What free agents do you guys see us pursuing?

[Igoe4Mariners]

I would like to see us go after Brad Hawpe. After being really good for the Rockies the past couple of years, he just randomly started going down this past season.

Something tells me he still has something left in the tank and that he could be had for not that high of a price.

What do you guys think?

[JosephC]

I'm not quite sure who fits the role for signing this season. I guess the easiest way to put it is I want an "anti"-Johnson. Whatever Rob Johnson has, I want the opposite of it except his attitude. That would be perfect for a free agent signing.

[TellItToTheDA]

I say the M's look to Japan in the offseason for shortstop help, in the form of Hiroyuki Nakajima. At least, it sounds like the M's would be interested if he gets posted. Hiring Bobby Valentine would only fuel that speculation. Lord knows Nakajima would be an upgrade over Osteoporosis Wilson.

http://www.ussmariner.com/2010/10/12/new-second-base-candidate/

[worldwideed]

They need to fill some infield holes just for another year or two until the younger kids are ready, Ackley, Mangini, Franklin, etc. sooooooooooo I don't see them going after any BIG names. Maybe Lyle Overbay or Jerry Hairston Jr.

Translation, It's going to be another long summer.

[phredmojo]

correction. a long 5-10 years

[clarknova]

correction. a long 5-10 years

correction. a long chuck and howie filled 5-10 miserable years of futile nothingness where in chuck and howie chuck all over us and take a giant howie all over the fans. total scapegoat manager. chuck and howie hate every one of us. this is such a chuck and howie move it has chuck and howie written all over it.

belief system : Wakamatsu as chuck & howie conspiracy : phredmojo

I'm just playin' phred! Seriously though, is there anything you DO like? Chocolate ice cream perhaps? Hating Chuck and Howie doesn't count.

[clarknova]

Re: Thread topic. Wow. It's hard to even say... It seems to me like when I watched the M's this season- Runner on 3rd, no outs- I knew there was a 90% chance he does not score. Free agent signings feel metaphorically like that to me. Hawpe? He scares me due to the Coors Field splits- I looked- They're UGLY- every year. The one good thing he has going for him is a minimal L/R drop off. Who knows?
All I know is that the thought of Jack Wilson and/or Milton Bradley on the opening day roster in 2011 makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

[Nateyb24]

correction. a long chuck and howie filled 5-10 miserable years of futile nothingness where in chuck and howie chuck all over us and take a giant howie all over the fans. total scapegoat manager. chuck and howie hate every one of us. this is such a chuck and howie move it has chuck and howie written all over it.

belief system : Wakamatsu as chuck & howie conspiracy : phredmojo

I'm just playin' phred! Seriously though, is there anything you DO like? Chocolate ice cream perhaps? Hating Chuck and Howie doesn't count.

Gotta admit though the firing of Managers constantly every 2 years is rather annoying i mean really how much do managers influence a game when your farm isn't producing talent?

Don't get me wrong i think Managers can mess games up but at some point you can't blame the manager when your team is so void of talent Ichiro and Hernandez are about the only consistent players on the team.


I'm not quite sure who fits the role for signing this season. I guess the easiest way to put it is I want an "anti"-Johnson. Whatever Rob Johnson has, I want the opposite of it except his attitude. That would be perfect for a free agent signing.

^This please. If your going to be pathetic at the plate atleast be good at catching and Johnson is good at neither lol.

[clarknova]

The Elias Rankings have been released:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/10/official-elias-rankings.html

Food for thought.

A quick guide to a convoluted system for anyone wondering (the link has a link you can click on to get a more detailed description):

If the team signs any "type A" player that has been offered arbitration by their former team, they lose a draft pick. The first 15 picks of the first round are protected picks, so if the M's signed any arbitration offered type A free agent we would lose the 2nd pick of the 2nd round. If they sign any "type B" player offered arbitration, the offering team gains a supplemental pick, but the signing team does not lose one.

A team would offer arbitration to a player they either want to keep or wouldn't mind keeping and having to pay, or if they're quite sure the player will decline it to ensure they get something in return (see: Beltre, Adrian).

Anyone interesting to anyone on that list?

[clarknova]

Just glancing at the list there are a few obvious players that are not going to happen and are sort of silly to even list (Mariano Rivera et al.), and I'm pretty sure Brandon Inge signed an extension last week...

Me? I like Werth. He'd be worth a 2nd round pick. I doubt Matsui would happen, but I wouldn't mind him as a DH only. Huff will want to play 1st... No to Berkman... I'm lukewarm on Hudson and have to consider that he'd cost an additional $5 million in Jack Wilson untradable debt that would need to be eaten. Not for a guy that slugs .372. I find Nick Johnson oddly attractive on an ENTIRELY incentive laden contract to DH. The guy gets on base but is like Samuel L. Jackson in "Unbreakable". I like Victor Martinez a lot. I'd like to see that. He'd be worth a 2nd rounder too, and has a history with Wedge. I'm not into Carlos Pena. He had an awful year. I think the M's are going to have to take some surer bets this time, and less "well, he has the potential to bounce back" fliers.
Jack has to be going into this off season like his job is on the line. I think it probably is if the team loses another 100 games. I'd say you could pretty much count on his firing. I've read some things that are very speculative at this point, but seem to indicate that the M's are going to be big time dealers this off season and may surprise some people with a big signing. I read that they're also willing to expand payroll, but will not do it just to do it, and will only spend more for the "right" player.
Should be interesting. I'm going to be pretty disappointed if it's not.

[Jared]

Carl Crawford.



Hahaha I laughed too!