According to Hickey:

The Mariners have reportedly looked at the three available White Sox pitchers -- Jon Garland, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez -- the Reds' Kyle Lohse, the Giants' Matt Morris, Jason Johnson of the Rockies and Octavio Dotel of the Royals, among others.

Should someone tell Hickey that Jason Johnson has been pitching for the Seibu Lions and the last time Jason Johnson took the mound for the Colorado Rockies was never?

Even the best closers of all-time have had a miserable day at the office. Just don't make a habit of it.

Oh, and it's high time someone passes a letter to Guillen informing him that Mike Scioscia's BFF is Raul Ibanez and let nature take it's course. Yes, he had a lucky day at the plate, but his inability to cover ground in LF cost the M's an early run and potentially/probably ruined the J.J. streak.

And yes, I know that's far fetched, but Raul's an easy target.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA /deep breathe HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

At least Ken Rosenthal says so. Also adds a deal could be done tonight. I've got mixed feelings on this. Part of me says a rubber armed Weaver on a one or two year deal could be a pretty nice signing. The other part of me saw what he did in LA last year. Please Bavasi, don't give him an albatross.

Rockies acquired Rodrigo Lopez in exchange for RHP Jim Miller and RHP Jason Burch.

Rockies gave up nothing of value although Lopez could be a disaster in Coors.

I've been dealing with one of those internal monologues on whether or not I wanted to post these next few articles. My general feeling was that I was being too negative. I wasn't necessarily happy with the fact I couldn't think of anything good to write and the age old adage of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" kept ringing in the back of my head. Needless to say, rational thought won out and this will be the first of a few posts that look beyond the disastrous off-season and into 2007 and beyond. So without further ado...

Ichiro is, well, Ichiro. He's an amazing talent on the field and he's the most marketable player the M's have had since Junior. He helped a Mariner nation forget about A-Rod, RJ and Junior. Through a variety of ways, he's made a ton of cash for the owners. His influence opened the door for other Japanese players to make their pilgrimage to the Major Leagues more than any other player before him. Quite simply, he's the best investment and player the team could have ever hoped for.

At 33, Ichiro has made it very clear that winning is his top priority. Last off-season, for the first time in his tenure, we caught wind that Ichiro was unhappy. We learned that he felt the team lacked leadership (without naming names) and a commitment to winning. He's made the comment that he doesn't know how much time he has left in baseball and how he wanted to play for a contender before he was done playing. Of course, he mention that he wanted the M's to be a contender.

Ichiro's as frustrated as he's ever been and, I believe, there is a good chance that Ichiro will be playing elsewhere in 2008. Here's why:

• Ichiro's agent, Tony Attanasio, mentioned earlier in the off-season that he will not approach the Mariners about a contract extension for Ichiro. He made it clear that they would listen, but they were comfortable going into the season without a new contract. Bavasi rarely talks about contracts with the media and is really good about defusing those contract questions so it's impossible to know where the M's stand. I'm sure they will talk extension with him, but is it possible that Ichiro wants to try to win a ring in the Major Leagues before he retires and might seek greener pastures?
• Gary Matthews, Juan Pierre, JD Drew, Vernon Wells. $10 million, $9 million, $14 million, $18 million. Big money was given to center fielders this off-season and of course Carlos Beltran in the 2004 off-season (7 years, $119 million). While part of me wants to believe that Ichiro's slide to CF was because he was a team player and wanted to do whatever he could to help the team, I see his sudden willingness to slide over as a contract driven decision.

  Ichiro will make $13.5 million in the final year of his contract in 2007 (which by this markets standards, turns out to be a bargain). If the CF market stays similar to what it was this season, how much is Ichiro worth going forward? 3 years, $54 million? What about 4 years, $80 million? Ichiro fills two key roles for a ball club (CF and leadoff) and is one of the best at both. Who knows what he might fetch on the open market and you better believe his agent is fully aware of that.

  And what about a hometown discount? The M's didn't get one last time and with the current pathetic state of the organization; definitely don't expect one this time around.

• Adam Jones and Jose Guillen. The 21 year old CF is one of the bright spots in this team's future and he'll be starting his second season in AAA this season. If his progression continues on the same path, he could be ready to start collecting full time AB's by the end of the year or at worst, the start of the 2008 season.

