the future but maybe.”

...While Valentine said the trade didn’t surprise him, he did not elaborate on why. The Yankees also traded away reliever Hector Noesi in the deal and received a minor league pitcher.

“I don’t know,” Valentine said when asked if he thought Montero was going to be used as a trade chip in the future. “I don’t know what the Yankees are doing, I think Brian (Cashman) is a real smart guy, one of the great managers in the game of baseball, and I don’t know what his plan was.”

Baseball America’s Top 10 Prospects: Seattle Mariners

Come, take up the bat, and follow me.

1. Jesus Montero, c
2. Taijuan Walker, rhp
3. Danny Hultzen, lhp
4. James Paxton, lhp
5. Nick Franklin, 2b/ss
6. Francisco Martinez, 3b
7. Chance Ruffin, rhp
8. Tom Wilhelmsen, rhp
9. Vinnie Catricala, 3b/1b/of
10. Phillips Castillo, of

The strength of the system now clearly lies with its pitching, a fact that became even more pronounced when Seattle used the No. 2 overall pick in the draft on polished lefthander Danny Hultzen. In November, the Mariners hired Padres director of player personnel Chris Gwynn as farm director. Replacing Pedro Grifol, who now will manage the club’s high Class A High Desert affiliate, Gwynn will oversee the development of Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Co.

Mariners may move Ichiro from leadoff spot

For 11 seasons, Ichiro Suzuki has been the Mariners’ leadoff hitter. In his 1,749 major-league games, there have been just a few dozen in which Ichiro wasn’t the first player in the Seattle lineup.

That may change this coming season. In fact, if Manager Eric Wedge can find the right batting combination, there’s a “good possibility” Ichiro will be batting somewhere else in the lineup, he told 710 ESPN Seattle radio on Wednesday evening.

“If you had to put a gun to my head right now, I’d probably be leaning in that direction, but I’m not going to just close myself off until Spring Training,” Wedge told the radio station.

So, who else might lead off for the Mariners? Maybe Dustin Ackley. Maybe Franklin Gutierrez. Maybe even Chone Figgins — if he can remember what a baseball bat is.

...Whoever gets the leadoff spot, Wedge know what he wants to see.

“I want him to get on base, I want him to see pitches, I want him to help the number-two-hole hitter, the number-three-hole hitter, the four-hole hitter,” Wedge told ESPN Seattle radio during Wednesday evening’s Sports Star of the Year awards banquet at Benaroya Hall.

“So we’ll see. Ichiro is very unique, but I’ve been very frank with him and very clear in regard to what I’m looking to do, so we’ll see.”

Thanks to Tonnage.

U.S.S. Mariner: Mariners Sign Kevin Millwood

As Butch just said…“Nothing smells better than an unfurled pennant flag.”

At 37, he’s been around the block a bunch. Wedge and Willis know him from his time in Cleveland. And, if there’s one thing you can say about Millwood, it’s that he’s always been a guy you could count on to rack up innings. Before last season (when he spent the first few months on the sidelines waiting for someone to give him a job), he’d thrown 150+ innings every year since 2005. Declining stuff has meant that the quality of those innings have gone from being good to just okay, but even at his worst, he’s never posted xFIP higher than 4.86, and he was actually pretty good in limited time with the Rockies last year.

From 2009-2011, he posted the following line:

7.5% BB%, 15.2% K%, 40.1% GB%, 11.5% HR/FB, .294 BABIP, 98 ERA-, 107 FIP-, 105 xFIP-

He’s basically been a pretty generic MLB starter, posting a walk rate right around league average and a strikeout rate just a tick below that. His ERA has been slightly better than his peripherals would suggest, even with the inflated home run rate, but all three of the minus stats (remember, 100 is average, and like with ERA, lower is better) put him right around the average-ish starter mark. Any basic projection of his 2012 performance will start with that performance and then take a bit off to account for the fact that he is getting older, but even at 37, Millwood’s still a useful fifth starter in the big leagues – if he stays healthy and throws 150 innings, he’s probably something like a +1 win pitcher next year.

