MLB 2012 - Mariner Madness

[Griever20]

K.C. Martin Takes Control in Seattle
stadiumreport.bbn

November 3rd, 2012

K.C. Martin has now officially taken over as GM and manager of the Seattle Mariners. His predecessor, Jesse Shroud, was let go yesterday after the Nationals clinched the World Series. His final season saw the team finish 67-95, a bit disappointing after an 86-win prediction from MLB.com in April.

"There's a lot of faith in him to do the job, but I'm not so sure how much rope he will get," said a Major League Baseball source close to the team, who wished to stay anonymous. "They're really counting on him to do the job," he added about the 26-year-old out of The United States.

Martin is an odd choice as GM as the 26-year old is a blue-collar guy that worked the for the prestigious Oakland Athletics front office and then made a surprise move to work for Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League.

The challenge ahead for Martin is clear. Build a championship team around 'King' Felix Hernandez, the 2010 AL Cy Young winner and owner of an 18-7 record with a 2.48ERA this year. He is one of the favorites to win the Cy Young again.

[Griever20]

So, first of all, I took quite a hiatus from the game and the forums due to some family stuff and getting a new, big job away from university and in the big business, so that took me away from OOTP baseball for quite a while.

What is the plan with this: Having some fun, going back to 2012, simming the season, and then taking over a vacant spot(in this case, the only vacant spot), and try to build something... or go down in flames.

The usual stuff:

Scouting: Normal

First-Year Player Draft: Changed to the beginning of June, eventual free agents from other leagues(i.e. Hyun-Jin Ryu) will get deleted from the draft pool, and imported as a free agent at the end of the season. There may be some 35-year olds in the draft pool still, but I'll try to fish for the big ones.

Additional Rookie Level League: All-Year Rookie League!
Starts in April and plays 140 games. I really like to have a rookie league there that plays in the early part of the season, personal preference.

Neutral Ballparks:
All parks will be set to neutral avg and HR.

Everything else... let's see during the journey.

A little look at how the 2012 season ended:

[Griever20]

Personal:
As for team personal, we offered contracts a bloke named Jake Fernandez as assistant GM, John Markow as hitting coach, and Jason Knight as pitching coach... guys seem to know their stuff. Oh, and Lariel Gonzalez as bench coach.

As a scouting director, we gobbled up 71-year old veteran Michael Aaron. He is outstanding at scouting the majors, minors, and international market, and an ace when it comes to the draft pool... exactly what we want.

As for our 40-man roster, let's break it down a bit, shall we?

Starting Pitching:
RHSP Felix Hernandez(26, 4/4.5*, $24M) 18-7 2.48 206K 210.1IP 7.0WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
He is the best starter in our org and one of the best in the whole league. We should keep him unless we can get an absurd amount of prospects for him.

RHSP Kevin Millwood(37, 2.5*, $5,5M) 7-11 3.45 89K 140.2IP 1.9WAR(2012)
Verdict: SELL FOR RIGHT PRICE
At 37, he is only going to get worse, and if we can get the most out of him on the trade market and save some money on his contract, we take it. He will make $5.5M next year, and $4.8M in 2014 if he pitches 180 innings... we can get a young guy in and develop him there.

RHSP Erasmo E. Ramirez(22, 2.5*, $480k) 8-10 4.13 93K 139.1IP 0.8WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP FOR NOW
A 22-year old right-hander with a low 90´s fastball and a bunch of junk, he pretty much already reached his ceiling... as sad as is sounds. His 2012 was solid and he only has a year of service time, so for now, we may just keep him... he is cheap.

RHSP Hector Noesi(25, 2.5*, $480k) 7-9 4.79 124K 173IP 1.6WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP FOR NOW
Carbon copy of Ramirez, just a bit older. 1y + 100d of service time, so he stays cheap.

RHSP Brandon Maurer(22, 2*, $480k) 4-7 5.49 89K 114.2IP -0.7WAR(2012)
Verdict: AAA DEPTH AT BEST
Simply not good enough. He walked 4.2 per nine and his control is 40/40 rated... worse than the two kids above.

LHSP James Paxton(23, 2.5/3.5*, $480k) 0-4 4.95 43K 56.1IP 0.2WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP KEEP KEEP
A very strong, young arm that has a knack for generating groundballs and for generating strikeouts with his lights out slider. Throws up to 98mph and has the stamina to go deep. Was mostly used as a reliever last season but is a surefire starter and a lefty, something we lacked at the end of the season. BNN has him at 4.5* potential and see an ace... I hope they are right...

RHSP Dylan Unsworth(20, 2/3*, $480k) 0-0 2.87 8K 15.2IP -0.3WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP, POSSIBLY AAA FOR DEV
Good kid. Way to young to be on the 40-man... glances over angrily to my predecessor... Good stamina again, and the chance for pinpoint control make him a good bet to become a future starter. Shame his service time clock started so early, could need another year in AAA at least. #61 prospect in baseball at the end of 2012.

Bullpen: (I will only look at the core pieces, as there will be a lot of waiver wire dealing I guess)
RHCL Tom Wilhelmsen(28, 3,5/4*, $508k) 2-10 30SV 3.52 69K 64IP 1.4WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
Wilhelmsen was not exactly good, but for $504k for 2013, we will keep him and he may even close for us. Thing is, he is more of a movement guy than a strikeout guy as his fastball despite hitting triple digits from time to time. A good little pitcher that would be more of a setup guy on a team that really wants to compete...

LHRP Lucas Luetge(25, 2,5/3*, $480k) 4-5 2SV 4.48 59K 70.1IP 0.1WAR (2012)
LHRP Charlie Furbush(26, 2/2.5*, $480k) 7-6 4.11 70K 65.2IP -0.6WAR (2012)
VERDICT: KEEP
Not spectacular, but cheap and under team control. Unless we get a really good offer, they could be the two lefties in our pen at the start of 2013, and if they build some value and if we are out of contention.... we can still move them on.

RHRP Brandon League(29, 3*, $3.8M) 2-8 3SV 5.37 34K 58.2IP 0.1WAR(2012)
RHRP Josh Kinney(33, 1*, $480k) 5-2 7SV 4.99 34K 39.2IP -0.2WAR(2012)
VERDICT: DISPOSE... PREFEREBLY WITHOUT ANY TRACE
League makes $4.6M next year and $5.5M in 2014. We need to move him on... not good enough for the money and the budget we will have. Kinney, at age 33, is arbitration-eligible and should not even be here...

RHRP Carter Capps(22, 2/3*, $480k) 2-4 1SV 4.22 69K 59.2IP -0.8WAR(2012)
RHRP Shawn Kelley(28, 2.5*, $480k) 3-4 3.95 82K 79.2IP -0.1WAR(2012)
VERDICT: KEEP
Similar to the two lefties above, those two guys could be the foundation of a solid, but very unspectacular middle relief corps...

Catcher:
C Mike Zunino(21, 3/3.5*, $480k) .190-3-6 19G .604OPS -0.0WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
One of the best defensive catchers in the game, he is also a right-handed hitter with pop and more pop as he hit .275-27-76 .907OPS in AAA in 86 games before he got the callup. That makes him a very valuable player, and he could be behind the plate for this franchise for a while. #106 prospect in baseball by the end of 2012.

C/2B/3B/LF Jack Marder(22, 2.5*, $480k) .248-4-13 46G .710OPS 0.5WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
A good defensive catcher that had a shot at the starting gig in the season after hitting .324 in single A. At 22, he can play four positions, making him a brilliant and versatile bench piece... him and Zunino look like keepers for me, which means...

C John Jaso(29, 2,5*, $528k) .219-4-29 103G .643OPS 1.1WAR(2012)
Verdict: SELL
... that Jaso will be on the trading block right away. The 29-year old is not a good defensive catcher and has not shown to be a good bat in 103 MLB games last season. He is arbitration-eligible and estimated to get $750k... we can find a warm body to play 3rd catcher on the 40-man if needed.

Infield: (I`ll ignore some random junk on the 40-man here as well)

1B/C Jesus Montero(22, 2/2,5*, $480k) .252-3-21 37G .656OPS 0.5WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
Montero showed a lot of promise in AA where he hit .318-10-39 .863OPS in 48 games and he can catch... but our scouting department says he is nothing super special and may not exactly become a stud first baseman. For now, he is a warm body that can sit on the bench and be a cheap 1B and third catcher.

1B/C Justin Smoak(25, 2.5*, $504k) .217-13-50 144G .610OPS -0.7WAR(2012)
Verdict: SELL AT RIGHT PRICE
What is this? Yes, a switch hitter certainly has value, but I expect a first baseman to hit for a higher OPS than .610. His arbitration estimate is $750k so if he actually stays, he would be cheap and this season HAS to be the low point... but will he become a stud? I don`t see it.

2B/CF Dustin Ackley(24, 2.5*, $504k) .215-9-47 138G .604OPS -0.4WAR(2012)
Verdict: SELL AT RIGHT PRICE
Another dumpster fire of a hitter last season. The 24-year old left-handed bat has done a fairly good job on defense and can field the outfield. Similar to Smoak he can stay and build value in 2013 if we can not find the right deal... but I would not mind getting a prospect or a player with better production out of him.

3B/2B Kyle Seager(24, 3*, $504k) .246-18-67 157G .695OPS 3.4WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
The best hitter so far in the infield... our scouting department says he is a well-rounded hitter that should see an uptick in performance next season. Also, he has another year of $504k in him before arbitration... could be a good solid 3B for the next years...