  Jose Guillen was brought in to fill the void created by Ichiro shifting to CF for 2007. He's a risk, but if his elbow is healthy and he puts together a solid season, the M's hold a mutual option for 2008.

  How does this factor into the M's decision making process? They have a young kid who is just waiting in the wings and a RF on the roster with an option for 2008. If Ichiro starts to price himself out of the M's market and does decide to move on, they've got options.

• The 2008 budget is already tight, with nearly $64 million paid to nine players (including YuBet). Factor in the likely multi-year deals or significant raises to guys like Putz, Lopez, Betancourt, Broussard (if he's still here), Ramirez and your easily approaching the $75 million-80 million mark on thirteen players. Throw in the possible Reitsma and Guillen options and you're closer to $90 million.

  Yes, a lot can happen between now and the end of next year. Salaries could be dealt or added, signed or released. But assuming that everyone who is currently under contract for 2008 returns, there isn't a lot of wiggle room in the budget.

• There will be a new front office staff and manager in 2008. Let's be honest with ourselves for a moment. While this team could surprise and win 90+ games this season, it's just as likely that the club struggles to win 70+. Let's assume that we split the difference and this team wins 80 games. That's not going to allow Bavasi and Hargrove to keep their jobs and the possibility remains that Lincoln and even Armstrong get the boot.

  With a new front office, will they share the same affinity with Ichiro? Will they want to take the front office in a new direction and shape the team in their own vision? Will Ichiro be a part of that vision? These are all questions that no one has the answer for. Hell, I'm not so sure that if the team collapses, that Ichiro will still be here in August.

It's difficult to envision a Mariner's team without Ichiro at the top of the line-up card and patrolling the outfield. While I've always been a fan and will always be a fan of Ichiro, I'm not so sure that signing Ichiro to a large extension is currently in the best interest of the team. With the current internal options that are available and the difficulty that may arise with the payroll constraints, it may be difficult to justify giving a 33 year old a long-term deal. But then again, the marketability that Ichiro brings to the M's is huge.

Will the M's make a baseball decision or will the M's make a business decision? Or better yet, does Ichiro even want to return? Time will tell.

Update [2007-1-12 17:5:7 by Trent]: There is a Japanese article today that apparently talks about Ichiro leaving at the end of the season. I can't read Japanese and the internet translation is almost as difficult to decipher as the Japanese itself. I personally didn't see this article until about thirty minutes after I posted this morning, so my intent wasn't to start a mass panic thread. Just something to think about.

Normally, this news would be considered diary worthy. But as I said in a comment the other day, misery loves company so lets pour some more salt in the wounds.

John Thomson agreed to a one year, $500,000 (plus incentives) contract with the Blue Jays today. $500,000. It didn't cost them a multi-year deal. Or their best reliever. It cost them about $50,000 more than what the M's will be paying Horacio Ramirez this year. And $7.5 million less than what they will pay Batista. And about $100,000 more than the M's will pay Baek and Woods (whoever wins the 5th spot).

162 Game Averages (per career stats):
Thomson - 202.0 IP, 222 H, 127/58 K/BB, 4.69 ERA
Batista - 161.3 IP, 165 H, 101/69 K/BB, 4.46 ERA
Ramirez - 208.3 IP, 212 H, 99/80 K/BB, 4.13 ERA

All three are GB pitchers. All three are average pitchers. None of the three are anyone to get really excited about.

Just one costs a whole lot less than the others. Good times.

Update [2007-1-11 14:20:19 by Trent]:: Just to update this post, Thomson will actually earn a base salary of $1.5 million if he makes the roster out of spring training, with the possibility of earning between $4-5 million in incentives if he pitches all year. This doesn't change my opinion of the deal one bit. It's a terrific signing by the Jays and if they do in fact pay him between $4-5 million, it means he pitched above expectations and will still be a bargain in this market.

The favorites make it and rightfully so.

According to ESPN, the M’s and Chris Reitsma have come to terms on a one year $2.05 million contract (includes 2008 option buyout) with a club option for 2008. He also has the ability to earn performance bonuses in both 2007 and 2008.

