Spring Training Thread

[Sweezo]

Randy Wolf and Scott Baker aren't the type of guys the old M's relied on to give them a whole season. This year, I think they only need to give us about a month. 4-5 starts each. If we can get to May with Baker/Wolf pitching as league average starters, then perhaps we can turn Felix/Iwakuma/Walker/Ramirez/Paxton loose.

Apparently the M's disagreed with this sentiment as Baker and Wolf have been released in consecutive days. I understood Baker because he'd struggled this spring.

Wolf? Released after being told he'd made the team because he wouldn't accept a clause that allowed the M's to release him [and not pay his contract] within 45 days. That contract would've paid him $1 million. So we're staring at 4-5 starts by Blake Beavan [assuming Iwakuma and Walker are healthy, and Erasmo and Paxton succeed?] because the team didn't want to pay Randy Wolf $1 million.

Fine. He's a question mark because of his injury history. But that kind of goes out the window once he's been told he's made the team and given a rotation spot, at least in my opinion.

Maybe the team grabs another vet like Bedard, Chris Young, Freddy Garcia, and so on. It still seems odd to me that, if that was the plan, the team would release Wolf and Baker first. We're on the razor's edge right now.

[TTown]

felix/erasmo/paxton/beavan/elias



am I wrong? that will be our rotation until kuma and walker get back, right? barring a late trade/trash heap pick-up...



at least the only person on the team used to winning is cano, so it's not like most of the guys will notice anything is wrong with a 9-14 april.

[Sweezo]

felix/erasmo/paxton/beavan/elias



am I wrong? that will be our rotation until kuma and walker get back, right? barring a late trade/trash heap pick-up...



at least the only person on the team used to winning is cano, so it's not like most of the guys will notice anything is wrong with a 9-14 april.

Zero depth, but if the team settles on Felix/Erasmo/Paxton/Elias on three spots...so be it. The latter three have flashed some talent that at least convinces me they might have some upside worth taking chance on at the start of the season,

But Beavan? We've see this show the past three seasons, and it doesn't end well. Noesi's in the mix too which is flat out laughable.

On the bright side, our rotation's not half as wrecked as the Rangers [Saunders and Baker? Really?] or the A's to start the season. But this has the makings of a missed opportunity.

In other news Nick Franklin got some time in the OF today to the surprise of just about everyone. I think it's safe to say he can play 2B and SS capably. OF? Only time well tell, but he's played there before. Ben Zobrist has made a killing as the ultimate utility infielder, and his career .263/.354/.435 is certainly something I think Franklin's capable of replicating. A little late in the game, but I see no harm in trying Franklin in that role. Bloomquist losing at bats is a good thing not a bad thing.

[Bulltalk]

April through May is going to be a flip of the coin for this team. Our young players either pitch and hit with an effective degree of consistency that, for the most part, they've collectively not shown so far, or they don't.

I know this. I do not want to watch this team hovering just beneath .500, all the while feeling like we're one losing streak/bad stretch away from it becoming another lost season before we reach the 4th of July, or even sooner. That's my fear. Same old, same old.

I have to ask myself the question: Did this ownership/management group do enough, spend enough in an attempt to reduce the risk of this becoming another lost season? The answer for me is still a resounding NO! They're hoping they get lucky with the product they're putting out there as much as we are.

[TTown]

opening day roster released:

m's pluck chris young (formerly of the nationals) from the heap. young has had a modicum of success here and there, but hasn't pitched since 2012. he is, at the very least, a slight upgrade from the possibility of throwing beavan or wolf out there. if he's healthy, he might even be downright average, which would probably be great.

felix/erasmo/paxton/elias/young for the time being. god willing we'll cut young lose within a month, and we'll all be arguing the merits of sending elias to tacoma for some more seasoning after he's pitched so well in his first 4-5 starts to make room for kuma and walker

franklin goes to tacoma, where it sounds like he'll split time between short and the outfield.

stefen romero makes the squad, which is interesting insomuch that he's that potential righty with some pop that this team desperately needs. hard to see him not getting quite a few opportunities early on to be that guy.

wilhelmsen and noesi both make the roster.

