Wednesday, November 19, 2003
THE SEARCH IS OVER, AND IT HAPPENED RIGHT UNDER MY SLEEPY EYES
Anytime I can get in a Survivor reference, life is good.
Anyways...
I can't say I'm shocked by this. Raul Ibanez is back in Seattle for 3 years, 13 million. Looks like it's 4.3 mil a year. Who was I kidding to think that somehow, someway the M's would try to get Vladimir Guerrero?
But I will say this. If this means that they go get Miguel Tejada, then by all means Ibanez is a good acquisition. But right now, color me underwhelmed.
I hope Ibanez's second stint in Seattle is just as good as Bret Boone's current stint. Hell, he better be for the money he's getting. But we can look at this deal this way:
Bill Bavasi didn't waste any time. It's November 19 and we are talking about a free agent signing for the Mariners. Pat Gillick would have waited until mid-December to do this.
With the signing of Ibanez, this means that either Mike Cameron or Randy Winn will be gone. I've said all along that Cameron is gone. I can't see him coming back to Seattle, no matter how much he loves the fans.
The only way I can tolerate having Randy Winn in center field is if the Mariners step up and sign Miguel Tejada. There's no reason why this can't happen. Absolutely no goddamn reason why Tejada should not be a Mariner.
It's obvious that the M's need pop. Ibanez will probably hit 20 HR and drive in 90 runs. That's fine and dandy. But the M's need 35 HR-125 RBI pop, and Tejada would bring that to the table.
And again, it must be stated that if the M's were to sign Tejada, it makes Oakland weaker. Isn't that what it's all about? We can talk about the World Series all we want, but in my opinion, the M's need to worry about winning the West over Oakland first before ANY World Series talk can happen.
Give me a big bat or give me death. Give me Miguel Tejada for 4 years, 45 mil. Make this happen, dammit!
Anyways...
I can't say I'm shocked by this. Raul Ibanez is back in Seattle for 3 years, 13 million. Looks like it's 4.3 mil a year. Who was I kidding to think that somehow, someway the M's would try to get Vladimir Guerrero?
But I will say this. If this means that they go get Miguel Tejada, then by all means Ibanez is a good acquisition. But right now, color me underwhelmed.
I hope Ibanez's second stint in Seattle is just as good as Bret Boone's current stint. Hell, he better be for the money he's getting. But we can look at this deal this way:
Bill Bavasi didn't waste any time. It's November 19 and we are talking about a free agent signing for the Mariners. Pat Gillick would have waited until mid-December to do this.
With the signing of Ibanez, this means that either Mike Cameron or Randy Winn will be gone. I've said all along that Cameron is gone. I can't see him coming back to Seattle, no matter how much he loves the fans.
The only way I can tolerate having Randy Winn in center field is if the Mariners step up and sign Miguel Tejada. There's no reason why this can't happen. Absolutely no goddamn reason why Tejada should not be a Mariner.
It's obvious that the M's need pop. Ibanez will probably hit 20 HR and drive in 90 runs. That's fine and dandy. But the M's need 35 HR-125 RBI pop, and Tejada would bring that to the table.
And again, it must be stated that if the M's were to sign Tejada, it makes Oakland weaker. Isn't that what it's all about? We can talk about the World Series all we want, but in my opinion, the M's need to worry about winning the West over Oakland first before ANY World Series talk can happen.
Give me a big bat or give me death. Give me Miguel Tejada for 4 years, 45 mil. Make this happen, dammit!
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