The non-tender deadline is fast approaching and several interesting players are now free agents. Here are a few that might catch the Mariners' eye:
Mark Prior, SP - There was some speculation that the Mariners may try and get Mark Prior as part of a Raul Ibanez trade during the Winter Meetings. Now he is a free agent and is sure to draw interest from several clubs. The Mariners could be interested, especially if they miss out on Hiroki Kuroda. Prior may not be ready to start the season, but could be an impact pitcher from the back of the rotation if he can stay healthy.
Kiko Calero, RP - The Mariners could use another arm in the 'pen, but they don't seem too worried about it right now. They haven't been linked to a single free agent reliever this offseason, so Calero could be scooped up before the Mariners get to that part of their to-do list. Calero has been pretty good for the A's, sporting a 3.55 career ERA despite posting a 5.75 during an injury plagued 2007.
Kevin Mench, COF - Some of the guys over at Mariner Nation love the idea of bringing in Mench, who is now a 4th outfielder at this point in his career. His role with the Mariners would be to platoon with Raul Ibanez, starting against lefties. Mench has made a career of mashing lefties, batting .305 with a .924 OPS against them. The reason I am of the opposisition is this: if you're going to bring in someone to platoon with Raul, or an everyday left fielder to move Raul elsewhere on the diamond, you might as well get someone who can flash some leather. Mench isn't much (if any) better than Raul in the field.
Emil Brown, OF - Another guy that would platoon with Raul. He hit .317 against lefties last season and would be a better defender than Mench. However, he still isn't enough of a producer for the Mariners to seriously consider, though they could think about it.
Aaron Miles, 2B/UT - The Mariners have brought up several times they wanted to challenge Jose Lopez at second base during Spring Training. Miles could be someone to do that, though if he did win the battle the Mariners wouldn't have made much of an improvement. Miles hit .290 with a .676 OPS last season. Lopez hit .252 with a .632 OPS while at his worst.
Mark Prior, SP - There was some speculation that the Mariners may try and get Mark Prior as part of a Raul Ibanez trade during the Winter Meetings. Now he is a free agent and is sure to draw interest from several clubs. The Mariners could be interested, especially if they miss out on Hiroki Kuroda. Prior may not be ready to start the season, but could be an impact pitcher from the back of the rotation if he can stay healthy.
Kiko Calero, RP - The Mariners could use another arm in the 'pen, but they don't seem too worried about it right now. They haven't been linked to a single free agent reliever this offseason, so Calero could be scooped up before the Mariners get to that part of their to-do list. Calero has been pretty good for the A's, sporting a 3.55 career ERA despite posting a 5.75 during an injury plagued 2007.
Kevin Mench, COF - Some of the guys over at Mariner Nation love the idea of bringing in Mench, who is now a 4th outfielder at this point in his career. His role with the Mariners would be to platoon with Raul Ibanez, starting against lefties. Mench has made a career of mashing lefties, batting .305 with a .924 OPS against them. The reason I am of the opposisition is this: if you're going to bring in someone to platoon with Raul, or an everyday left fielder to move Raul elsewhere on the diamond, you might as well get someone who can flash some leather. Mench isn't much (if any) better than Raul in the field.
Emil Brown, OF - Another guy that would platoon with Raul. He hit .317 against lefties last season and would be a better defender than Mench. However, he still isn't enough of a producer for the Mariners to seriously consider, though they could think about it.
Aaron Miles, 2B/UT - The Mariners have brought up several times they wanted to challenge Jose Lopez at second base during Spring Training. Miles could be someone to do that, though if he did win the battle the Mariners wouldn't have made much of an improvement. Miles hit .290 with a .676 OPS last season. Lopez hit .252 with a .632 OPS while at his worst.
Chad Durbin, SP/RP - So-so as a starter last season for the Tigers, about the same as a reliever. If the Mariners get desperate enough for a starter his name could come up.
Darrell Rasner, SP - A pretty decent Yankee pitching prospect, however he's behind Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy in the pecking order. He may not be an impact player next season, but wouldn't be a bad pickup for any MLB team.
I'll continue to update this list as interesting names come out. I'll have a separate post for the Mariners non-tender candidates.
1 comment:
in any reality where Horacio Ramirez is tendered a contract after taking a crap on the mound start after start and where Weaver can make 8 million dollars to do exactly what everyone on the planet expected him to do (stink), there's no reason at all to not float a two year say, maybe 8-9 mil offer to Prior and pray to God you catch lightning in a bottle. What do you have to lose?
Post a Comment