Bronx Banter: DeRosa: Leave the Gun. Take the Cannoli.

Oh, my good goodness gracious! Of all the dramatic things I’ve ever seen. Clemenza standing right in…the way of a Montero/Pineda thought!

So when I heard Jesus Montero was traded for Michael Pineda, I felt like we were trading a neck for a necktie. Sure, the tie is important, but without the neck, what’s the point?

Even without the catching, I’ll take Montero’s simple, solid bat over the complex musculature of Pineda’s throwing arm. You can watch Montero hit every game, all season long. There’s no better way to interface with a team than through a star hitter, especially for a young fan, because he’s always in the lineup.

I understand that having Pineda in the rotation probably makes the 2012 Yankees a better team than they would have been with Montero as the DH. But in 2013? And 2014?

Arod and Teixeira are already fractions of what they once were and they will be declining in the lineup for years to come. The Yankees have one big hitter in his prime, Cano, who is fierce but not flawless. You don’t have to squint too hard to see a Yankee team desperate for hitting.

The more I think about the trade, the more comfortable I am with Cashman’s logic and his vision. But I am firmly on the Montero side of the debate. It boils down to this: if they both become stars, I’d want Montero to be a Yankee.

Oakland manager Melvin excited about Japan series

The Athletics and Seattle Mariners open the regular season with a two-game series at Tokyo Dome on March 28-29. Many hoped the series would feature a showdown between Matsui and countryman Ichiro Suzuki, but Melvin said the A’s likely wont be re-signing the 37-year-old free agent Matsui.

“Matsui was a great fit for us last year and we all loved having him on our team,’’ Melvin said at a press conference on Monday to promote the series. “But this year it doesn’t look like a fit for us based on the personnel we have going forward.’‘

...Suzuki also had a down season in 2011. For the first time in his career, He failed to reach 200 hits - finishing with 184 - and hit a career-worst .272. Other numbers were lower too, including on-base percentage, infield hits and home runs, while he struck out a career-high 69 times.

Former Seattle star Ken Griffey Jr., who now serves as a special consultant to the Mariners, said he expects Suzuki to bounce back this season.

“Ichiro is going to be fine, you can ask these two guys (Melvin, Wedge) if a guy had 184 hits they wouldn’t be complaining,’’ Griffey said. “But you are looking at a guy who is a special athlete. He had one hiccup in his career and come this time next year we won’t even be talking about this. He is going to come into this season determined and with a little fire.’‘

Hiccup?...That was a freakin’ Dave McNally tally if ever!

MLB Trade Rumors: Bartolo Colon Agrees to Sign With Unknown Team

Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown club reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The right-hander wouldn’t divulge the team because he has not yet passed his physical.

Pretty sure it’s either the All-Stars or the Champs.

Goldman: The Montero-Pineda Trade: Rotation Upgrade at a Sustainable Cost

Or as Barnald points out…“But this is the part of the upgrade that scares me!”

Pineda’s fastball sits around 95 and goes higher, and he has a swing-and-miss slider to go with it. There is also a changeup, but it’s notional and—well, you know all of this stuff if you’ve been on line at all today. Here are the negatives you’re going to hear about:

• He dominated right-handed hitters, but the lack of a good change means that lefties hit, well, still not well, but better.
• His ERA was 2.92 in pitcher-friendly Safeco, 4.40 on the road.
• His first-half ERA was 3.03, his second-half ERA was 5.12.
• He has fly-ball tendencies, which is a problem in Yankee Stadium.
• Batters hit .261 on balls in play, and such things don’t last.
• They could have gotten Cliff Lee or Felix Hernandez for him.
• He could get hurt.
• He cost the Yankees Jesus Montero, a very fine young hitter.

Yankees trade Jesus Montero to Mariners for Michael Pineda

Jay Buhner was unavailable for comment.

Sorry, fans: No televised Mariners games for most of Alaska

Yeah, but can’t you see Moscow Tornados games from Alaska?

Thanks to a media contract dispute and Major League Baseball’s infuriating television blackout zones, Seattle Mariners fans who live in Alaska will have an extremely difficult time watching live games played by their favorite team next season.