Reitsma is similar to all the other pitchers the M’s have brought in so far this offseason, in that he’s nothing spectacular, is a groundball pitcher and has a lot of questions surrounding him. Last year, Reitsma sucked. Twenty five percent of his fly balls went for homerun’s and the guy struggled to get anyone out. His K/9 was a lovely 4.18 and his K/BB rate was an abysmal 1.63.

In July, he underwent a season ending surgery called ulnar nerve transposition to repair a condition known as ulnar neuritis which is caused when the ulnar nerve in the elbow becomes compressed and creates numbness and sometimes pain in the fingers. In this particular case, an ulnar nerve transposition procedure (which Reitsma underwent) moves the ulnar nerve into a new tunnel of tissue created from the flexor muscles in the forearm in the hope of relieving the pressure being placed on the nerve itself. Whether he battled the problem all year or not is obviously a concern, but one would hope that the issue has been resolved.

From what I understand, Reitsma should be ready for the start of spring training and if he can somehow rebound from surgery and his disastrous 2006 season and pitch like the pitcher he was in 2004 and 2005, he’ll be useful. He posted solid 6.78 and 5.19 K/9 rates in ’04 and ’05 (respectively) and averaged 3 K per BB over both seasons as well. Factor in the defensive infield upgrade from Atlanta to Seattle. Whether or not he can rebound from last year remains to be seen, but at least the M’s aren’t going to be paying him a lot of money to find out.

There were cheaper options out there, but knowing what we know about this FO, there was very little chance that they would've taken a cheap risk when they could've paid a little more for someone with some name recognition. Would I have signed him to the deal he got, no. But there were much worse options available.

He’s not going to replace Rafael Soriano in the bullpen, but at $2.05 million in 2007, he’s got a good chance at possibly being the best free agent signing Bavasi made this offseason. Which makes me wonder if that illustrates Reitsma’s possible potential or just how bad this offseason has been.

It's been pretty boring in Marinerland over the past couple weeks, especially since Bavasi hasn't found any mediocre free agents to overpay or declining veterans to trade for. This was the perfect time for Jeff to take his vacation, spending four weeks gallivanting around Europe rarely, if ever, thinking about Mariner baseball while the rest of us still cautiously check sports websites throughout our day hoping that there won't be any new Mariner news.

So with the lack of any new Mariner related news or topics, there hasn't been much for those handling the reins of LoL to talk about. Which leads us to today's post. Yesterday, Positive Paul and I were passing time at our respective jobs shooting the collective breeze when Paul made up a humorous Mariners baseball slogan (listed below) and an idea struck me like JJ Putz fastball to the temple. I figured that with today being a Friday on a short work week following the holidays, it would be a good idea to have a little creative fun and allow everyone to release their frustrations from the current offseason (and even past few seasons) and create their own version of what they believe the 2007 Mariners slogan should be.

So have fun. Here are a couple thrown out there to get those creative juices following:

"Mariners baseball..."

• "The sound of one-hand clapping." - courtesy of PositivePaul
• "You'll come for the Willie." - courtesy of PositivePaul
• "My, oh my." (Actually, this was last years actual quote and it ironically fits)
• "If the raw fish in the IchiRoll doesn't kill you, the baseball will."
• "What a show...of incompetence."
• "Haven't you had enough?"
• "Sodo Notto." - (Weak translation - Baseball south of downtown smells like crap).
• This is more of a TV commercial but allow me to set the scene anyway.

  An older woman is sitting in a rocking chair watching a Mariner game. The camera zooms in on the television, showing the bases loaded with Mariners and Adrian Beltre up to bat. The opposing pitcher makes his pitch the screen goes black, the crack of a bat is heard. Dave Niehaus' excited voice follows with:

  "Get out the rye bread and the mustard, Grandma," and the television screen comes back only to show an Adrian Beltre foul out to the first baseman to end the inning. Niehaus continues:

  "and invite the family over for Matlock reruns over salami sandwiches and save them the $200-300 they would've spent at the ballpark."

• "Get all of it...and then wish you could give it all back."
• "Come for the baseball, leave with narcolepsy."
• Enter Don LaFontaine's voice - "Every so often a team of destiny emerges to take the nation by surprise. No, it's not the Mariners; I'm just making an open-ended statement. But please come spend your money anyway."
• "45% of the time, we win everytime."

