So far, Eric Wedge remains tight-lipped on the Mariners’ 25-man roster. Of course, he has no reason to be throwing names out there just yet: we’re barely three weeks into spring training, and much remains to be seen, tested, and proven before Opening Day. From the Mariners’ beat, a few guesstimations:

• After Thursday’s morning workout, Geoff Baker wrote the following:

“On the outfield side of things, it was interesting to see one group that consisted of Michael Morse and Jason Bay in left field, Franklin Gutierrez in center and Michael Saunders and Raul Ibanez in right. [...] It’s entirely possible those five guys could be your Opening Day outfield for this team, at those respective positions.”

• From Larry Stone, a promising comment on Vinnie Catricala and Stefen Romero’s progress:

“Manager Eric Wedge said earlier this week that he likes the versatility shown by both Catricala and Romero, because it will give them more avenues to the big leagues.”

• MLB.com’s Corey Brock spoke positively of Jason Bay’s showing in Saturday’s game:

“Jason Bay bolstered his hopes of making Seattle’s Opening Day roster with a two-run home run in the first inning on Saturday as the Mariners topped the Padres, 8-6, at the Peoria Sports Complex.”

Greg Johns added to the postgame story later:

“As for his chances of making the Mariners, he [Bay] appears to be in a battle with Ibanez and Casper Wells for the final outfield berths, but says he’s not concerned with that at the moment.”

Next game: vs. Padres | February 24 | 12:05pm

Projected pitchers: Erasmo Ramirez receives the nod for starter today, with the following mix of pitchers—James Paxton, Tom Wilhelmsen, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Carter Capps, Josh Kinney, and Lucas Luetge. [h/t Greg Johns]

And you get a home run! And you get a home run! Over two tumultuous match-ups with their Peoria Sports Complex rivals, the San Diego Padres, the Mariners have managed 15 hits, 11 runs and 4 homers. In order of appearance: Casper Wells, Jason Bay, Justin Smoak, and Mike Jacobs.

Catch ‘em all: Wondering when you can catch the next Mariners game on your radio and TV? Check out the official broadcast schedule here.

Best shape of their lives? Well, this isn’t good:

Looking for something to do between now and February 12? Not only do the Mariners broadcast highlights from the 2012 season on ROOT Sports every Monday night, but the 710 ESPN Seattle crew hosts their Hot Stove League show throughout the offseason. Tune in from 7-9pm tonight to hear interviews with Shawn Kelley, Mike Zunino, Mike Brumley, Dave Hansen, and Larry LaRue.

• Kevin Millwood has announced his intention to retire from Major League Baseball. MLB.com’s Zack Meisel reported the following:

“Millwood reportedly told his agent, Scott Boras, that he only wanted to pitch if he could do so for the Braves or Rays, two teams closest to his home in Gainesville, Ga. Neither team expressed interest.

“I feel like I can still throw it well, and going out on a high note is a big deal,” Millwood told the newspaper. “I just felt it was time to be closer to home and be around the kids more often.”

Millwood finished his career with the Mariners, posting a 4.25 ERA and 4.42 xFIP in 28 starts and 161 IP. He made two especially memorable appearances during his time in Seattle, kickstarting a 6-man no-hitter in June and commanding a 2-hit complete game shutout in Colorado just a month prior.

• This week, ESPN’s Keith Law ranked the top 100 prospects in MLB, as well as the farm systems of each team. Here’s how things shook out for the Mariners:

Top prospects: Taijuan Walker (#4), Mike Zunino (#15), Danny Hultzen (#66), Nick Franklin (#69).

Organizational ranking: #8. With their promising band of starting pitchers, the Mariners fell just behind the Cardinals, Twins, Rays, Astros, Cubs, Padres, and Pirates.

Honorable top prospect mention was given to RHP Brandon Maurer.