Alaska’s largest cable provider, GCI, decided not to renew its contract with Root Sports, the MLB-licensed “Regional Sports Network” that exclusively televises the majority of games in a Seattle Mariners season, and instead has signed up with MLB Network.

GCI told the trade publication Multichannel News that Root Sports was asking for too much of a price hike to renew the contract. Root has countered by blaming GCI and telling people who are upset to switch their service to a competitor.

That decision should please non-Mariners fans because MLB Network features a huge variety of games and other content. But the problem for Mariners fans (aside from the team finishing above .500 just twice in the last eight years) is that MLB Network does not show Mariners games in Alaska due to its regional blackout policy.

On balance, Bud Selig has been good for baseball

I bring all this up because word came out this week that Selig, who has said he would retire at the end of this year, will be offered a contract extension at the owners meetings this week. And by all accounts, he’ll take it, adding at least two more years to his tenure as commissioner. He’s been on the job since 1992, and two more seasons would take Selig to his 80th birthday.

Blasts from the Past

With the Hall of Fame results being announced today, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and dig up some old scouting reports from the Baseball America archives on some of the ballot’s notable candidates. . .

8. Barry Larkin, ss, 21, 5-11, 175, R-R
Larkin looked right at home in AA, hitting .267 for Vermont. He didn’t show power (one home run in 255 at-bats), but that will come. The key for him was just getting his feet on the ground, and he was not overpowered by the high level of competition (21 strikeouts in 255 at-bats). He will have good power for a shortstop.

6. Edgar Martinez, 3b, 25, 5-11, 175, R-R
Martinez’s discipline will produce runs. He’s averaged 70 RBIs the last four years. In the field, he’s solid, with good reactions and the soft hands of a middle infielder.

Cameron: Adam Jones, Unfinished Product

I can’t imagine why the Braves would balk about trading their starting LF, a #3 starter AND “prime” pitching prospects for a new Jeff Francoeur…

The Kick Is Good!

Jack Wilson seems to be having fun on vacation.

Drayer: Why you do not trade Felix Hernandez right now

But deal Michael Pineda instead. (calls Schick Shadel Hospital…confirms bed for evening)

Michael Pineda does not just step into the ace role. It took Felix almost four years to turn into what we see today.

Pineda in the second half of the season was hardly dominating. Yes, they were keeping his pitch counts down, but do yourself a favor and go look at his post All-Star numbers. What is most disturbing is that Pineda was focused on having an even better second half than first. He told me after the All-Star Game that is what he would be most proud of. If he could finish strong knowing that hitters had seen him, Hernandez would consider that to be as big as winning the Rookie of the Year Award. He went in the other direction. All that said, Pineda has a great chance to turn into an ace, it is just going to take time. Felix is there and is showing no sign of slowing down.

...If I am trading pitching, I am trading Pineda. Why? Because he is replaceable. There is a very good chance that by the end of next season Danny Hultzen could be Michael Pineda on the hill in regards to development, path, and what he brings to the rotation. If you trade Felix no one is close to being what he is, an established ace who has suffered through the growing pains, who has learned the league and is committed to his team and community. That is what he is now and what he should be for some time to come.

I am not saying you don’t listen to offers. I am saying you darn well better know what you have, both now and potentially in the future before you make a move. I believe Zduriencik does and that is why he says he will not trade Felix.

Stone: Is a “blatant money grab” the only way Prince Fielder comes to Seattle?

No…there’s also the frolicky Seattle Steampunk Exhibition Ball coming up!

Ken Rosenthal of FOX wrote something today that I found very interesting, and frankly a little irritating. But definitely worthy of discussion. I have a funny feeling this will inspire a lot of reaction.

The story, basically, is about how the Cubs make much more sense for Fielder than the Mariners because the M’s have nothing to offer Fielder. The only possible reason Fielder would choose Seattle over the Cubs is “a blatant money grab,’’ Rosenthal concludes.

