The suddenly relevant Seattle Mariners made a modest move earlier today to improve it’s outfield situation, acquiring 32-year-old journeyman Justin Ruggiano from the Cubs in exchange for minor league pitcher Matt Brazis. I think that’s nice. But it by no means settles the question I’ve been asking myself for weeks: Who the fuck is gonna play right field?
Okay, maybe it partially settles that matter- Ruggiano is a traditionally solid performer against left-handed pitching. But he’s not an everyday guy. Perhaps the M’s opt to platoon him with someone who can effectively hit righties, but hell if I know who that will be.
Nevertheless, here are a few options, which include remaining free agents, trade targets and in-house candidates……
Nori Aoki (Free Agent)
– I would love to add Aoki, but I doubt it will happen. I’m not even sure why he’s still on the market. While Aoki has no power to speak of, he’s a base-stealing contact hitter who plays solid defense. In other words, he’s above average in several key areas. Furthermore, he’s likely available at a reasonable price.
Aoki is the kind of player that could be your everyday right fielder, but would ideally be a guy that gets in about 110 to 120 times a year.
Justin Upton
– There’s one good reason to make this deal: Upton is an impact player who, at his best, ranks among the premier position players in the game.
However, there are heaps of reasons why this would be a bad idea…..
1. He’s wildly inconsistent. Following his breakout 2011 campaign, Upton was pretty damn ordinary, knocking in just 67 runs despite the advantages of playing home games in a hitter-friendly ballpark. He’s been very good but rarely great since arriving in Atlanta two years ago.
2. He has just one year left on his contract. If they could work out an extension, that would be one thing. But since Upton vetoed a trade to the M’s not so long ago (despite the fact that his team at that time had no interest in keeping him) makes him re-upping with Seattle highly improbable.
3. The rumored cost is simply too high. In order to acquire Upton, the M’s would have to part with one of their two young stud pitchers- Taijuan Walker or James Paxton. At minimum. That’s too steep for a rent-a-player. Moving on….
Seth Smith
– Ah, now this could work. In a platoon scenario with Ruggiano, that is. Smith is an atrocious hitter against lefties (.205 career average with a .314 slugging percentage), but handles right-handers quite well (.277/.481 lifetime). He’s also proven he can hit in pitcher-friendly parks (spent his previous three seasons in Oakland and San Diego).
Smith is under contract for the next two seasons (with a team option for a third) at a reasonable cost and now that the Padres have acquired Matt Kemp (not to mention, this just in- Wil fucking Myers!), they may well be looking to deal.
Andre Ethier
– Ah no, fuck this. Ethier has long been among my least favorite ballplayers. Where to begin? Despite occasional hot streaks- often early in the year- Ethier is far from a top shelf hitter. He’s 32, and coming off what was easily the worst season of his career, and is still owed $53.5 million over the next three seasons. Even if the Dodgers ate nearly all of the money still coming his way (which they won’t), I hate this deal.
James Jones
– Jones showed flashes last season, but it’s painfully clear that he’s not a big league hitter (or fielder) yet. He was so awful in July that the M’s were almost forced to deal for Austin Jackson. Jones is valuable as a pinch runner, but most teams simply don’t have the luxury of fitting such a one dimensional player onto their 25 man roster. Until he learns to make consistent contact and stops making stupid decisions in the field, he’s just too much of a liability to be handed even a part-time starting gig.
Stefen Romero
– I’ll attempt to make my feelings on this matter as transparent as possible: Fuck Stefen Romero.
The esteemed Mr. Romero didn’t exactly impress in his first taste of big league action last season, striking out a dozen times more often than he walked, and posting a -1.5 WAR. In other words, the M’s could have plugged fucking Cesar Romero into his place and garnered better results.
Brad Miller
– Oh now this is intriguing. Rumor has it last season’s opening day shortstop has been given looks out in right, and managed to impress M’s coach Andy Van Slyke (who wasn’t such a bad outfielder himself).
If Miller can indeed play the position, this makes some sense. The M’s already have another shortstop they like (Chris Taylor), not to mention esteemed prospect Ketel Marte. Of course, all this is contingent on Miller being able to hit consistently, something he struggled mightily with last season.
Sooooo who will it be? Oh, I don’t know. How ’bout…..Smith? Or possibly somebody else. Just please, please, please not Ethier. Or Jones. Or Romero. Or Upton.
No Balls And Three Strikes 