• According to Corey Brock, the Mariners are making progress with their 40-man roster, having signed over half to contracts for the upcoming season. Last week, ten players signed deals: Blake Beavan, Lucas Luetge, Francisco Martinez, Julio Morban, Carlos Peguero, Chance Ruffin, Kyle Seager, Justin Smoak, Eric Thames, and Casper Wells.
• Interested in working with the Mariners? The club has opened up several job openings for the 2013 season. You can find descriptions and applications for their full-time and part-time positions by clicking on the links below:

Game Day Staff
Navigators Team Member
Team Store Sales Associate
Sales Account Manager
Finance Intern
Aramark Cleaning Crew

Baseball season is coming. If, like me, you’re anxiously counting down the days till the gates swing open on Opening Day, you can catch a glimpse of the Mariners’ 2013 season at Safeco Field this weekend. No, there won’t be any actual baseball played, but there will be autograph opportunities, clubhouse tours, and a sneak peek at the changes the Mariners have been working on all offseason.

Here are four tips to make sure you get the most out of your visit:

1. If you’re angling for an autograph, make that your first priority.
The line you’ll see outside Safeco Field isn’t just for the baseball-starved—it’s for those who want to grab an autograph voucher handed out at Home Plate Gate. A voucher is good for two autographs, and the names you get depend on the line you choose. Wait time varies, but it’s safe to say that you’ll be hanging out anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour and a half. A handy guide for autograph procurement can be found here. » Continue reading “Four Ways To Enjoy Mariners FanFest”

For now, Jesus Montero is the only guaranteed catcher on the Mariners’ roster.

I’ll give Jack Zduriencik this much: he certainly knows how to pull off a surprise.

Today, the Mariners announced a three-way trade with the Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals. John Jaso went to Oakland, A.J. Cole, Blake Treinen, and a PTBNL went to Washington, and Mike Morse went to Seattle.

It’s a move that, according to Twitter, left many fans scratching their heads.

In 2012, Jaso held a backup catching role, splitting time behind the plate with Miguel Olivo and Jesus Montero, and coming in as a left-handed pinch-hitter during late innings and extra-inning games. Offensively, he was the hottest lefty on the team, batting .276/.394/.456 in 108 games and 361 PA, with a .372 wOBA, 15.5% walk rate and 3.3 bWAR.

Mike Morse is a familiar name to Seattle fans. The Mariners saw him through the first four years of his career, from his MLB debut in 2005 to an injury-riddled 2008. In just 107 games and 337 PA, he batted .300/.365/.397 for a -0.2 bWAR. His batting average and playing time increased considerably after his departure, peaking at .303 in 2011 and dipping to a comfortable .291/.321/.470 over 430 PA in 2012.

While Morse has experience at first base (123 career games) and left/right field (247 career games), he will be fighting for a position that is over-saturated with candidates: Kendrys Morales, Mike Carp, and Justin Smoak at first, and Casper Wells, Michael Saunders, Eric Thames, Franklin Gutierrez, Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, and Carlos Peguero in the outfield.

Where does this leave the Mariners’ catching situation? Miguel Olivo is gone. Montero is on the 40-man, but will not be expected to catch 162 games next year. Mike Zunino is promising, but as of yet unproven—and the Mariners seem to be in no rush to hurry him through the next level of minor league development. From Greg Johns’ trade report:

“We’re going to be shopping,” Zduriencik said. “We have our list; we’ve already talked to people this afternoon. We like our catching in the organization. We’ve got some good young kids right on the horizon. But for immediate needs, we’ll definitely be shopping.”

In a nutshell, this trade sees a poor defensive catcher with decent offensive production swapped for a poor defensive outfielder with decent offensive production. It leans in Oakland’s favor (and, for that matter, Washington’s), but bear in mind that Jack isn’t quite finished with the Mariners’ 2013 roster yet.

As baseball drags its feet this winter, trade rumors continue to pile up. Andre Ethier, Justin Upton, and Giancarlo Stanton have been linked to the Mariners in the past week, but as usual, Jack Zduriencik is keeping any future plans under wraps.