SS/2B Chris Taylor(22, 3/4.5*, $480k) .278-0-9 35G .770OPS 0.5WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP KEEP KEEP
According to Michael, the jewel in the crown here. We may need to move him to second base for his defense, but Taylor "is a potential .300+ bat with 30+ steals, perfect leadoff hitter, future MLB star". His contact ability is rated at 65/70 already and he swiped 14 bags in AAA last season in 59 games... could be our leadoff hitter for the future.

SS/2B Brad Miller(23, 2.5/4*, $480k) .176-1-13 37G .564OPS -0.5WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
Defensively, the better of our two young shortstops, albeit with a lighter bat. Got rushed a bit as he just hit .210 om AAA before the callup, but he will do. Good eye, he should take a bunch of walks and can also steal a base or two.

SS Brendan Ryan(30, 2.5*, $3.56M) .173-2-26 155G .467OPS -0.5WAR(2012)
Verdict: SELL
Slick fielding shortstop, but a complete utter disaster with the bat. Hopefully, we find a sucker that wants to trade for him. Else, we may just not offer arbitration for him. Not worth the infield backup spot as we have...

SS/2B Carlos Triunfel(22, 2.5*, $480k) .267-2-26 85G .666OPS 1.5WAR(AAA, 2012)
Verdict: KEEP
Another slick-fielding shortstop, but for cheap money. He is a young kid from the DR that won`t do a lot with the bat but will do as a backup.

Outfield: (I`ll ignore some random junk on the 40-man here as well)

LF Michael Saunders(25, 3*, $528k) .248-25-81 157G .758OPS 3.2WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
The Canadian hit for some solid power this season and at age 25, there could be more in his bat. A good defender in left, he also can take a walk as shown in AAA in 2011 where he posted a .415OBP. May need some guidance to get the maximum out of him, but together with Seager and the two shortstops, he could be one of the poster guys for next season.

CF Alejandro De Aza(28, 3*, $2.48M) .272-6-41 158G .697OPS 3.6WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
Acquired from CWS in Spring Training for veteran Hisashi Iwakuma(6-16 5.49 105K 2.1WAR), it is save to say that we got the better of that trade as De Aza has shown to be a good solid center fielder that can hit a little. His estimate in arbitration is $2.8M and for what he did last season, it is fine for now.

RF Alfredo Despaigne(26, 3.5/4*, $480k) .118-1-2 16G .412OPS -0.1WAR(2012)
Verdict: KEEP
His first MLB hit was a walk-off single in a 5-4 win over the Orioles...not so bad. A good bat that may end up hitting 20+HR, the Cuban defector was drafted in the 2nd round this season and worked his way through the minors to become a September callup, and rightfully so. His arm is an absolute cannon and with a proper spring training, could be a breakout star next year.

RF Brandon Moss(29, 2.5*, $887.5k) .251-23-70 152G .759OPS 2.0WAR(2012, OAK/SEA)
Verdict: UNSURE
Being in his penultimate arbitration year, the Oakland A`s decided to waive him in June, and our org jumped on him like nothing. Odd to waive a player that had an OPS+ of 108, and ended up with an OPS+ of 110 with us in 90 games. His arbitration estimate is $1M and for that, the likely scenario is that he will be our DH/backup corner outfielder, hoping that we get something out of his 60-rated power...

VERDICT:
We have an ace, and we have a promising co-ace in development James Paxton, but a lot of junk behind those two on our 40-man. If we want to compete for something next year, we need arms... badly.

Another big hole is first base for me as we desperately lack power. Smoak did not cut it, and most of our other bats are more contact-oriented. Defensively, the group should not be that bad and is very young, so if we can get a power-hitting first baseman, 2 strong starters and a couple of fireballers for the pen in... this team could at least not embarrass themselves.

To be honest, my predecessor Jesse Shoud kinda got axed unfairly as he set up the team for a promising future and while I will take the chance to be bold and bring in more young players to fill the vacant spots(if I can), the roster he assembled could be enriched into a playoff team in 1-2 years... given that my scouts are not completely blind and lying to me...

As for the minors, I will cover the prospects come spring training after the wheeling and dealing, but the guys to look out for are 2B/IF Ketel Marte(19, 3.5*, #27 prospect), our third overall pick in 2012 in 1B Cody Bellinger(17, 3.5*, #77 prospect) for hitters and RHSP Taijuan Walker(20, 2.5/3.5*, #33 prospect) and RHRP Carson Smith(23, 1/3.5*) for pitchers... Walker could be an option in our rotation as early as opening day next season as he dominated AAA with an 11-4 2.67 152K 168.1IP year.

Therefore, we will look for some trades of our arbitration guys that we don´t want to keep, and we will trim down the 40-man, getting rid of some junk. Maybe, the waiver wire will help us to get some more gems... like Moss.

We have no pending free agents of note and therefore, no qualifying offers to make.

[Griever20]

Seattle Trades Millwood for Toronto`s Cooper
stadiumreport.bbn

November 5th, 2012

The Mariners and the Blue Jays finalized a deal this afternoon. Seattle has traded for 25-year-old 1B David Cooper(25, 2.5/3.5*). Cooper has struggled with the bat in limited time in the majors, but had a monster year in AAA, hitting .364-9-96 .974OPS with 51 doubles in 120 games.

In return, Toronto will receive 37-year-old RHSP Kevin Millwood(37, 2.5*), 24-year-old minor league RHSP Chase Anderson(24, 2/2.5*) and 25-year-old minor league RHRP Chris Sorce(25, 1*).

In his career, Millwood has tossed 2700 innings, fanned 2065 batters, and walked 831. His lifetime won-lost record is 170 wins and 151 losses with a 4.07 ERA. The aging righty is due to earn $5.5M next year. Seattle fans hope that K.C. Martin is just clearing salary to go after some of the big free agents.

---

Cooper caught my eye very early when I scouted "rebuilding" teams as he may not be the best home run hitter, but a very well rounded bat with 65 contact and 80/80 gap power. If he replaces Smoak next year, Cooper may not hit 25+HR, but he should be able to hit a solid .280/.350/.450 clip without embarrassing himself. If this ship goes down, it goes down with players that I like...

[Griever20]

Seattle-New York Trade: Ackley for Duffy
stadiumreport.bbn

November 6th, 2012

Earlier today, officials from the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees announced that they had finalized negotiations on a trade between the two teams. The deal will send 24-year-old 2B Dustin Ackley(24, 2.5*) and 26-year-old minor league LHSP Anthony Vasquez(26, 2.5*) to New York.

His career numbers show Ackley is batting .239 with a total of 15 home runs. He was expected to be an impact second baseman, but after a disappointed 2012, the Mariners decided to move on from him.

In exchange, Seattle receives for 23-year-old LHSP Danny Duffy(23, 2/3.5*), 23-year-old minor league RHRP Tommy Kahnle(23, 2/3*), and 22-year-old RHRP Mark Montgomery(22, 2/3*).

Duffy has made 57 appearances in his career, putting up a 13-16 record. He has tossed 220.2 innings and struck out 163. Batters have hit .278 against him, his lifetime ERA stands at 5.02 and he has no saves. He was claimed off waivers earlier this year and went 5-0 with an ERA of 2.23 in 48.1IP with the Yankees.

---

Arms. It is as simple as that. Duffy is a bit fringe at 23 but there is some upside in him, and the same goes for Kahne and Montgomery as both are rated at 3.5* potential by the OSA scouts. At least Duffy may need to be developed at the MLB level, but in our situation, I`d rather start the season with a worse pitcher with higher upside, than with a better pitcher with no upside.

[Griever20]

Seattle Trades Jaso for LA`s Walden, Prospect
stadiumreport.bbn

November 7th, 2012

Seattle and Los Angeles have agreed in principle to a trade. The Mariners will send 21-year-old minor league C Ji-Man Choi(3*, #145 prospect), 29-year-old RHRP Brandon League(29, 2.5*) and 29-year-old C John Jaso(29, 2.5*) to the Angels.

The Mariners have cleared a good chunk of salary lately and will save another $4.6M next year and $5.5M in 2014 by trading League.

Coming back to them will be 21-year-old minor league RHSP Michael Clevinger(21, 1.5/3*, #162 prospect) and 24-year-old RHRP Jordan Walden(24, 2.5/3.5*). Walden was 6-4 with 9SV and an ERA of 3.23 in 2012 but also saved 32 games in 2011.

The deal is expected to be finalized shortly and the clubs will be introducing their new players to the press when the paperwork is complete.

---

Ji-Man Choi is a really good catching prospect and got a lot of attention by other teams, but ultimately, we have a lot of depth at that position already with, which is why we wanted to trade Jaso in the first place

In a world where 4+* relievers are rare, and good SP prospects that are younger than 24 are rare, Walden and Clevinger are good depth players at least, and Walden could be a setup man in the future.

[Griever20]

Seattle Mariners Ship Smoak to Tampa Bay
stadiumreport.bbn

November 8th, 2012

It is being reported in Tampa Bay that the Rays and the Seattle Mariners have agreed on a trade. According to anonymous sources 21-year-old minor league 3B Richie Shaffer(21, 2.5/3.5*) will be dealt to the Mariners in return for 25-year-old 1B Justin Smoak(25, 2.5*) and 20-year-old minor league LHSP Wander Marte(20, 1*).

