The Mariners signed one big bat and are apparently showing interest in another. OK, so maybe Mike Sweeney isn't much of a big bat, but after signing for a one-year minor league deal with Seattle, he seems genuinely excited to play here and claims he feels healthy. Perhaps more important, he had some really nice things to say about our new manager Don Wakamatsu.To Continue...
"In my 18 years of professional baseball, I'd take Don Wakamatsu as far as just a baseball man. He's one of the top three. He's a leader, he's intelligent, he communicates well. I admired him from the first day I met him in Oakland last year. I think he'll bring great leadership and hopefully passion to the Mariners this year," he said to Seattle Times reporter Larry Stone.
Sweeney hasn't played in more than 100 games since 2005, but he is a career .299 hitter. You never know I suppose.
What may interest more people is the possible acquisition of Bobby Abreu.
However, in order to sign Abreu, Seattle would have to find a way of lightening their salary, the easiest way being to unload one of the more pricey pitchers (Jarrod Washburn, Carlos Silva and Miguel Batista). That's of course easier said than done.
While only a year younger than Sweeney at 34, Abreu has actually managed to stay healthy and continue solid production in the past few seasons. He's coming off a season for the Yankees in which he appeared in 156 games, hitting .296 for 20 home runs and 100 RBIs.
In fact, his production for the past 10 years has been like clockwork, with a batting average that rarely dips below .300 and more than 100 RBIs coming in seven of those seasons.
His signing would certainly fill the void left by Raul Ibanez's departure, and he is willing to sign just a one-year deal, so the move makes sense for Seattle. They certainly don't want to get locked into a multi-year deal for him, but Abreu's options seem to be limited in the current market. All they have to do is manage to dump one of those pitchers.
The most likely to go would be Washburn as he actually showed positive production last season. Of course he's the one the team needs the most, as he currently locks down a starter spot, unless the team really feels the newly acquired Garrett Olson has a chance to start.