Sounds like it's almost done . I don't know about anyone else, but placing Joel in the closers role would scare the crap out of me if I'm a Red Sox fan. Unless, of course, he's back on the needle.

There has been absolutely zero interesting or new Mariner news three days into the New Year. No silly rumors. No rumored interest in any new free agent(s). I still have a better chance of winning the lottery and have Evangeline Lilly call me to profess her love, on the same night, than Randy Johnson has coming to Seattle (who appears Arizona bound).

There is one new article from John Hickey, which offers nothing in the way of anything news worthy but does suggest that the M's off-season may not be done and has this nugget from Bavasi:

How many times have we seen some version of this quote from Bavasi? Bavasi also went on to add that "the sun should come up tomorrow" and "if you hit your hand with a hammer, it will hurt."

Hickey's article screams hollow optimism. Because, well, you can't have the fan base thinking that the team is done or isn't always trying to get better. I, for one, am thrilled that Bavasi is always looking to improve the club. Truthfully, who wouldn't? The guy has shown a tremendous and consistent ability in evaluating players, making quality trades and knowing where to find value free agents in his tenure here. He's still got plenty of time to further dig this team a hole that it won't be able to climb out of before the 2010 season. Keep making us better Bavasi!

But hey, sometimes no news is good news. I can't think of a better application of this cliché.

On behalf of Jeff (who I'm sure is doing, or has done (what time is it in Europe right now?), something much cooler than most of us) and the pinch bloggers (Deanna, Steve and myself), I want to wish all the readers of Lookout Landing a safe and happy New Year and a here's hoping for a terrific 2007.

Update [2006-12-31 20:47:31 by Steve Nelson]: from Steve: Per Positive Paul's comment below, let his be an honorary LL "game thread" to follow all the New Years Eve and New Years Day celebrations around the world. Drunk posts will likely be removed - unless we decide to leave it there for your humiliation.

Brandon McCarthy and OF David Paisano are going to the Rangers in exchange for prospects John Danks, Jacob Rasner and Nick Masset.

Weird. Especially considering the White Sox seemed hellbent to make room for McCarthy.

So we have rumors of grandeur about LaRouche and Hudson and we get Horacio Ramirez.

There were rumors of grandeur about Manny Ramirez and we might be trading for Eric Hinske?

What the hell Bavasi?

Finally, the press release from the Seattle Front Office. Let's enjoy this:

"He's young [27] and he had plus-stuff," Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said of Ramirez. "A left-hander in our park is a good fit."

Alright, first things first. "He's young [27] and he HAD plus-stuff." Whether or not this is a Freudian slip, I'm not sure. Either way, it's not even a true statement. Bavasi is implying that Ramirez once had plus-stuff, where the consensus is that Ramirez has never been in possesion said "plus-stuff."

This is just a stupid freaking comment that illustrates that Bavasi has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.

Bavasi indicated the he would still like to add another starting pitcher, and that's after the Mariners picked up right-handed Sean White in a morning trade with the Pirates, shortly after White was selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Pirates from the Braves.

"We'd like to get one more," Bavasi said.

One more what? These past two trades certainly haven't netted the M's anything of serious value or that resemble an effective ML starter. It's roster filler. So what's next Bavasi? Are we going to deal Felix for a couple of the D-Rays starters? Maybe we can deal Adam Jones, Richie Sexson and Jeff Clement for Carl Pavano?

The emergence of Jon Huber as a possible late-inning specialist made it easier for the Mariners to deal Soriano -- but not that easy.

That said, the Mariners didn't come to the meetings looking to deal Soriano. But when his name was brought up, the team listened.

"That allowed us to make the deal," Bavasi said. "But he's [Soriano] a good pitcher."

What? What!?! Don't get me wrong, Huber is effective in the proper role. That role is not as the primary set-up man for JJ Putz. Putting the ball in Huber's hand as many times in 2007 as they put the ball in Soriano's hand last year is idiocy.