Smoak is hitting .223 lifetime with 291 hits, 49 doubles, no triples, 41 home runs, and 153 RBIs to date. He has scored 126 runs, walked 163 times, and has a .309 OBP.

Richie Shaffer is regarded as a solid third base prospect that has a lot of power, hitting .308/.377/.587 with 37 home runs and 113RBI´s in 127 games in AA, good for 6.2WAR, the AA Silver Slugger Award at 3B, and the AA MVP.

---

At least got a prospect for him, that was the maximum we could get as interest was very low.

[Griever20]

Seattle – Toronto Trade: Poythress for Hutchison
stadiumreport.bbn

November 9th, 2012

The Mariners and Blue Jays pulled the trigger on a deal that will see 25-year-old minor league 1B Rich Poythress(25, 2*) head to Toronto in exchange for 22-year-old RHSP Drew Hutchison(22, 2/2.5* as SP, 2.5/3* as RP). A source close to Seattle officials said, "The teams spent long hours coming to the agreement and in the end, both agreed the deal should help both clubs."

In his career stats, Hutchison has registered 4 wins and 11 losses with 2 saves. His lifetime ERA stands at 6.25 with 128 strikeouts and 69 walks in 131 innings. "A change of scenery could do him a world of good," an expert remarked earlier today.

Rich Poythress on the other hand got some attention for hitting .278/.366/.452 with 12HR and 48RBI´s with AAA Tacoma, but many scouts think that he is a worse version of first baseman David Cooper, the 25-year old the Mariners acquired just days earlier from Toronto.

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We basically grabbed a long reliever/#5 SP for a low price... just one of those small deals that you do when you don't have big depth.

[Griever20]

Pre-Free Agency Transactions and News:

November 7th – We bought out arbitration on a number of players... RHRP Shawn Kelley(1y/$750k), CF Alejandro De Aza(1y/$2.8M), RF Brandon Moss(1y/$1.15M) and LF Michael Saunders(1y/$1.3M).

November 9th – After no interested party was found, the Mariners announced that they would not offer arbitration to SS Brendan Ryan(30, 2.5*, .173-2-26 -0.5WAR). The slick-fielding shortstop was estimated at $4M in the latest BNN analysis.

November 14th – Athletics C Josh Donaldson(26, 3,5*) was named AL Rookie of the Year after batting .274/.321/.469 25HR 73RBI 5.0WAR in 139 games. Also, a great third baseman, Donaldson is expected to have a long, fruitful career with Oakland.

November 14th – Nationals CF Corey Brown(26, 3*) was named NL Rookie of the Year after batting .258/.344/.466 21HR 68RBI 3.8WAR in 141 games, winning the World Series in his first season and collecting his first All-Star nomination as well.

November 16th – Tigers SP Justin Verlander(29, 4*) was named AL Cy Young Winner after going 18-6 2.38 205K 31GS 7.6WAR. This is his second consecutive Cy Young, and he also is a 5x All-Star, 2011 AL MVP and was the 2006 AL RotY.

November 16th – Giants SP Matt Cain(28, 3.5*) was named NL Cy Young Winner after going 23-7 1.91 233K 33GS 6.8WAR. The 28-year old is not only a 3x All-Star... but also a pending free agent.

November 17th – Angels CF Mike Trout(21, 4.5/5*) was named AL MVP after batting .342/.409/.587 36HR 115RBI 46/63SB 11.1WAR. One of the most talented players in the game, Trout also collected his first All-Star nomination, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger Award this season.

November 17th – Diamondbacks 2B Aaron Hill(30, 5*) was named NL MVP after batting .356/.398/.598 26HR 105RBI 21/28SB 11.0WAR. Also winning the batting title this season, he now is a 2x Silver Slugger, 2x All-Star, and won the Gold Glove at second this year.

--

Top Free Agent Filings:

LHSP Hyun-Jin Ryu(25, 4/4.5*) joined from Korea
LHSP Cliff P. Lee(34, 4*) 16-12 2.56 229K 221.2IP 8.2WAR(PHI)
RHSP Matt Cain(28, 3.5*) 23-7 1.91 233K 231IP 6.8WAR(SF)
and a bunch of 3* potentials.

C Mike Napoli(31, 3.5*) .217-26-68 .770OPS 132G 4.1WAR(TEX)
1B/3B Miguel Cabrera(29, 4*) .350-31-130 .973OPS 160G 7.6WAR(DET)
1B Mark Teixeira(32, 3.5*) .296-45-135 .969OPS 159G 7.5WAR(NYY)
2B Dustin Pedroia(29, 4*) .303-17-80 .822OPS 143G 6.0WAR(BOS)
3B Chase Headley(28, 4*) .305-23-88 .897OPS 160G 7.1WAR(SD)
3B David Wright(29, 3.5*) .250-18-63 .719OPS 161G 3.3WAR(NYM)
SS Troy Tulowitzki(28, 4/4.5*) .256-33-107 .774OPS 158G 6.0WAR(COL/OAK)
SS Asdrubal Cabrera(27, 4*) .278-23-101 .780OPS 156G 5.1WAR(CLE)

LF Ryan Braun(29, 3.5*) .286-32-91 .847OPS 161G 4.4WAR(MIL)
RF Nick Markakis(29, 3.5*) .293-15-55 .839OPS 122G 3.7WAR(BAL)
RF Nick Swisher(32, 3.5*) .301-24-97 .885OPS 157G 6.7WAR(NYY)

Tasty free agents... The AL Batting champ Cabrera, Mark Teixeira as AL HR and RBI king... and a lot of other quality bats. Now, let`s talk about money first. The only hitter that does not want $20M+ is David Wright... and with Seager and prospect 3B Richie Shaffer, we don`t really need him and we don`t want to lose our fifth overall pick because we sign someone that has rejected a qualifying offer.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is a whole different story. A lockdown lefty that has no qualifying offer and looks like a #2? We called his agent and got into some negotiations... and settled on a 6y/$87M offer, $14.5M flat every year...

Now you ask, what is the plan? Where do we stand realistically? Answer: I don`t know. We have a lot of talented kids that underperformed last season, and we have a bona fide ace in King Felix that will eat up a HUGE CHUNK of our budget... $89M budget, $26M for him... $6M for player development, $6M for scouting, and we have $51M left for everything else...

That leaves us with little room to maneuver, and going for Ryu for a year or two... and then look to splash them on the trade market for prospects/young MLB players with less service time may just be the plan... the timing obviously depends on the quality of our play.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
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In Other News:
December 4th- SP Cliff P. Lee(34, 4*) signed with the Mets for 4y/$131M with year four being a vesting option for 25GS.

December 5th - 2B Dustin Pedroia(29, 4*) resigned with Boston for 7y/$156.8M with the final year in 2019 being a player option.

December 6th- RF Nick Markakis(29, 3.5*) also signed with the Mets for 7y/$133M with the final year being a team option.

December 7th- RF Nick Swisher(32, 3.5*) will join the Angels for 4y/$79.2M with the final year being a team option.

December 8th- LF Ryan J. Braun(29, 4*) ALSO comes over to the Mets for 7y/$134.4M with the final year being a player option.

December 11th- 1B/3B Miguel Cabrera(29, 4*) will stay in Detroit for 7y/$299.5M after testing the free-agent waters and not finding the right real. The salary will escalate up to $48.5M with 2019 being a team option.

December 11th- SP Matt Cain(29, 4*) becomes the latest Cy Young winner in pinstripes as he joins the Yankees for 6y/$189.3M.

December 11th- 3B Chase Headley(28, 3.5*) is the newest Twin on a 4y/$93.6M contract.

December 11th- C Mike Napoli(28, 3.5*) will be an Angel... on the field as he signed a 5y/$103M contract with the final year being a team option.

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Coming over to Florida, we did basically nothing before the Winter Meetings, and the latest on Ryu was that he favors our offer... but is talking with the Indians. Interestingly enough, looking at the contracts that were dished out so far... and there have been a lot... Ryu actually would be a great deal for us.

The plane took off and with an empty section for us, we had time to talk over the Winter Meetings. With me was our assistant GM in Jake Fernandez and of course our veteran scouting director in Michael Aaron.

"We should talk, once again, with Chris Street, because..." - "Why not just trade for the whole Blue Jays roster to save us the trouble, christ." While Jake and Michael were discussing nonsense, I took a peek at the player of interest... Noah Syndergaard. The 20-year old was used mostly as a reliever at the MLB level with an ERA of 5... but he dominated AAA as a starter earlier and is rumored to be on the trade block.

"Street will want a premium for him, remember, we talked about that kid before. I don`t think we have the players to do this without giving up players that we penciled in to play now or prospects we don`t want to move, but we will see," I remarked to end the dispute. "So, who is buying, who is selling?"

"The usual suspects are buying, Boston, the Angels, Mets, Tigers, Cardinals... apart from Toronto and Minnesota, most teams are looking to stand pat and wait for the right deal... however, with a lot of free agents signing... the market is getting interesting..."

[Griever20]

Things kicked off without us in the fray as the Padres of all people signed SS Asdrubal Cabrera(27, 4*) for 8y/$148M to play shortstop for them. Players like this being firmly out of our price range, I focussed my attention on the Jays.

Syndergaard still would cost a premium. In like, two very good prospects/young players like Marte + Unsworth... not my kind of deal and everything else he had to offer was in the same price range... PASS for me.