• The Mariners Caravan is taking off this Wednesday, beginning in Lacey and ending in Tukwila. Scheduled stops will be made in Longview, Yakima, Spokane, Walla Walla, and the Tri-Cities as well.
• Earlier this week, the Mariners signed Arizona first baseman Mike Jacobs to a minor league contract and spring training invite. Jacob earned a .849 OPS in 387 PA with the Triple-A Reno Aces, putting up 93 hits, 18 home runs, and 60 RBI in 101 games. He made his MLB appearances at the tail end of the Diamondbacks’ season, batting .211 with 4 hits, a double, and 2 RBI in 23 PA.
• According to Greg Johns, right-handed reliever D.J. Mitchell has been sent to Tacoma to clear a roster spot for Raul Ibanez.
• Eric Wedge and Jack Zduriencik will be making appearances at this year’s Mariners FanFest. They will be joined by the following lineup of players:
  • Blake Beavan
  • Jay Buhner
  • Nick Franklin
  • Jesus Montero
  • James Paxton
  • Stefen Romero
  • Brendan Ryan
  • Michael Saunders
  • Kyle Seager
  • Casper Wells
  • Tom Wilhelmsen
  • Dan Wilson
  • Mike Zunino

You can find more event information and ticket prices here.

Needle Ball wants you, random citizen Mariners fan!

As 2013 kicks off, we’re looking for the best and brightest fans to help us analyze and enjoy the upcoming season.

Our ideal Needle Baller possesses one or more of the following qualities:

• The precision of King Felix’s fastball
• The discipline of Ichiro Suzuki
• The creativity of Munenori Kawasaki’s baserunning
• The flexibility of Brendan Ryan’s defense
• The enthusiasm of the Mariner Moose
• The Twitter presence of Casper Wells

As a staff writer, you have the opportunity to contribute once or twice a week (or more!), on topics ranging from breaking news and trade speculation to opinion pieces and baseball poetry. If you have something to say about the Mariners, we want to hear it!

Interested? Excited? Ready to show off your Mariners mojo? Drop us a line on Twitter (@NeedleBall) or email us at westcoastfan@ymail.com.

The Mariners continue in their trend of polarizing off-season moves that will likely have little impact to the on-field product at Safeco Field in 2013. The Mariners started by signing Jason Bay to a one year contract and are continuing that trend, having signed Raul Ibanez to a one-year contract reportedly worth $2.75 million. Throw in the Kendrys Morales trade and the Mariners are now loaded with potential designated hitters for 2013.

These past couple of transactions almost parallel a couple of pick-ups GM Jack  Zduriencik made prior to 2009, his first season with the team. Back then he signed Russell Branyan, a potentially powerful hitter with a history of injury, playing in over 130 games only twice in his career. Branyan went on to hit 31 homers and post an OPS of .867 in 2009. Morales has had similar trouble staying on the field, but from 2009 to 2012 (not having played in 2011), he hit 67 homers and put up an OPS of .857.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Jack sign an aging veteran player who is known as a great clubhouse presence either. Before 2009, he signed an aging Mike Sweeney to a one year contract. Over his previous two seasons Sweeney carried an OPS of only .722 but with the Mariners it jumped to .777. Raul Ibanez is in a similar situation – he turned 40 in June and his OPS over the past two years combined was .730 –  .761 last year with the Yankees. To put that in perspective,  the highest OPS of Mariner regulars last year was .738, belonging to Kyle Seager and Michael Saunders (John Jaso had an OPS of .850 but only started about half of the team’s games.

Raul Ibanez is quite familiar with Seattle. He was drafted by the Mariners in the 36^th round of the 1992 draft – the same draft that brought the Mariners Ron Villone, Bob Wolcott, Chris Widger, Andy Sheets and Ryan Franklin, among others. In his first stint with the team from 1996-2000, he was a below average hitter and defender, never hitting over 10 home runs in limited playing time and managing an OPS+ of 73. He then signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals for three years, hitting .291 with an OPS+ of 111. After being granted free agency again, the Mariners brought him back for another five year period, where he hit .291 (yet again) with an OPS+ of 120.