I've given Bavasi a ton of slack over the past couple years because I felt he took over a horrible situation and needed some time to rectify the problem. He's now hung himself and the entire Mariner organization with that slack. He's dealt his most valuable Major League (non-prospect) trading piece going forward and that means it's time to move some of the M's top prospects and that should scare the shit out of every Mariner fan because Bavasi has no concept of value. Or perhaps it's time to jump feet first into the FA market, a market that just gave Gil Meche a guaranteed 5 year deal worth $55 million. That's right, Gil Meche is making $11 million per season. (So is everyone else scared shitless of wht lies ahead?)

Bavasi's proven once and for all that he is a boy amongst men and has no place running a Major League organization. It's been a long three years and Mariner fans are going to have to endure another mediocre season of Mariner baseball. But it will be the last of the Bill Bavasi and Mike Hargrove era. Their ship has sailed. Let's just hope Howard Lincoln is thrown on that ship as well.

Runelvys Hernandez.

Hernandez was released today in order to make room for a Rule 5 selection and the impending signing of Gil Meche.

Not sure if they've DFA'd him or just straight released him, but I'm sure that Bavasi would trade Adam Jones and Jeff Clement to get him if he was DFA'd.

1 - "We could be in there, but then we'd have to decide to forgo some other things. If Zito wants to take a while, it would preclude us from doing other things (while waiting)," Bavasi said. "We don't want to miss out on other things we could do, then come back and miss out on Zito, too." - Seattle PI

2 - "We're looking at adding the front of the rotation starter. Russ Ortiz is still out there and he was the opening day starter for the Giants and Diamondbacks before. Perhaps we'll dabble in the Mike Maroth sweepstakes. There's some value to be had there."- Seattle Times

3 - "If we have to move Adam Jones and Jeff Clement in order to get a guy like Carlos Silva, we'd do it. You can't overlook the leadership qualities of a guy like that." - Seattle Times

4 - "There is no deal," Bavasi said. "If we have something to tell you, we'll tell you." - Seattle PI

After missing the majority of last season due to a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery, Guillen will be entering 2007 looking to re-establish himself as a quality ML regular.

Before his injury, Guillen had appeared to finally start living up to some of his potential. He's definitely an all or nothing type hitter who doesn't walk much and can rack up the strikeouts. Prior to his elbow injury, Guillen had one of the better OF arms in baseball although it is unknown how his arm strength will be post injury.    

Guillen has historically been a bit of a problem following clubhouse rules and has a primadonna type attitude but last year's signing of Carl Everett indicates that perhaps the M's might be willing to look past those type of players.

Is Guillen worth a flyer? Would Guillen in LF (until his arm is back to 100%) and Raul at DH be worth the risk?

I meant to throw this up the day after I posted the Jason Jennings diary to keep up the active and interesting conversations regarding possible players available in this years market, but better late than never.

Aubrey Huff is entering free agency for the first time and the once promising young star seems to have had his star tarnish with age.

After posting solid years in 2002, 2003 and 2004:

2002 - .313/.364/.520
2003 - .311/.367/.555
2004 - .297/.360/.493

Huff's production levels fell in the past two seasons:

2005 - .261/.321/.428
2006 - .267/.344/.469 (with TB and HOU)

He's a hack with the glove and should probably be a DH but could provide some flexibility at 3B, 1B and in the corner OF spots should the need arise.

Thus far, it appears that he seems to have been forgotten about in this years free agent class.

Could this LH bat see a career renaissance with the Mariners or is this tarnished star another casualty of the baseball new drug policies (see: Joel Pineiro)?

Someone seriously needs to take the check book away from Jim Hendry.

This is just ridiculous.

Sounds like the Rockies might consider moving him in the right package, especially if the package includes a CF. Jennings posted a 3.78 ERA last season with a X-FIP of 4.85. Did he really take the next step or is he the same pitcher with just some better luck in 2006?

Would you make a move for Jennings? There isn't a right or wrong answer. This is just a diary to continue the trend of the entertaining diaries.

Larry Stone has an article today about the upcoming Matsuzaka posting and subsequent circus sideshow that will follow and within the article states that a pair of inside sources indicate that the M's are only going to make a token bid for the Japanese ace.

"I think the Mariners will go after him, but I don't think it will be the enthusiastic and aggressive approach they've employed in the past [for Japanese players]," said one source.