Meanwhile, a lot of names floated onto my phone... Maness, J.D. Martinez, Wilson Ramos... nothing that completely excited me but that the Cardinals were willing to talk pitching... made me invite them to our camp.

Carlos Martinez, a young righty that had starter stuff, was off-limits and so was Tim Cooney but I set my sights on somebody else... Trevor Rosenthal(22, 2/3.5*). A 22-year old reliever that showed some promise by striking out 12 per nine in AA and 10.4 per nine in AAA.

Talking with them, they would accept Trevor Rosenthal straight up for Erasmo E. Ramirez... which made me curious and I wasted my time trying to fleece some other GM into trading me something big for Ramirez... and failed.

Another unfruitful day at... well the Winter Meetings in this case...

[Griever20]

Day two began with a bummer... the bloody Astros swooped in with a 6y/$102M contract for Ryu... damn. That a.) sucks and b.) means that we will hold our horses with Ramirez... and we came back with the last try offer of 6y/$105M and I start to get the feeling that we won`t land him at all.

Looking that that grim reality, I moved on mentally and tried a different angle... which got me talking with the Mets GM...

Seattle Grab #1 Prospect in Stunning Deal
stadiumreport.bbn

December 16th, 2012

BNN has learned the Seattle Mariners have reportedly worked out a deal with the New York Mets. Sources close to the Mariners indicated that a trade has been reached in principle where 24-year-old minor league RHSP Jacob deGrom(24, 2/4.5*), the #1 prospect in baseball, will be swapped to Seattle.

Many scouts see deGrom as a failed prospect as he is already 24 and failed to make any impression on AAA, going 4-4 5.76 72K in 40G/7GS last season, but it seems like the Mariners are willing to gamble.

On the other hand, 20-year-old RHSP Dylan Unsworth(20, 2/3*), 21-year-old minor league 2B Nick Franklin(21, 1.5/2.5*), and 22-year-old minor league LHSP Rusty Shellhorn(22, 2*) heading to New York. Neither organization would comment on the report, saying it was club policy not to speak about a trade until it was finalized.

It seems like K.C. Martin and Mets GM Matt Gray negotiated the whole night to get this deal done.

--

While we did this... the Rangers went down and offered 6y/$114M for Ryu... and we bailed out. Simple as that.

Now, about the deGrom deal. Yes, he is a bit of a fringe prospect because he is already 24 and not yet a MLB pitcher, but the raw talent is off the charts compared to most other SP prospects, and the asking price was reasonable. Unsworth could come back to bite us as he is very young and already well developed, but Franklin was pretty much a

That one pretty much concluded the Winter Meetings as not a lot of trade partners were offering us value deals... and we pretty much did sent our front office staff into the holidays.

[Griever20]

Transactions:

December 20th – The Seattle Mariners selected RHRP Trevor Rosenthal(22, 2/3.5*) from the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft today, but lost C Miguel Olivo(34, 2*, PHI), 1B Nate Tenbrink(25, 2*, PIT) and LHSP Anthony Fernandez(22, 2*, BOS).

January 7th – We have claimed CF Anthony Gose(22, 2/2.5*) off waivers from the Angels org. He is on a minor league contract and will be assigned to AAA Tacoma.

In Other News:

December 21st- 1B Mark Teixeira(32, 3,5*) signed with the Athletics for a massive 5y/$157.5M contract with year five being a 135G vesting option, blowing the A`s budget wide open.

December 21st- SS Troy Tulowitzki(28, 4,5*) will be part of the Red Sox for the foreseeable future as he agreed to a 8y/$270.4M deal.

December 28th- SP Hyun-Jin Ryu(25, 4*) has eventually agreed to sign a 6y/$115.2M contract that will bring him to Cleveland who swooped in late to take him from Texas, Houston and Seattle.

January 23rd- A big day of former MLB players... the Hall of Fame Class of 2013 is announced:
SP Roger Clemens 354-184 3.12 4672K 4916.2IP 709G/707GS 144WAR (97,2%)
SP Curt Schilling 216-146 3.46 22SV 3116K 3261IP 569G/436GS 84.3WAR (83%)

C Mike Piazza .308/.377/.545 427HR 1335RBI 2127H 65.1WAR (77.1%)
RF Sammy Sosa .273/.344/.534 609HR 1667RBI 2408H 50.8WAR (81.9%)
LF Barry Bonds .298/.444/.607 762HR 1996RBI 2935H 124.5WAR (99.3%)

They will be presented in a new wing of the building dedicated to the Modern & Steroid era.

January 28th- 3B David Wright(28, 3.5*) will come over to the west coast and suit up for the Dodgers on a 5y/$52.1M contract.

[Griever20]

Mariners Announce Spring Training Roster
stadiumreport.bbn

February 27th, 2013

Coming off a 95 win season, the Mariners have certainly shaken things up with a new GM... and loads of trading and dealing. K.C. Martin`s jewel in the crown was the Jacob deGrom trade during the Winter Meetings, but this trade posted the question... quo Vadis Seattle?

Is this a team that wants to win now, is this a team building for the future, or is this a team that is assembled to generate trade value, and therefore will be blown to pieces in July to grab more and more prospects? Does the GM even know the answer to this question yet?

Starting Pitching:
Jacob deGrom(24, R), Danny Duffy(24, L), Felix Hernandez(26, R), Drew Hutchison(22, R), Brandon Maurer(22, R), Hector Noesi(26, R), James Paxton(24, L), Erasmo E. Ramirez(22, R), Taijuan Walker(20; R)

A young group of arms with a clear leader in King Felix and a lot of untapped potentials if you believe BNN. Jacob deGrom is still the #1 prospect in baseball and expected to make the rotation as soon as opening day... and if they want to go all-in, a rotation of Hernandez, deGrom, Paxton and Duffy is certainly a possibility.

Taijuan Walker, the #51 prospect, is certainly a longshot to make the rotation, and Noesi or Hutchison could easily be used in the pen as well. Is this rotation strong enough for a deep run for the division crown? No, probably not, but it could be in a year or two.

Right-Handed Relief Pitching:
Carter Capps(22, R), Tommy Kahnle(23, R), Shawn Kelley(28, R), Mark Montgomery(22, R), Trevor Rosenthal(22, R), Carson Smith(23, R), Jordan Walden(25, R), Tom Wilhelmsen(29, R)

Left-Handed Relief Pitching:
Charlie Furbush(26, L), Lucas Luetge(25, L)

This group of arms has the potential to be solid, but not great. Add two of the starters to the mix, there are 12 pitchers competing for 7 spots... or are there more. Rumor has it, the Mariners are in the market for 30-year old veteran lefty Sean Marshall who was 8-0 with 6 SV and a minuscule 1.42ERA with Cincy last season, and he would most likely push Luetge to AA A as he is the only lefty with options.

Catcher:
John Hicks(23, R), Jack Marder(23, R), Jesus Montero(23, R), Mike Zunino(21, R)

There seems to be some kind of magic cloning facility in Seattle that produces quality catching talent as they seemingly have traded away four catchers this winter and still have four more to compete for two(or three) roster spots.

The obvious choice would be Zunino, Marder, and Montero as Marder can also play second, third and left field, and Montero can play first base well. That would mean that the slick-fielding Zunino gets the main gig... if the 27HR in AAA last year is an indicator for major league production, this is a great solution.

Infield:
1B David Cooper(26, L), 1B/C Jesus Montero(23, R), 2B Stefen Romero(24, R), 2B/SS Chris Taylor(22, R), 3B Richie Shaffer(21, R), 3B Kyle Seager(25, L), SS/2B Brad Miller(23,LR), IF Carlos Triunfel(23, R)

A big revamp of the infield sees only Kyle Seager return as a likely opening day starter with David Cooper, Chris Taylor, and Brad Miller seemingly already penciled in as starting infield. That would be a good defensive alignment with a bona fide base stealer in there... but not a lot of MLB experience... in fact, the only player to have played a full season... is Seager.

Outfield:
LF Jabari Blash(23, R), LF Michael Saunders(26, L), CF Alejandro De Aza(28, L), CF Anthony Gose(22, L), CF Leon Landry(23, R), RF Alfredo Despaigne(26, R), RF/DH Brandon Moss(29, R), OF Carlos Peguero(26, L)

If you are looking for a superstar... look somewhere else. Take Blash, Landry and most likely Gose out of the mix as prospects... and you pretty much have an outfield alignment with Saunders, De Aza, Despaigne, Moss and maybe Peguero.

They are once again rumors about a free agent... as the 25-year old CF Cameron Maybin, who hit a solid .253-5-62 with stellar defense in San Diego, remains unsigned.

[Griever20]

Injury Free Mariners Announce Opening Day Roster
stadiumreport.bbn

April 2nd, 2013

The Mariners had a good spring, going 18-12 and even did some shrewd business, signing CF Cameron Maybin on a minor league deal with a $1.8M MLB option... and then moving him on to Arizona for prospect LF Ender Inciarte(22, 2/3*, #120 prospect).

They missed on lefty reliever Sean Marshall who signed a whooping 2y/$27.7M deal with the Angels, but K.C. Martin still splashed out some cash as 2B Chris Taylor signed an 8y/$64.8M contract, and James Paxton an 8y/$44M contract extension that will keep both in town until after the 2021 season on a reasonable price.

Anyways, the buzz around the team... is still mixed as there is a lot of unproven talent, and the team went with the young arms in the rotation, upping the risk level by another notch.