...I don’t want to sound like a Mariners honk. Their organization is rife with problems, and has a recent history of extremely poor decision making. They’ve dug themselves a tremendous hole that makes luring free agents even more difficult than it inherently is by mere virtue of geography. But couldn’t Fielder envision himself being part of a turnaround that reverts Seattle back to being the vibrant baseball town it once was? If Prince was still talking to his dad, Cecil, he could ask him about how it used to be in 1995 and 1997—and that was before Safeco Field went up.

Yes, money will be a huge factor with Fielder, as with every free agent. The Mariners would have to swallow hard and pay an exorbinant amount of dough for a lot of years to land Fielder. But if he led a renaissance of the team that led to contention, a full stadium, and maybe playoffs and even championships down the road, would anyone call it a “money grab” then?

If Braun’s positive PED test is upheld, baseball writers should demand re-vote for NL MVP

Geoff Baker…proving that the World Anti-Dope Agency is, in fact, not working!

If it creates a headache for MLB, too bad. If it embarrasses the player, well, maybe they’ll think twice the next time before going down that road.

Hey, if this could in any way serve as a deterrent to players taking PEDs, then MLB and the union should be all for it. It’s not really their call anyway. The BBWAA will be the one deciding the rules for its own awards.

Again, if Braun wins on appeal, he can keep the MVP award.

But even if he does win, the BBWAA should immediately inform baseball officials that this will be the rule going forward. Anyone who tests positive before voting results are announced will be subjected to a re-vote.

It’s bad enough voters are being asked to judge the Hall of Fame legacies of long-retired players suspected of boosting their performance outside the rules. They shouldn’t have to become defacto conspirators with Major League Baseball in giving awards out to current players that top officials knew ahead of time were about to be taken down by scandal.

Wedge ‘not sure’ if Ichiro will still lead off

Wedge indicated on Tuesday in his meeting with the media at the Winter Meetings that Ichiro’s role could indeed be changing after 11 seasons almost exclusively as the club’s leadoff hitter.

“I’m still not sure where I’m going to hit him in the order, and I want him to understand that,” Wedge said. “Because ultimately I’m going to do what is best for our club. I’m going to put out the best nine in the order I see fit to score as many runs as we can.

“If I feel like that is him leading off, then that’s what we’re going to do. If I feel like that’s him hitting in the three-hole, then that’s what I’m going to do. If it’s him hitting somewhere else, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

Wedge said that based on a conversation he had with Ichiro last year, the 38-year-old will be open to any change.

“He told me last year in the middle of the season that he wants to do whatever is best for the ballclub and he wants me to do whatever I feel is best for the ballclub,” Wedge said. “I take him at his word, and that’s what I’m going to do. He’s been tremendous—he’s been communicative with me, and I appreciate that. We’re looking to build a winner and championship club, here and that’s my entire focus.”

Thanks to Benny.

Mariners Blog | Albert Pujols signing by Mariners’ rival is a huge wakeup call | Seattle Times Newspaper

As everyone knows, statheads are a monolithic collection of cellar-dwelling nerds working in unison to craft a reality that conforms with a worldview that only values things which can be quantified. Every reporter who belongs to the BBWAA knows this as fact and is compelled by their association to thwart the stathead aims.

Or, Geoff Baker shouldn’t be making blanket accusations and, instead, should directly address the people whose claims he disagrees with.

Interpreting Scott Boras’ Comments On Prince Fielder: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

The big concern for anyone signing Prince is that he will age like his father.

There has been some talk of Boras trying to get Fielder signed to a three or four year contract, so that Prince gets another bite at the free agency apple. That strategy, I would think, would work best for teams and Prince’s long-term earnings. Of course, who knows what silly offer could already be on the table? I am just glad the Red Sox already have Adrian Gonzalez.

Rule V Results

1.Astros take Rhiner Cruz from Mets.
2.Twins take Terry Doyle from White Sox.
3.Mariners take Lucas Luetge from Brewers.
4.Orioles take Ryan Flaherty from Cubs.
5.Royals take Cesar Cabral from Red Sox; traded to Yankees for cash.
6.Cubs take Lendy Castillo from Phillies.
8.Pirates take Gustavo Nunez from Tigers.
  21.Braves take Robert Fish from Angels.
22.Cardinals take Erik Komatsu from Nationals.
23.Red Sox take Marwin Gonzalez from Cubs.
  25.Diamondbacks take Brett Lorin from Pirates.
  29.Yankees take Brad Meyers from Nationals.