Another source concurred, saying he believed the Mariners were "more comfortable spending their money on established major-leaguers."

This is the second or third article in the past week that indicates that the Mariners are going to be watching this one from the stands despite DM's interest in playing with Ichiro and Johjima. While I'm not necessarily buying into these rumors, after the past couple of seasons, the part of me that used to look at these quotes and see them as a smoke screen is on life support, if not already dead.

So, instead of viewing these articles/rumors/quotes as front office propoganda placed in an attempt to try to convince the other 29 teams that the M's really aren't that interested when in fact they really are, I view these articles/rumors/quotes as the preliminary foundation of the M's setting up their fanbase for missing out on DM.

I hope that the front office proves me wrong.

Had to post this before they changed it. From Rotoworld:

Juan Uribe and his brother reportedly shot and injured two men in the Dominican Republic on Friday.

The men who were shot have already been released from the hospital. According to the report, Uribe opened fire, perhaps in self defense, after the men approached his vehicle. An investigation is ongoing. Asked to comment on the incident, Steve Lyons said he wanted all four men searched in case they stole his wallet.

Seriously. How is this not the funniest story of the year?

Not surprisingly, right fielder Ryan Freel's spectacular diving catch on the warning track Tuesday night vs. St. Louis remained a buzzworthy topic Wednesday. It was also prominently featured on television highlight shows.

Freel robbed Albert Pujols of a likely two-run extra-base hit in the fifth inning. Although the Reds won by a 10-3 score, it was a potentially game-saving play because Pujols represented the tying run at the time.

When he got home after Tuesday's game, Freel admitted to watching himself make the catch on TV. Apparently, he wasn't completely alone during the viewings.

"I thought it was pretty neat watching that play. That was a good catch, Ryan," Freel said. "The midget in my head is named Farney. 'Hey Farney, I don't know if that was you that caught the ball, but it was pretty good if it was you.'"

And for clarification, who is Farney again?

"He's the little guy in my head who I talk to, and I talk to him," Freel said. "Everyone thinks I talk to myself, so I tell them I'm talking to Farney."
 

Seattle has tendered contracts to all players eligible, except Ryan "Spiroid" Franklin, thus ending his Mariner career. The list of players tendered contracts include Gil Meche, Willie Bloomquist, Julio Mateo and Rafael Soriano.

The M's also designated Jamal Strong and Greg Dobbs (see below) for assignment.

In other news, Jacque Jones agreed to a three year deal with the Cubs for an estimated $16 million over three years.

Steve Kelley hits the nail on the head with his newest article.

Washburn's signing still hasn't sunk in yet, but then again, I'm still hoping that they can't find a working pen to sign the contract with or that they find something wrong with his arm.

Pending a physical. Meche is also going to be tendered a contract.

I'm going to be sick.

I began my shopping today and as you will notice in the following rambling, I kind of got the Christmas bug. As most of us are finishing up (or just starting) our shopping as we close in on the largest commercial event on the planet, also known as Christmas, the Mariners are also starting to finish their offseason shopping list. To get further into the Christmas spirit, allow me to supply you with some classic Christmas music to listen to as you peruse the following Christmas spirited rant.

Much to the pleasure of most Mariner fans, the Mariners did some early shopping this offseason before the crowds. Now they appear be pressing as the holiday gets closer, trying to complete their list as soon as possible much to the chagrin of Mariner fans. First came the signing of Carl Everett and now there are rumblings of the possibility of Jarrod Washburn. For four years. Occasionally, the best gifts are the ones you don't receive. Just because the holiday is a week away, there is no need to rush into just buying a gift. Sometimes, the best gifts are those that come after the holiday.

We all got to open a gift early in this offseason and could it have been any better? If you wanted to use symbolism, Kenji Johjima is this years XBox 360 to Mariner fans. If one position was an absolute offensive black hole in 2005, it was the catching position and Bill Bavasi brought in the best catching option in this year's market. Gone are the days of Miguel Olivo, Yorvit Torrealba and Miguel Ojeda. Here are the days of Kenji. Johjima will bring Seattle fans excitement for the next three years until it's time for the new version to hit the market in Jeff Clement. Until then, it's time for Kenji Johjima to become the next big thing in Seattle.  

