Crosscut: Van Dyk: The M’s need a smarter management team

There is a core there which should be maintained but several expensive, waning players who should be traded or dumped outrightly, post haste.

Your heart goes out to McLaren, who has surrounded himself this season with what is perhaps the major leagues’ best coaching staff. He clearly is earnest and hardworking but probably more suited to being Lou Piniella’s No. 2, which he was for many years, than a premium leader in his own right. His awkward silences and explanations, during the team’s slow start, have been painful.

Bavasi comes on strong and leaves an impression of knowledgeability. But his track record, regrettably, indicates a lack of judgment about player talent and value. If someone has to go, and there is justice, Bavasi should walk the plank before McLaren.

In the end, of course, responsibility comes down to the people who own the Mariners and constitute the team’s senior management. So long as fans keep coming in large numbers, they are unlikely to take any decision action toward change. But if fans decide to spend their discretionary income elsewhere, stuff will happen.

Jose Lopez is becoming a truly good hitter....you mean the one who’s BA (.315) is higher than his OBP (.313)?