Without further chatter:

Your 2013 Seattle Mariners:

Starting Pitching:

RHSP Jacob deGrom(24, 2.5/4*, $480k) 4-4 3SV 5-76 40G/7GS 90.2IP 72K 0.8WAR (AA) // DNP (career)
The #1 prospect in baseball will have to make quite a jump, but going 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in spring was an encouraging sign, and want him in the rotation right away. Throwing in the mid 90´s, he also features a curve, a slider, and a changeup in development. Same for his movement and control, but at age 24, it is time for him to jump in the ocean and start to swim... or go down and drown. Acquired from the Mets in the 2012/13 offseason.

LHSP Danny Duffy(24, 2.5/3*, $480k) 9-8 4.45 76K 37G/17GS 115.1IP 0.7WAR (KC/NYY) // 13-16 5.02 163K 57G/37GS 220.2IP 1.1WAR (career)
The next relatively unproven starter that bounced around on waivers last season. Also only 24 but with parts of two seasons under his belt, the lefty throws a mid 90`s heater with a sinker, a curve, and a change, and tends to collect a lot of flyball outs... which makes his success in the Bronx a bit surprising. There is still room for growth, but we need him to perform now to keep us around .500. Acquired from the Yankees in the 2012/13 offseason.

RHSP Felix Hernandez(26, 4.5/5*, $26M) 18-7 2.48 206K 31G/31GS 210.1IP 7.6WAR // 103-74 3.14 1470K 236G/236GS 1598.2IP 41.1WAR (career)
The fact that he is only 26, celebrating his 27th birthday in six days, is kinda mind-boggling. A big ace with a deep mix of pitches, great movement, and pinpoint control, the only thing holding him back... is the rest of the team. 3x All-Star, 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner.

LHSP James Paxton(24, 2.5/3.5*, $480k) 0-4 4.95 43K 18G/7GS 56.1IP 0.4WAR // 0-4 4.95 43K 18G/7GS 56.1IP 0.4WAR (career)
Risky business. The 24-year old lefty had a horrible spring, going 1-3 with a 9.33ERA, albeit with a .370 BABIP, but giving up 5 home runs in 18 innings is not exactly impressive. Throwing up to the high 90`s, his out pitch is the slider, but there are questions on whether he has the third pitch needed to become a lockdown starter... and control also is an issue.

RHSP Erasmo E. Ramirez(22, 2.5*, $480k) 8-10 4.13 93K 25GS 139.1IP 1.2WAR // 8-10 4.13 93K 25GS 139.1IP 1.2WAR (career)
Ramirez made a good impression last season and with a full year under his belt, and a dominant 4-0 2.25ERA spring, he easily won the last rotation spot over the other options. A finesse pitcher that lives from his control, he throws a fastball/curve/slider/changeup mix with the curve being the only real plus pitch.

Bullpen:

LHRP Charlie Furbush(26, 2/2.5*, $480k) 7-6 0SV 4.11 68G 65.2IP -0.3WAR // 11-16 4.89 0SV 4.89 96G/12GS 151IP -0.6WAR(career)
His career stats don`t look particularly promising and they are not, and neither is the scouting report... but good lefties are rare, and he is one of the two best lefties in their org... hopefully for them, he can pick things up.

RHRP Tommy Kahnle(23, 2.5/3.5*, $480k) 0-1 3SV 2.57 7IP 0.2WAR(AA) // DNP (career)
Kahnle is another arm that will have to make quite a jump this season as he split time between A and AA in 2012. A pitcher with a good fastball and a blistering slider with the changeup as the third option, the coaching staff want him as a setup man... a bold decision but the stuff is there. Acquired from the Yankees in 2012/13 offseason.

RHRP Shawn Kelley(28, 2.5*, $830k) 3-4 0SV 3.95 82K 72G 79.2IP 0.1WAR // 11-9 0SV 3.80 159K 145G 163.1IP 0.3WAR (career)
Kelley beat out Mike Montgomery for the final righty spot in the bullpen... due to his lack of options. While he can reach triple digits on the gun, the ball rarely moves... and he does not exactly know where it goes... and it tends to go far if the ball hits the bat.

LHRP Lucas Luetge(26, 2.5*, $480k) 4-5 2SV 4.48 59K 68G/1GS 70.1IP 0.4WAR // 4-5 2SV 4.48 59K 68G/1GS 70.1IP 0.4WAR (career)
A rookie in 2012, Luetge did not exactly set the world on fire but is a solid groundball pitcher without flashy stuff, but a lot of movement. His control lacks from time to time, resulting in 5.4 BB/9 last year and strikeouts also are not his strong suit.

RHRP Trevor Rosenthal(22, 2/3.5*, $480k) 4-2 2SV 4.85 45K 34G 39IP -0.2WAR (AAA) // DNP (career)
An interesting arm for sure, Rosenthal caught our attention at the Winter Meetings, but we actually picked him up in the Rule 5... with the downside that they have to keep him active for the season... which may hurt us. With 5.5 BB/9 last year in AAA, his control clearly is not quite there, and that also hurt his ERA quite a bit. The stuff is really good with three plus pitches, but his movement is something he and the pitching coach have to work on... work in progress arm. Acquired via the Rule 5 draft from the Cardinals in 2012.

RHRP Jordan Walden(25, 2.5/3*, $504k) 6-4 9SV 3.23 66K 61G 61.1IP -1.4WAR // 11-10 42SV 3.02 156K 139G 137IP 0.2WAR (career)
Walden was acquired to stabilize the bullpen as he has closer experience and had a solid year in 2012... compared to the rest of the team. Another flyball oriented guy, he also had a 5.9 BB/9, but at least was generating strikeouts. His .187 BABIP may not be sustainable tho... Acquired via trade from the Angels in 2012/13 offseason.

RHCL Tom Wilhelmsen(29, 4*, $504k) 2-10 30SV 3.52 69K 57G 64IP 1.7WAR // 4-10 30SV 3.44 99K 57G 96.2IP 2.0WAR (career)
The closer. Yes, he had a mid 3`s ERA.Wilhelmsen, looking at the scouting reports, is easily the best pure reliever in this bullpen with a fastball that can hit 100, a sinker and a curveball, good movement and decent control. However, he more or less would be a setup man in a strong bullpen.

Catcher:

C Jack Marder(23, 2.5*, $480k) .248/.310/.400 4HR 13RBI 46G/27GS 0.4WAR // .248/.310/.400 4HR 13RBI 26H 46G/27GS 0.4WAR (career)
A nice little catcher that can also play second and third and the outfield. A subpar hitter, but good defense and cheap.

C Mike Zunino(22, 2.5/3*, $480k) .190/.239/.365 3HR 6RBI 19G -0.2WAR // .190/.239/.365 3HR 6RBI 12H 19G -0.2WAR (career)
A big ask for the 22-year old to become our starting catcher for 2013. His bat projects with 25+HR, but he will also strike out a ton and make below-average contact. His big plus is defense and shot-calling and Seattle certainly hopes that he will form a good relationship with our young pitchers, making them better in the process...

Infield:

1B David Cooper(26, 3*, $480k) .208/.259/.297 1HR 9RBI 51G/17GS -0.5WAR // .209/.270/.337 3HR 21RBI 36H 78G/36GS -0.5WAR (career)
Cooper is certainly a risk at first base as he is no regular power bat, and his MLB track record is spotty. His AAA numbers last year were spectacular, and he hit .329 in spring. His trademark is hitting doubles all over the field as he shortens his swing if needed and finds the gaps. Also, he is an above-average defensive first baseman. Acquired from Toronto in 2012/13 offseason.

1B/C Jesus Montero(23, 2/2.5*, $480k) .252/.292/.364 3HR 21RBI 37G/37GS 0.4WAR // .275/.327/.431 7HR 33RBI 56H 55G 1.0WAR (career)
Montero was touted as a power-hitting catcher/1B, but it seems like the only true thing about that is... he is catcher/first baseman. The power isn`t there, and that leads to Montero mainly being a backup.

2B/SS Chris Taylor(22, 3/4*, $480k) .278/.353/.378 0HR 9RBI 35G/12GS 2/3SB 0.5WAR // .278/.353/.378 0HR 9RBI 20H 35G/12GS 2/3SB 0.5WAR (career)
The Mariners went all-in and locked this kid up till the end of 2021 on a big contract, thinking they have a star infielder. Blazing speed certainly is there, and a bat that should be able to make a good amount of contact without collecting too many strikeouts. He is expected to bat leadoff for them, and given the contractual commitment, he will get every chance to shine.

3B Kyle Seager(25, 3*, $504k) .246/.302/.393 18HR 67RBI 8/8SB 157G 2.7WAR // .249/.305/.390 21HR 80RBI 195H 210G 3.2WAR (career)
Seager survived the house cleaning in the infield, and as you here, that is mostly because he managed to show SOME kind of power in 2012. He features a well-rounded bat with a flyball tendency, and the recent neutralization of the ballparks around the league should help his offensive output at SAFECO, so there is hope for him to become a fixture in this lineup.

SS/2B Brad Miller(23, 3/4*, $545k) .176/.245/.319 1HR 13RBI 37G/25GS -0.6WAR // .176/.245/.319 1HR 13RBI 16H 37G/25GS -0.6WAR (career)
The 23-year old is a slick-fielding second baseman and above-average shortstop that should be able to hit .260 with a good amount of walks and some doubles. He won`t become a big home run hitter, but if he gets the green light, Miller can also steal a base or two. Should be the starting shortstop and after hitting a solid .292 clip in spring, should be able to hold things together.

