Aug 20, 2006

Mariners trade Jamie Moyer to Philadelphia

I was going to hold off blogging about the Mariners until they won again--but then I heard they traded Jamie Moyer, the last of the old guard from the pre-Ichiro days. Philadelphia gets him for a couple of prospects, and Moyer gets the prospect of a World Series run.

I can't entirely blame Moyer for his 6-12 record, since the Mariners' offense has gone anemic every time he's taken the mound. But the crafty southpaw has given up way, way too many home runs this year, his sharpness around the corners diminished. Ultimately, though, Moyer got the axe because Bill Bavasi suddenly pretends to make smart business decisions.
"I'd love to tell you that taking care of Jamie was a high priority," Bavasi said. "It wasn't. Our job is to take care of the Seattle Mariners, so the fact that he's getting to go to a club like Philadelphia, a couple of games back in the wild card, is great. We are really happy for him. But we always take care of ourselves."
This is from the guy who wasted millions on Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, underperformers who sapped life from Seattle's once live-wire lineup.

The Mariners did best, in their run at the turn of the century, when a bunch of B-listers stepped up and played with remarkable chemistry. The last element from that compound is Philadelphia bound.

(As an aside, Steve Kelley talks about some big changes that could turn the team around--if the Mariners make 'em. Joel Pineiro's gotta go, and so does Mike Hargrove.)

2 comments:

TeacherRefPoet said...

Beltre's 2004 stats are grossly anomalous, but if you throw out his abysmal April, his stats (when combined with his excellent defense) are pretty good. I hope that the April is as anomalous as 2004 was, and he lands somewhere in between. Is he worth the millions? No, but who is?

Sexson, however, was a big error. Never should have written that check...not for a guy that injured.

Jim Anderson said...

Lest I sound too pessimistic, I should point out that all is not sickness and death. Betancourt and Lopez have real potential, as does the Cameronesque Adam Jones.