2015-2016 Off Season Thread

[NWinAZ]

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[AceKeptic]

Holy shit...You mean they're actually taking action this time??

 

[NWinAZ]

Holy shit...You mean they're actually taking action this time??

I wouldn't want GMZ's guys around either. I will miss seeing Vuckovich around spring. He was always good for a story for me telling friends and family, 'There is the guy from Major League'.

 

[AceKeptic]

I wouldn't want GMZ's guys around either. I will miss seeing Vuckovich around spring. He was always good for a story for me telling friends and family, 'There is the guy from Major League'.

He looked like the manager, ah? "Don't gimme that OLE bullshit!" That guy?

 

[cezero]

good sign

hope he fires a bunch of coaches, assistant coaches, and athletic training staff, too

 

[NWinAZ]

He looked like the manager, ah? "Don't gimme that OLE bullshit!" That guy?

No Vuckovich was the big hitter (Haywood) for the other team.

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[justsayin]

Good start...

 

[unlvmariners]

Can't wait to see how the pieces fall this off season. Getting rid of Jack Z guys is a must.

 

[NWinAZ]

Sounds good if it happens.

The Mariners may already have their man for player development – and he's good

 

[NWinAZ]

 

[unlvmariners]

Sounds good if it happens.

The Mariners may already have their man for player development – and he's good

Exactly sounds awesome, if it happens.

A lot of these jobs that Dipoto will be hiring for are very very important positions in building a successful organization. However most of these candidates are in positions that we as fans won't be able to see how good they are at their jobs without really digging into it. So its tough for us fans to judge most of his hires outside of players.

 

[justsayin]

Who's everyone rooting for in the playoffs? I would post a thread asking just that, but I still don't have that privilege. Im all in on the BlueJays bandwagon. Will be rooting for the Cubbies too.

 

[unlvmariners]

Who's everyone rooting for in the playoffs? I would post a thread asking just that, but I still don't have that privilege. Im all in on the BlueJays bandwagon. Will be rooting for the Cubbies too.

Of the playoff teams the teams I would want to see win most are the Cubs and Mets also wouldn't mind if the Stros or Blue Jays do well.

The teams I really want to see lose are the Dodgers and the Rangers.

 

[NWinAZ]

A few more Mariners notes…

• Though the focus of this column from the New York Post’s Joel Sherman is the Yankees, Sherman indicates within that there’s a strong industry belief that Hisashi Iwakuma will re-sign with the Mariners this offseason. The 35-year-old Iwakuma has spent his entire Major League career with the Mariners, and while there may have been initial questions about whether or not a new GM would be interested in retaining him, Jerry Dipoto has already said that re-signing Iwakuma (with whom he is quite familiar from his days as Angels GM) is a priority for the team.
• Iwakuma is believed to be seeking a three-year contract, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. Divish notes that Iwakuma has never made more than $7MM in a season, but on a new deal something in excess of $10MM would be a reasonable target in terms of annual salary. I’d agree with that assessment and think there’s a case for Iwakuma to receive three years despite the fact that he’s only topped 180 innings in one of his four Major League seasons. Divish quotes Dipoto as saying the there’s mutual interest in a return for Iwakuma.
• Divish also notes within that column that sources have indicated a decision on manager Lloyd McClendon may not be reached until next week. Determining whether or not McClendon is the man he wants running the team is near the top of Dipoto’s priority list. McClendon tells Divish that he feels the talks he’s had thus far with Dipoto have been productive, and he takes pride in the effort level put forth by the Mariners under his guidance. “I look in the mirror every night and know that I gave it everything I had every day,” says McClendon. “My players gave me everything they had every day. Some nights it was good enough. Some nights it wasn’t very good. The effort was always there. Obviously we have to shore some things up from a talent standpoint.”
• One more note of interest from Divish’s column (which Mariners fans and those interested in their offseason should read in its entirety) is Dipoto’s description of his philosophy on roster construction. “I will be frank: The trade market is always my first alternative,” Dipoto explained. “You draft, scout and develop, you trade, and to me free agents augment the roster you have. In a perfect world, you get to a stage where the foundation is strong enough you use free agency as a pure accent move rather than a foundational builder.” That, of course, doesn’t rule out any sort of significant spending on free agents this winter but does at least hint at something of a departure from the Mariners’ free-spending ways in the past two offseasons, when they signed Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano and Fernando Rodney.
• In taking a look at MLBTR’s arb projections, the Tacoma News Tribune’s Bob Dutton notes that there could very well be a decision coming at first base. Mark Trumbo and Logan Morrison project to earn a combined $13.2MM, which could make for an expensive platoon. While both have experience in the outfield, Dutton points out that Dipoto has expressed a need for a more athletic (i.e. defensively gifted) outfield, and neither Trumbo nor Morrison is a solid outfield defender. He continues, adding that Dipoto has already traded Trumbo once and could conceivably look to do so again, though if Trumbo stays, he’ll probably play every day due to the money he’s earning, which could make Morrison expendable.

 

[cezero]

thank goodness we held onto iwakuma when the season was already lost. no way he would have come back to seattle if he had been traded. you know, since he's 35, seeking a 3 year contract, japanese, and it's one of the best pitcher's ballparks in baseball.

 

[unlvmariners]

I know Kuma had a decent year when healthy but I honestly still think it is a bad idea to resign him. 3 years is too many, I think 1 or 2 is ideal for the Mariners. The injury risk should very much be considered when you sign this guy knowing he will not make every start so the starts he is hurt who is the next guy? Beyond Kuma there needs to be another guy or two added in trade or FA.

Going into the season we were thin at SP and we have the same situation going into the off season. I would have a different perspective on resigning Kuma and more open to the idea if I knew there was intention of bringing in another top of the rotation starter.

 

[SeattleCoug]

Yea if Kuma is asking for 3yr/ 30 mil you pass. I guess if he is signed for that or more we will know not much has changed

 

[NWinAZ]

Yea if Kuma is asking for 3yr/ 30 mil you pass. I guess if he is signed for that or more we will know not much has changed

Yep. 1 year $7-8M or 2 $15M is where I would be at for him and his 20 games per year starts.