IF Carlos Triunfel(23, 2.5*, $480k) 0-3 1GS // 0-3 1GS (career)
Triunfel got one start in September last season but hit .267 in AAA last year. His calling card is not the bat and never will be as he has no feel for hitting with power or laying off pitches, but his glove is golden and if he would be a starting infielder, he would win at least one or two Gold Glove Awards in his career... just, he does not have the hitting to ever become a 150+ game starter.

Outfield:

LF Michael Saunders(26, 3*, $1.48M) .248/.318/.440 25HR 81RBI 19/26SB 157G/156GS 2.5WAR // .222/.391/.375 37HR 126RBI 261H 35/48SB 361G/323GS 0.3WAR (career)
Saunders got his first full season under his belt in 2012 and held his own, improving drastically on his career numbers from 2009-2011. His bat evolves around solid power and a good batting eye, and he also can steal a base or two. The fans really like him and, similar to Seager, his home numbers could really improve thanks to the new stadium regulations.

CF Alejandro De Aza(28, 2.5*, $3.16M) .272/.313/.384 6HR 41RBI 31/42SB 158G/155GS 2.9WAR // .275/.321/.394 10HR 77RBI 47/64SB 269H 2398G/240GS 4.0WAR (career)
Playing his first full season, De Aza was solid and earned himself a $3.16M extension for his fine work. Another player that can steal a base, his bat is average at best, but his defense certainly is good enough for a long season.

RF Alfredo Despaigne(26, 3*, $480k) .118/.118/.2394 1HR 2RBI 16G/1GS -0.3WAR // .118/.118/.2394 1HR 2RBI 2H 16G/1GS -0.3WAR (career)
The young Cuban got his first cup of coffee last year as a pinch-hitter, but many scouts see a solid power hitter in him. He is a free swinger that won`t walk a lot but should be able to hit .260 with 20+HR in a major league lineup someday. Despaigne has not gotten a lot of professional exposure in his short career in the USA, so hitting .250 in spring is the most we have seen of him so far. Drafted in the 2nd round in 2012.

RF/DH Brandon Moss(29, 2.5*, $1.54M) .251/.324/.435 23HR 70RBI 152G/146GS 1.3WAR // .243/.311/.406 38HR 148RBI 297H 401G 0.8WAR (career)
Moss is a solid left-handed power hitter that is well suited to a DH/first base role but can also field left or right without any problems. His 14 home runs in 90 games with the team last year were solid, and Seattle certainly hopes that he can keep this pace up. He hit .241 with little power against LHP so odds are, he will platoon at DH with Montero. Claimed off waivers from Oakland in 2012.

OF Carlos Peguero(26, 2.5*, $480k) .150/.211/.270 7HR 20RBI 68G/55GS -1.1WAR // .169/.228/.312 13HR 39RBI 58H 114G/98GS -1.6WAR (career)
This is a bit of a head-scratcher as Peguero has shown nothing but catastrophic at-bats in parts of two seasons. He has yet to hit the Mendoza line and by being a left-handed hitter, he does not exactly balance out the bench... why they did not keep Maybin for this job is unclear.

Preseason Prediction: 90-72, 2nd in AL West, second AL Wild Card team
TOP Pitcher: Felix Hernandez 17-7 2.42 236K
TOP Hitter: David Cooper .316/.385/.494 15HR 114RBI
This team is not bad, but is this offseason really a 20+ game swing? And is Cooper a top 10 hitter in the AL? REALLY???

Our owner expects us to stay around .500. Speaking of that prick of an owner... when the last big free agent had signed... he decided... OH, great offseason, here is an additional $11M for your budget. Prick...

[Griever20]

Confidential: Prospect Report, April 3rd, 2013

So, while it was exhausting work, we trimmed down the minor league rosters to prepare for the arrival of the new bunch of (hopefully) prospects in the next months, and this, together with the newest BNN Top 100 prospect report, is the right time to take a close look at our minor league system.

So, without further chatter, our minor-league report.

Greetings
Michael Aaron
Scouting Director Seattle Mariners

--

Pitching:

Close to the majors: AAA RHSP Taijuan Walker(20, 2/3*, #72 prospect), AAA RHRP Mike Montgomery(22, 2.5/3*, #379 prospect)

Others: AA RHRP Carson Smith(23, 3.5*, #215 prospect), A RHRP Alex Powers(21, 3*, #344 prospect)

Dropped out: ---

The main thing is here... that the #1 prospect in baseball in deGrom will start the season at the MLB level together with Rosenthal and Kahnle, leading to us not having a lot of talent left in the minors.

RHSP Michael Clevinger, who we added earlier this offseason, seems to look more like a fringe player, to be honest, so that leaves us with little upside talent and we should address that at in the draft.

Catcher:

Close to the majors: none

Others: none

Dropped out: ---

Mike Zunino is the #100 prospect and will start at the MLB level.

Infield:

Close to the majors: AAA 3B Richie Shaffer(22, 3*, #286 prospect)

Others: A 2B Ketel Marte(19, 3.5*, #28), A Cody Bellinger(17, 3.5*, #89 prospect)

Dropped out: ---

Shaffer gives us a quality bat in AAA that could come up for Seager or as DH to help us out this year and we have two great prospects in Ketel Marte and Cody Bellinger in the pipeline.

Marte will start the year in Clinton single A as he hit .269 in Rookie ball and stole 23 bases. His lone weakness is that he tends to be a bit error-prone which makes him more of a second baseman than a shortstop. His running looks solid and he could be a .360OBP bat, just, he is currently blocked by Taylor and Miller, so using him as a trade chip could be an option one day.

Bellinger was our first-round pick in 2012 and hit a blistering .277/.392/.482 in rookie ball, making the jump to A High Desert this season. He loves to take his walks, but if the frame fills up in the next years, his power could be another main asset. He has shown some stolen base potential, so the odds of him living up to the third overall pick are good.

Outfield:

Close to the majors: AAA LF Jabari Blash(23, 3*, #83 prospect), AAA CF Ender Inciarte(22, 2.5*, #115 prospect), CF Anthony Gose(22, 2.5*, #214 prospect)

Others: ---

Dropped out: ---

We have a solid group of outfielders in AAA that can help us out if injury or fail happens at the MLB level... and nothing else to play with. Another area where the draft could help us out.

Overall, we have the fourth-best system in baseball, but that is mostly because of deGrom, behind him, it is Marte, Bellinger, and Walker... the rest is basically trash.

PS: The top systems are Houston and Minnesota...

[Griever20]

Mets Harvey No-Hits Marlins
stadiumreport.bbn

April 16th, 2013

New York Mets starter Matt Harvey(24, 2.5/4*) came up big today at Marlins Park with an exceptional 1-0 outing against the Miami Marlins. Not only did he whip them, but Harvey held them hitless, too.

"My arm was a bit sore in warmups," confessed Harvey. "Sometimes you go out there and you're not feeling all that hot. You get into the game and all of a sudden in the seventh inning you look up and see the scoreboard and think to yourself, 'Oh, my goodness, I have a no-hitter!' You're so focused on what you're doing, it just happens."

In the course of the no-hitter, Harvey collected 5 strikeouts and surrendered 1 walk -- a day good enough to get his name in the history books. The 24-year old had a strong rookie season, going 7-5 2SV 2.79 182K in just 138.5 innings of work between rotation and pen.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
April 7th – 3B Kyle Seager(25, 3*) agreed to a 6y/$30M extension, buying out his arbitration years and the first three years of free agency.

Series:
1-1 @ LAA (Felix Hernandez 8IP 5H 1ER 1BB 4K W(1-0 1.13))
1-1 @ LAA
2-2 @ TEX
2-1 vs LAA(LAA SP Jeremy Hellickson 9IP 9H 2ER 3BB 3K W(2-0 1.80))
1-2 vs DET (Felix Hernandez 7.1IP 5H 1ER 1BB 10K W(3-1 1.76))
3-0 vs KCR (Chris Taylor 4-4 3R 4RBI TP BB, James Paxton 8IP 3H 0ER 2BB 4K W(1-1 3.78))
0-1 @CWS (Felix Hernandez 7.1IP 6H 4R 0ER 0BB 5K L(3-2 1.42))

April: 10-8
Runs Scored: 86(5th)
Batting AVG: .269(7th)
OBP: .339(7th)
Home Runs: 9(14th)
Stolen Bases: 15(2nd)
Runs Against: 69(6th)
Starters ERA: 3.69(7th)
Bullpen ERA: 2.62(4th)
FIP: 3.79(4th)
Defensive Eff.: .710(4th)

We started the season with a 2-game set with the Angels in Japan... got seven days off, and then played again... didn`t look at the schedule before, we will play until October 9th before the playoffs start... narf, need to change that for 2014.

Anyways, back to baseball. We have started quite well, especially on the pitching side where Felix, Ramirez and Paxton have done a fine job early. deGrom had one quality start against the Angels and went 5-6 innings every start, so he is at least not getting shelled completely... and Duffy had a stinker in his third one, 2.2 innings of 5-run ball against the now 4-14 Royals... not good.

Both of our lefties in the pen have been... **** to be frank, but apart from Kelley, our right-handed options are dominating the opposition. Mark Montgomery has not allowed a run in seven innings of work in AAA... the only thing keeping him down in AAA is the fact that Kelley is out of options... We will wait out another month before making a move here.

