In light of today's MLB draft and quite fittingly enough, the eve of Stephen Strasburg's much anticipated debut, I have decided to reflect back on what the 2010 Mariners could theoretically look like had it not been for poor management, scouting, and egregious luck that Seattle sport teams seem to have.
It'd be nice if we could label one mistake during the Bavasi regime and just call that "Bavasi's blunder" - referring to one event that turned out to be negative for the Mariners. Unfortunately, he did not just make one. He gave away Shin Soo-Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera for the first-base platoon of Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez. He also traded away Rafael Soriano for Horacio Ramirez. And of course there's the infamous Erik Bedard trade. Free-agent signings include Carlos Silva, Richie Sexson, Spiezio, Carl Everett, Aurilia, and Jeff Weaver. I don't think there can be one nice and tidy nickname that can sum up Bavasi's era ala Seward's Folly.
Furthermore, Bavasi and his scouts opted to NOT draft Tim Lincecum in the 2006 draft and selected Brandon Morrow instead. Geez, the guy only put up electrifying performances in Safeco's backyard at the University of Washington. But seeing the moves Bavasi and his men made beforehand, how could I have been so naive to think he actually watches baseball games live. That draft could have really started to change everything. Of course Tim is just a pitcher and wouldn't help our offensive woes...which is why I think we still would have been quite terrible in 2007 and 2008. Lincecum won the Cy Young in 2008 even though the Giants finished third in the NL West. If Felix could only win 9 games for the M's that season...you can make the argument Lincecum would not have won 18 and the M's would not have jumped out of the basement. Heck, Lincecum may not even had been activated because they would not want to ruin his development...that would partially explain why Morrow pitched less than 70 innings that year. That, and because they misused him as a RP instead of a SP. Yes, it is evident the knuckleheads Bavasi put together did not know a thing about running a baseball team.
Look no further than 2008 for even MORE proof of this. Obviously the team on the field was terrible. The atmosphere in the clubhouse? Even more so. It was so bad to the point that the enigmatic and rather aloof Ichiro was being complained about by teammates. The ONE, single player that is producing anything on the field is getting complaints? Yeah, I think it is high time to blow the whole thing up and start anew. This is why Junior, Sweeney, Zduriencik and Wakamatsu's presence the following year was such a welcome change. They made playing baseball fun again. It was a much-needed breath of fresh air for the club that just lost 101 games...the first team to do so with a $100 million payroll. Don't you love how the one record the team breaks is an infamous one?
Speaking of which, they can't even lose ENOUGH to secure the #1 draft pick for the following season. Now do you see why management did not know how to manage? Winning that one single game near the end of the season made them the second worst team in the majors behind the Washington Nationals. Our prize for that? Losing out on Stephen Strasburg. I know Dustin Ackley is a heralded player in his own right, but is he doing anything for the 2010 M's? The answer is no, at least not yet. Meanwhile, tomorrow on June 8, 2010, the whole nation will be tuned in to see how this kid that can throw over 100 MPH does in his MLB debut. Damn you, Bavasi! The ONE thing you were good at (losing), you weren't good enough to let us get another once-in-a-lifetime player since well, Ken Griffey, Jr. I am not a fan of the NFL or MLB's rules on draft order because it does not prevent teams from tanking games to secure the pick. Since I live in Seattle and can watch almost all the ballgames on TV, that year I could not imagine a team that was worse than the 2008 Seattle Mariners. I still cannot fathom the idea that the Nationals were a worse team. We deserved Strasburg. We need Strasburg. I don't like much about the NBA even before the Sonics left. However, they did do one thing right - having a draft lottery rather than automatically giving the team with the worst record in the league the #1 pick.
Why is this important? For one, it protects the integrity of the game. It makes players and coaches still compete for pride. Also, fans who bought tickets to the game still want their team to win while they are in attendance. No one likes to leave their home ballpark after a loss. It just makes sense to NOT reward the worse team in the league a #1 pick. Have the 10 worst teams conduct a lottery for that pick. That way, fans, players, coaches and everyone can still enjoy a day out at the ballpark rather than seeing a team pack it in. I know the Nationals did not have many stars on the 2008 roster but if they did, I'm sure they would bench them all so that they could win the Strasburg sweepstakes. Well congrats to them, they did anyway much to the chagrin of Mariners fans everywhere.