I haven't really weighed in on the Carl Everett signing, so I figured I might as well get it out of the way. I have never met Carl Everett, nor have I ever met anyone who has. Whether or not this is a coincidence, I'm unsure. But I digress. No one truly knows what Carl Everett is like in the clubhouse and outside the baseball world. Most of us have read the newspaper articles about his past transgressions. Most of us have seen the video clips of Everett spitting and adjusting his cup in the general direction of Jamie Moyer. Oh, and lets not forget the confrontation with the umpire. While some of these events seem like they happened only last season, the majority of these events occurred 3 years ago and the once volatile Everett has appeared to have calmed down in the past couple years. I am in no way defending his deplorable past behavior. I'm just willing to look beyond his past digressions, for the moment.

My dislike for the Everett signing is based simply around the output. The M's essentially paid $4 million ($3.4 base salary plus his $600,000 2007 buyout) for a well past his prime dinosaur, er, player. It's not that he is an absolutely useless player. He may still be able to contribute in some way, shape or form. What I can't fathom is how his declining numbers, the impending move of Raul into left field, the move from U.S. Cellular to Safeco and his previous baggage is worth $4 million. In fact, I quickly came up with 10 ways to spend that money more effectively next season:

10. Sign Eli Marrero.
    
9. Sign Juan Encarnacion.
   
8. Sign Jeff Conine.
   
7. Sign Matt Lawton.
   
6. Sign Rondell White.
   
5. Sign Preston Wilson.
   
4. Sign Reggie Sanders.
   
3. Give it to Mike Piazza to be our back-up C and fulltime DH.
   
2. Add and extra million and sign Jacque Jones to a $5 million contract for a couple years.
   
1. Don't spend it. Allow the owners to pocket it and give the playing time to Choo and Morse.

One of Bavasi's main points at the press conference was Everett's ability to light a fire in the clubhouse (not sure if he meant literally or figuratively) and that he wasn't afraid to get onto someone for not doing their job. Isn't that the job of the manager? Is Hargrove such a poor motivator that Carl Everett was considered a good fit? Hell, I bet for $4 million the team could have easily secured Tony Robbins for six months in 2006.

Essentially, Everett is like that itchy sweater you get from your grandmother. You don't want it, but you know that you can't take it back. So you deal with it for a year until she forgets about it and then you get rid of it, never to speak of it again.

So let's recap. So far, you have an Xbox 360 and an itchy sweater. Not too bad of a haul. Sure the itchy sweater is an inconvenience, but you still have the 360 to look forward to. What would make the haul even better? How about a new iPod with video capabilities? That's Kevin Millwood. We've discussed Millwood ad nauseam, so there is no real need to go any further. However, you have also overheard that you might be receiving a four year supply of fruitcake. Enter Jarrod Washburn. Discussing four years of Jarrod Washburn at $9 million per will make me nauseous, so I don't want to go any further. There's still one package left under the tree, only time will tell what it contains.

To use a parallel, Mariner fans are a lot like Clark Griswold. Things started out great and have just got progressively worse. Eddie and Snots have shown up and Uncle Lewis just burned down the tree. But the worst news has just arrived and we just received a one year membership in the Jelly of the Month Club. If the other events haven't pushed us over the edge, this has. We all stood dumbfounded after seeing the news and let fly with one of the craziest rants that somehow included tap dancing with Danny Kay. If we're lucky, Eddie will kidnap Mr. Shirley and he can realize the wrong of his ways and not only give Clark his bonus, but also add 15%.

Please Mr. Shirley, we desperately need that Christmas bonus.

Craig Wilson - 1B/OF/C (or so he claims) - RH

His 2005 campaign was plagued by injury, but he is definitely talented and Pittsburgh is shopping him around.

He isn't a good defensive player at any position, but doesn't embarass himself. His biggest asset is his bat. Over the past couple years, Wilson has hit the snot out of left handers and doesn't necessarily embarass himself against right handers. He isn't that "left handed sock" that Bavasi is seeking, but let's get over that. Why bring in a run of the mill left handed bat when you could add a solid right handed bat who would put up better numbers?

The Pirates are looking for pitching and the M's currently have a plethora of bullpen arms. Could match up in a potential trade.