Hitting wise, our leadoff man in Chris Taylor battled through a little hamstring soreness... and had his 4-hit game WITH that soreness... what a gamer. Saunders leads our team with 3 home runs... which is kinda sad, but all of our guys are hitting for a solid batting average, apart from Mike Zunino... and he is doing a lot on defense.

Obviously, we are very left-handed heavy in our lineup with only a platoon at DH between Brandon Moss and Jesus Montero... and Montero has been the hot part of that platoon, batting for a .786OPS.

For the next month, we will move some bats around in the lineup:
vs RHP: Taylor – Saunders – Seager – Moss – Despaigne – Miller – Cooper – Zunino – De Aza
vs LHP: Taylor – Despaigne – Seager- Saunders – Montero – Zunino – Cooper – Miller – De Aza

In Other News:

April 12th – Dodgers SP Chad Billingsley(28, 3.5*) blanked the Rockies 3-0 by pitching a 2-hit shutout with one walk and 8 strikeouts on his teams opening day. The 2x All-Star is coming off a stellar 19-7 2.16 194K season.

April 13th – Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins(34, 2.5*) collected career hit #2000 today in a 4-10 loss to the Reds. A 3x Gold Glover, 3x All-Star, 2007 NL MvP and 2007 NL Silver Slugger, Rollins is a career .269/.326/.428 189HR 796RBI 20000H 1798G 36.9WAR hitter.

April 14th – Reds SP Homer Bailey(26, 3*) dominated the Phillies with a 4-hit, 1BB and 3K shutout, winning 7-0. The righty had a solid 16-6 2.71ERA 215K year in 2012.

April 17th – Phillies 1B Ryan Howard(33, 2*) looked up and saw a big red 300 on the scoreboard... as he hit career home run #300 in a 4-0 win over Atlanta. The 2006 NL MVP, 2005 NL Rookie of the Year, 3x All-Star and 1x Silver Slugger is a career .268/.360/.544 300HR 910RBI 1111H 1158G 23.9WAR hitter.

April 21st – Reds 2B Brandon Phillips(31, 3*) collected five hits in a 9-5 win over the Mets today, going 5-6 3R 2RBI with a home run. The 2x All-Star is batting a hot .390-1-7 1.008OPS clip so far in 10 games.

April 23rd – Indians SP Hyun-Jin Ryu(26, 4*) stonewalled the Blue Jays today, throwing a 4-hitter with 3BB and 10K en route to a 5-0 win. The rookie from South Korea is 2-0 0.37 17K in three starts...

April 24th – Twins 1B Adrian Gonzalez(30, 2.5*) dominated White Sox pitching today, going 5-5 2R 4RBI with a home run in a 12-1 win. The 4x All-Star is batting .362-1-7 .853OPS in the first 12 games of his 7y/$83.8M contract.

April 24th – Rangers SP Colby Lewis(33, 2.5*) whitewashed the White Sox today, throwing a 2-hitter with 1BB and 6K, collecting a 5-0 win. The veteran moved to 1-0 2.50 15K in three starts.

April 28th – Red Sox SP James Shields(31, 3.5*) made sure one run by his offense was enough in a 1-0 win over the Athletics, throwing a 6-hitter with 0BB and 6K. The 2011 AL All-Star is 1-1 3.18 24K in 4 starts.

April 28th – Rays SP David Price(27, 3.5/4*) killed the Twins in bunches today, going 9IP 5H 0ER 1BB 9K W. The 3x AL All-Star is 2-0 1.42 25K in 4 starts.

April 29th – Rangers SP Yu Darvish(26, 3.5*) showed no mercy today, beating the Blue Jays 10-0 behind a 3-hit shutout with 4BB and 7K. The Japanese import missed most 2012 but is 3-0 2.03 27K in four starts.

May 1st – Royals 3B Mike Moustakas(24, 4*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .351 with 5 home runs, 22RBIs and 15 runs scored for the month for the struggling 4-14 Royals.

May 1st – Reds 1B Joey Votto(29, 4.5*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .382 with 3 home runs, 10RBIs, and 13 runs scored for the month. He is a 3x All-Star, 2x Gold Glover, and was the 2010 NL MVP.

May 1st – Rays SP Wade Davis(27, 3*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 1.57 27K in 28.2IP for the month. He was a 17-game winner last year.

May 1st – Rockies SP Anibal Sanchez(29, 3*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-0 0.79 20K in 30.1IP for the month. He is in the first year of a 4y/$73.4M contract.

May 1st – Indians SP Hyun-Jin Ryu(26, 4*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 2-1 1.74 24K in 31IP.

May 1st – Mets RHRP Armando Rodriguez(25, 2*) was named NL Rookie of the Month going 2-0 1.96 18K in 9.1IP.

[Griever20]

Hernandez Shuts Out Chicago, 10-0
stadiumreport.bbn

May 15th, 2013

The Chicago White Sox had no answer today for Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. They failed to score a single run against him, losing 10-0. Chicago managed only 2 hits off Hernandez, who had 10 strikeouts.

The extraordinarily popular Hernandez got a standing ovation from the hometown crowd as he left the field, the applause continuing until he returned from the dugout to tip his cap to the crowd.

"Mariners fans are the best fans, in my opinion," he said. "It's a great feeling to throw a shutout under any circumstances but to do it with the crowd behind you like that is just incredible."

In 8 starts this season Hernandez has compiled a 5-2 record and a 1.02 ERA. He got more than enough run support today, spearheaded by utility infielder Carlos Triunfel who went 3-4 R 5RBI with a 3-run home run, batting in the #9 hole.

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Wright Touches All Bases, Hits for Cycle
stadiumreport.bbn

May 19th, 2013

Getting 4 hits is a good day by any measure, but when those include a single, double, triple, and a home run -- that's something special. David Wright's day was a special one.

The third baseman hit for the cycle to spark the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 14-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium today. Los Angeles manager Don Mattingly said he thought the whole lineup looked good in batting practice but had not been expecting anything extraordinary from Wright in particular.

"David caught me by surprise today," he said. "He looked good before the game, but man, he looked unbelievable during it."

For the day, Wright finished with 3 RBI and 1 run scored to go with his 4 hits.

David Wright hit a solo shot off Ian Kennedy in the 1st, doubled in the 3rd, hit an RBI triple in the 4th, hit an RBI single in the 5th, walked in the 6th, and walked in the 8th.

Presently Wright is hitting .275 with 6 home runs and 17 RBIs. He has played in 34 games and scored 18 times. The veteran is in the first year of a 5y/$52.1M contract.

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Panik Finally Fails, Streak Ends at 26
stadiumreport.bbn

May 19th, 2013

Maybe it really is taboo to talk about a hitting streak before it's over. Hours after speaking to the press about his 26-game hitting streak, San Francisco shortstop Joe Panik went hitless in 4 at-bats today at Petco Park.

The sudden hitting drought came as the Giants took the 4-2 win over the San Diego Padres.

"Nope, it's not magic," Panik said in his postgame press conference. "Nobody jinxed me. Streaks don't last forever. I've heard about it every day for weeks now. My roomie told me to get a hit before every game and wished me luck. I just ran out of hits."

To date Panik has chalked up a .438 average with 2 home runs, driven in 15 runs, and scored 24 times.

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Number 3000 for A-Rod
stadiumreport.bbn

May 26th, 2013

It was a day of mixed emotions for New York third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who collected his 3000th hit in the club's 14-11 loss to Washington. Yankees and Nationals fans alike cheered Rodriguez as he reached base after his milestone hit.

"I wish the score had been different," Rodriguez said after the game, "but it was a great moment. The standing ovation was really special... even the fans wearing Nationals caps were cheering me."

Rodriguez was 3-for-5 on the day.

Looking at his career numbers, Rodriguez has played in 2595 games with a .301/.385/.560 slash line. Among his 3001 hits are 534 doubles, 29 triples, and 663 home runs. He also has scored 1958 runs and driven in 2012 runs and collected a total of 108WAR over his career.

He is an impressive 14x All-Star, 10x Silver Slugger, 2x Gold Glover, and 3x MVP.

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32-Game Hitting Streak for Cabrera
stadiumreport.bbn

May 31st, 2013

With 1 hit at Citizens Bank Park today, Melky Cabrera added another game to his hitting streak -- the San Francisco left fielder has now hit safely for 32 games in a row. But the hitting feat wasn't enough for the Giants today, as they fell, 1-0, to the Philadelphia Phillies.

"Frankly, I don't care about hits," Philadelphia manager Jared Siegel said later. "I'll let him get 4 hits in 4 at-bats if it means we get a win."
Melky Cabrera flew out in the 1st, grounded out in the 4th, grounded out in the 7th, and singled in the 10th.

On the year Cabrera has hit .335 with 4 home runs, 15 RBIs, and scored 23 runs.

[Griever20]

Transactions:
May 28th – RHSP Erasmo E. Ramirez(23, 2.5*) was placed on the 15-day DL today with a dead arm after leaving a game against the Rangers after the first inning. The 23-year old is 3-2 5.06 26K in nine starts but should be good to go after the short DL stint. The Mariners recalled RHSP Drew Hutchison(22, 2/2.5*) who was 4-1 3.18 63K in 9 starts with AAA Tacoma.