[nuke the whales]

This is probably wishful thinking, but maybe the front office doesn't like what's out there right now and is waiting to see if something better comes along once the midseason fire sales start happening. My worst fear was that since Jack Z is in win now mode he would do something stupid along the lines of the Bedard trade that might help now but would really set the team back in the long run. I'll take patience (as long as it isn't just inaction) over panic.

[Sweezo]

I have to ask myself the question: Did this ownership/management group do enough, spend enough in an attempt to reduce the risk of this becoming another lost season? The answer for me is still a resounding NO! They're hoping they get lucky with the product they're putting out there as much as we are.

I was miffed about the lack of spending when there were good FA starting pitchers out there, but the one area I look at this season and really have some concern is the outfield. A SP group of Felix/Iwakuma/Walker/Paxton/Ramirez/Young/Elias is good enough, at least for me, in lieu of over-spending for someone like Ervin Santana who just be terrible.

But in the outfield? Hart's already looking like a DH, which is fine because that's probably what he should have been all along. Ackley looks locked in, but we've seen him struggle before. Almonte? Decent last season, but pretty mediocre this spring at the plate. Saunders? He's had plenty of chances and is a decent supporting player in the OF but isn't a guy I'd rely on for big production. Romero? A total wild card rookie...

I didn't really expect the team to shell out the money for Ellsbury [7 years/$153 million] or Choo [7 years/$130 million] but I think we may regret not having more talent in that group.

This is probably wishful thinking, but maybe the front office doesn't like what's out there right now and is waiting to see if something better comes along once the midseason fire sales start happening. My worst fear was that since Jack Z is in win now mode he would do something stupid along the lines of the Bedard trade that might help now but would really set the team back in the long run. I'll take patience (as long as it isn't just inaction) over panic.

This is where my mind's at re: trading Nick Franklin. I view him as a pretty good trade chip because guys who can play 2B/SS and offer good power at his age are quite rare. Shipping Franklin to AAA is frustrating because it means he's not helping the M's at all right now, but that's still preferable to trading him just because.

Teams will find they need a 2B or SS as the season goes along. He either moves somewhere for a piece we can use or we keep him as a utility guy, I suppose.

Oddly, as much as I was worried about our starting rotation depth to start the year, we might end up perfectly fine in the rotation and needing help in the outfield.

m's pluck chris young (formerly of the nationals) from the heap. young has had a modicum of success here and there, but hasn't pitched since 2012. he is, at the very least, a slight upgrade from the possibility of throwing beavan or wolf out there. if he's healthy, he might even be downright average, which would probably be great.

It's wise to take the "Chris Young is finally healthy" narrative with a grain of salt, but I just like the idea of Chris Young more than Randy Wolf. Randy Wolf's had some good seasons but with his age I don't think he's just fighting injuries but time as well. Young's a few years younger...if his shoulder's in good shape, I think there's still some gas left in the tank. All we need is one good month from him, and he looked alright in his only spring training start for the M's.

stefen romero makes the squad, which is interesting insomuch that he's that potential righty with some pop that this team desperately needs. hard to see him not getting quite a few opportunities early on to be that guy.

I don't think anyone would've been that surprised if Romero had been healthy last season in AAA. He'd done really well for himself in AA/A ball. I'm excited for him to get a chance but am tempering my expectations. Saunders did not do well against LHP last year [although he ran reserve splits in '12 for some reason], so Romero might find some chances as a platoon partner.

[Bulltalk]

^^^Well let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. We're tied for first with the rest of the American League now.

[Sweezo]

^^^Well let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. We're tied for first with the rest of the American League now.

We're not now...first place!

[nuke the whales]

One other thought about the lack of roster balancing trades: other GM's know Jack Z is under pressure to win now. That doesn't help for leverage and they could be playing hardball. IF that's the case than kudos to Jack for resisting the urge to do something Bavasi-like.