Deducing Albert Pujols’ mystery team | HardballTalk

I don’t buy the Red Sox as the mystery team. Two teams that make sense to me are the Orioles and the Mariners. I can see Dan Duquette working to get a huge Hall-of-Fame bat for his team (see Manny Ramirez). The Mariners are reportedly in on Fielder. If they are willing to put the money up for Fielder, I can’t see why they wouldn’t be negotiating with Pujols.

If Stark’s hunch is right — that this mystery team can only sign Pujols with a deal in place to move its first baseman — then Boston seems like the obvious choice. What if Gonzalez has decided Boston isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? There was some issue in the newspapers about his lack of leadership during the team’s September collapse, and perhaps he’s not enamored with the choice of Bobby Valentine to manage. Also, he probably wasn’t pleased that the Red Sox came up short on Heath Bell after he apparently interceded on his former teammate’s behalf. Maybe?

I’m not really buying it. I think the Red Sox would rather have Gonzalez at $154 million for the next seven years — his age 30-36 seasons — than Pujols at $220 million for 10 years — his age 32-41 seasons. But the idea of trading Gonzalez, who has only partial no-trade protection, and signing Pujols isn’t all that far-fetched. The salaries would be essentially the same, and if the Red Sox could get legitimate talent back (how crazy would a Gonzalez-for-Hanley Ramirez deal be?) then maybe it’d be worth it.

Seattle Times: Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik says he’s “aware” of Japanese shortstop Munenori Kawasaki

But wouldn’t someone named Kawasaki want to play for the Swallows? And wear number 61?

Last night, Japanese shortstop Munenori Kawasaki of the champion Softbank Hawks announced at a press conference that he was becoming a free agent. Then, in an interesting twist, he told Japanese media that he wants to play in the major leagues, but only for the Mariners so he could team with Ichiro.

Not everyday the Mariners are flat out handed a free agent with zero competition. Especially one from Japan who won’t require a posting fee.

But would the Mariners want him?

DRaysBay: Report: Jose Molina Officially Signs With Rays

Good signing. I always liked him when he played “Will Bailey” on “West Wing.”

Rays deal with Jose Molina guarantees him $1.5 M in 2012, plus $1.5M team option or $300,000 buyout in 2013.

Remember, all this data is imprecise and should be taken as estimates of their defensive abilities; it’s not set-in-stone gospel. But even if you are generous and give Jaso the benefit of the doubt, it still looks like Molina’s defense is around a four win improvement over Jaso’s. That’s a massive difference, and the equivalent of signing David Ortiz (4.2 WAR in 2011) to play DH for the Rays. Yet something tells me Ortiz won’t be signing for a mere $1.8 million…

Lookout Landing: Mariners Trade Things For John Jaso

Super junk: Throwing things.

The trade, in case this is the first you’ve heard of it, is that Josh Lueke is going to the Rays, along with cash or a player to be named later, and that John Jaso is coming back. Minor league contracts aside, this is the first move of significance of the Mariners’ offseason.

...But for me, the pluses seem to outweigh the minuses here, and as minor a trade as this is in the grand scheme of things, it seems like the Zduriencik front office did well in addressing an area of weakness. In Jaso, the Mariners have a guy who can back up Olivo and handle enough time to - at least in theory - prevent Olivo from wearing down. Jaso’s presence could allow the M’s to trade Olivo during the year if they want to, and in the absolute best-case scenario, Jaso could even start for the M’s for a handful of years.

We shouldn’t count on that, and we should take into consideration the Rays’ willingness to move Jaso for what they did, but the Mariners are better behind the plate than they were a few hours ago. There’s a little less pressure and dependence on Adam Moore, now, and the same goes for Olivo. I’d say that’s a good thing. Jaso’s not perfect, but boy were the M’s ever not looking for perfect.