Series:
2-0 @CWS (Jacob deGrom 5IP 5H 1ER 1BB 8K W(2-2 5.46), Mike Zunino 3-3 3R 3RBI BB 2HR(4))
3-0 @TBR (Danny Duffy 8IP 6H 1ER 0BB 6K W(1-1 4.79), James Paxton 7IP 3H 1ER 1BB 8K W(2-1 3.04), Felix Hernandez 8IP 3H 0ER 1BB 8K W(4-1 1.17))
2-2 @NYY (David Cooper 3-4 5R 3RBI BB DB 2HR(6), Michael Saunders 2-3 5R 4RBI 3BB 2HR(6))
3-0 vs CLE (Jacob deGrom 7.2IP 4H 0ER 2BB 4K W(4-2 4.01))
2-1 vs CWS (Felix Hernandez 9IP 2H 0ER 0BB 10K W(5-2 1.02))
0-3 @ TOR (RF Jose A. Bautista 2-4 2R 7RBI BB DB HR(6))
0-2 @ BAL
0-2 @ DET (1B Miguel Cabrera 4-4 5R 4RBI 2BB 2HR(7))
1-2 @ ARI (Felix Hernandez 8.1IP 6H 1ER 0BB 6K L(5-4 1.54))
0-3 vs TEX (Jacob deGrom 7IP 7H 1ER 2BB 6K ND)
0-2 vs OAK

May: 13-17
Runs Scored: 234(2nd)
Batting AVG: .268(2nd)
OBP: .324(4th)
Home Runs: 53(6th)
Stolen Bases: 36(3rd)
Runs Against: 246(14th)
Starters ERA: 4.27(12th)
Bullpen ERA: 6.16(15th)
FIP: 4.54(10th)
Defensive Eff.: .693(7th)

We went from a strong start to a 7-game losing streak including a 19-2 dubbing by the ******* Tigers... which left us at an even .500 clip... in other words, we still don`t know if we are contenders, pretenders, or just clowns(tho pretenders and clowns could both be true).

Speaking of clowns... let`s talk pitching... or whatever those guys that are supposed to throw baseballs towards home plate are called these days... Apart from King Felix(2-2 1.66), deGrom(3-1 2.25) and Wilhelmsen(1-0 2.61 4SV)... everybody got shelled... and I mean SHELLED. Our bullpen has an ERA of 6... SIX for ***** sake. If this continues, you will see a certain GM getting arrested for multiple homicides... I`m not kidding.

PS: King Felix leads the AL in ERA, K/BB, WHIP, and quality start.

Positively, flipping around the lineup... worked like a charm. We never stopped scoring runs regardless of our abysmal pitching as we scored the second-most runs in the AL with 148 in May. Cooper picked things up with a .296/.367/.509 slash line with 5HR and 13RBI`s and Miller also hit .315 with a .905OPS... and the power finally came along with a lead leading 44 home runs.

June may be the month where the future of this team is shaped... yes, a bit overdramatic, but I will not watch .500 baseball for the rest of the season. Either, we pick things up in June, and I go out, looking for a deal or three that we blow our $45M budget or $26.5M profit margin on to improve the team... or we start to sell pieces to bring more prospects into the picture.

Speaking of prospects... the First-Year Player Draft is coming up.

Our Big Board Right now:
BATTERS:
1. RF Aaron Judge(21, 4.5*)
2. RF Ramon Laureano(18, 4*)
3. LF/C Kyle Schwarber(20 4*)
4. SS Trea Turner(19, 3.5*)
5. SS Gleyber Torres(16, 3* HS, 4* OSA)
6. 3B Matt Chapman(20, 3* HS, 3.5* OSA)
7. 3B Rafael Devers(16, 2.5* HS, 3* OSA)

PITCHERS(SP only):
1. RHSP Aaron Nola(19, 4* HS, 4.5* OSA)
2. RHSP Chris Bassitt(24, 3/3.5* HS, 3/4* OSA)
3. RHSP Brandon Woodruff(20, 3.5* HS, 4.5* OSA)
4. RHSP Brent Honeywell(18, 3.5* HS, 4* OSA)
5. RHSP Jack Flaherty(17, 3* HS, 3.5* OSA)
6. LHSP Sean Manaea(21, 3* HS, 3.5* OSA)

So, the latest mock draft has... Laureano, Judge, Torres and Devers going in front of us... leaving us with Kyle Schwarber... who I most likely won`t pick. Our current lineup is already left-handed heavy, we have Zunino and a good left fielder... I would certainly not pick him.

That leaves us with a lesser SS option in Trea Turner, the save pick, or a pitcher. Aaron Nola seems to be the best pure pitching prospect in the draft, already hitting high 90`s on the heater with good movement and control and two more plus pitches in the curve and the changeup.

The second option would be, going with our scouts, Chris Bassitt, who is expected to be basically MLB ready at 24. However, the fact that the OSA Mock Draft has him go 21st makes me kinda not want him here. There is something fishy in this, maybe it`s the description of him being "thick-headed", or some other red flag.

Obviously, if he drops to us... Judge would be our preferred pick for sure... I just don`t think he will fall that low... Judge as best, a projectable right-handed bat, or Nola as best, projectable pitcher.

In Other News:

May 8th – Cardinals SP Gavin Floyd(30, 2.5*) blanked the Marlins 8-0 by pitching a 2-hit shutout with one walk and 10 strikeouts.Acquired via trade from the White Sox at the Winter Meetings, he is 3-1 2.67 32K in five starts.

May 11th – Rangers SP Yu Darvish(26, 3.5*) has already collected his second shutout of the season, going the distance in a 4-0 win over Detroit while allowing 3H 2BB and striking out seven. The righty moved to a near-perfect 5-0 1.37 43K in six starts.

May 12th – Dodgers LF Josh Willingham(34, 2.5*) put three big flies into the bleachers today in a 6-7 loss to the Astros, going 3-5 3R 5RBI 3HR. The 2012 World Series Champion is batting .250-8-16 .900OPS in 28 games so far.

May 14th – Phillies 1B Todd Helton(39, 2.5*) collected career hit #2500 today against the Cardinals in a 5-3 victory. The Rockies icon is a career .315/.414/.534 362HR 1375RBI 2500H 2242G 67.9WAR batter and 5x All-Star 3x Gold Glover and 4x Silver Slugger.

May 15th – Indians SP Hyun-Jin Ryu(26, 4*) whitewashed the Athletics today in a 5-0 rout, allowing only 4 hits and no walks while striking out 10 in a complete-game win. The Rookie of the Year candidate moved to 3-1 1.47 50K in 7 starts.

May 15th – Red Sox SP James Shields(31, 3.5*) dominated Rangers hitting with a 4-hit, 0BB and 7K shutout in a 8-0 win. Big Game James has a 3-2 record with a 3.24ERA and 41K`s in seven starts.

May 18th – Giants SP Jon Lester(29, 3*) spanked the Padres today in a 10-0 win, throwing a 2-hitter with 3BB and 6K. The 2x All-Star moved to 6-0 0.89 41K in 7 starts.

May 18th – Giants SP Jon Lester(29, 3*) spanked the Padres today in a 10-0 win, throwing a 2-hitter with 3BB and 6K. The 2x All-Star moved to 6-0 0.89 41K in 7 starts.

May 19th – Giants RF Carlos Beltran(35, 3*) took the quick route back to home plate three times today, going 3-4 3R 3RBI 3HR in a 4-2 win over the Padres today. The 6x All-Star is batting .226-5-13 .723OPS in 34 games.

May 25th – Reds SP Johnny Cueto(27, 3.5/4*) threw a dominant 3-hitter against the reigning World Series champs from Washington today, walking one and striking out 7 in a 6-0 win. The righty is 6-3 2.50 56K in 9 starts.

May 29th – Cardinals SP Adam Wainwright(31, 3.5*) struck out 15 Astros today en route to a 1-0 win, going 8.1IP 1H 0ER 0BB 15K. The 2x All-Star is 2-2 0.76 39K in five starts.

June 1st – Athletics 1B Mark Teixeira(33, 3.5*) was named AL Batter of the Month after batting .374 with 11 home runs, 26RBIs and 24 runs scored for the month. The 4x Silver Slugger is batting .301-16-43 .943OPS for the season.

June 1st – Giants 2B Joe Panik(22, 4*) was named NL Batter of the Month after batting .425 with 3 home runs, 16RBIs, and 26 runs scored for the month. Owner of a 26-game hitting streak, he is batting .408-3-21 .994OPS in 45 games.

June 1st – Yankees SP Matt Cain(28, 3.5*) was named AL Pitcher of the Month after going 4-1 1.81 43K in 44.2IP for the month. The reigning NL Cy Young winner is 6-2 2.43 71K in 10 starts.

June 1st – Giants SP Jon Lester(29, 3*) was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 6-0 1.38 34K in 45.2IP for the month. The 2x All-Star is 8-0 1.22 51K in 9 starts.

June 1st – Orioles SP Eduardo Rodriguez(20, 2/2.5*) was named AL Rookie of the Month after going 4-0 1SV 1.78 in 11G/2GS and 25.1IP with 19K. The lefty is 4-0 1SV 1.87 17G/2GS with 29K.

June 1st – Marlins SP Keith Couch(23, 3.5*) was named NL Rookie of the Month going 4-2 2.37 20K in six starts. Acquired from Boston for RP A.J. Ramos this offseason, he is 5-3 2.30 37K in 9 starts.