Jack Zduriencik didn’t re-sign Ibanez once he took over and Raul was given a chance with the Phillies, where he continued to thrive, despite his age. In 2009 he hit 34 home runs and earned an All-Star berth. In his age 39-40 season last year, he hit .240 for the Yankees but still showed a bit of pop, hitting 19 homers in 384 at-bats.

Is Raul expected to come in to Safeco and hit 30 home runs while teaching the entire lineup how to hit .50 points better than they did last year? No. Does he cause problems for the Mariners 25-man roster? At a quick glance, yes, but it’s not fair to Jack Zduriencik to judge him in the middle of an off-season. You don’t judge a painter on a painting once he has only made a few strokes and in the same vein, Jack shouldn’t be criticized for making a move like this when it’s clear there are other pending moves that are going to be made. Could this spell the end for Mike Carp? Where do Casper Wells and Eric Thames fit on the 2013 roster? Are Jason Bay’s days as a Mariner even more numbered than they were?

Hopefully answers come sooner rather than later.

Final score: Mariners 6, Angels 1

Unlike the stone-faced foes of the Doctor, these Angels are not liable to kill more than the Mariners’ chances of winning a baseball game. Tonight, however, they were powerless—not, as one might expect, against King Felix, but against Hisashi Iwakuma.

For his third consecutive win, and ninth on the season, Iwakuma allowed six hits and a walk. He struck out seven batters, retiring Mike Trout on four pitches and sending Albert Pujols down swinging three times. In sixteen starts, this marked Iwakuma’s fifth outing with at least six strikeouts. Prior to tonight, his most recent attempt was another 7-strikeout effort against the Angels on September 2.

On the heels of the Mariners’ announcement to restructure the fences, every ball hit in the direction of an outfield wall was imagined in its 2013 resting place. Kyle Seager cleared the fences with a moon shot to right field, while Casper Wells and Michael Saunders smacked several pitches to the warning track.

In a pre-2013 Safeco Field, Saunders, John Jaso, and Jesus Montero followed Seager’s home run with a no-doubt double and a pair of base hits. Not to be excluded, Mark Trumbo ensured at least two RBIs with a handful of throwing errors. Overly grateful, the Mariners returned the favor in the 9th, botching a shutout on a ground ball that tripped Tom Wilhelmsen and popped off Saunders’ glove.

Tomorrow, the Mariners return to Safeco Field for the series finale and their last game of the season. Fighting to skew the series split in their favor will be Blake Beavan and RHP Jered Weaver.

Last game: vs. Angels | October 3 | 3:40pm

Final score: Athletics 5, Mariners 2

Today, the Mariners put up a good fight. There’s not much more you can ask from a team who won’t break .500 by season’s end, and who has faced four playoff contenders over the last two weeks.

Erasmo Ramirez skidded on a season-high four walks, but finished with three hits, two earned runs, and six strikeouts over 6.1 IP. In his absence, the ‘pen relinquished three hits and two home runs, giving Oakland just enough of an edge to clinch the sweep. Wondering just how Seattle’s starters and relievers have fared lately? From Joshua Dobner of SeattleClubhouse.com:

@wcoastfangirl SPs have a 2.06 ERA the past two days allowing no home runs in 13.1 innings. Bullpen has a 20.25 ERA & 4 HRs in 4 innings.

— Joshua Dobner (@JPDobner) September 30, 2012

If only games were won on hits amassed, not runs, the Mariners would’ve had this one in the bag. Collectively, they put up 11 hits to the A’s 6, with two doubles from Franklin Gutierrez, a double from Brendan Ryan, and a triple by Casper Wells. Justin Smoak extended his hot streak as well, going 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits, an RBI, and a failed attempt to nab home plate. In September, he’s now batting .340/.421/.580.

While the Mariners gave the A’s a leg up in the quest for the West, their next task is to play spoiler to the Angels’ hopes of grabbing a wild card. They return home for a final three-game homestand beginning tomorrow, with Felix Hernandez on the mound against LHP C.J. Wilson.

Next game: vs. Angels | October 1 | 7:10pm