Hey, something we haven’t covered but it’s come up in a couple of emails: the Mariners designated Q McC for assignment. This doesn’t mean he’s cut, but he’s as good as cut. What happens is that the team opens up a roster spot, and they and the player get some time to work out what they’re going to do.
What this may mean is that they’re trying to work out a trade (but to who?), or that they want to send him to the minors and he has to pass through waivers (and another team could claim him and his salary)(but who would?) and then would send him down to the minors.
Here’s the question, though — what has Q McC done, or not done, that demands they cut him?
He’s hit badly, as we expected, but he’s only played in 19 games, and only has 20 at-bats. Wasn’t one of the reasons they picked him up the team’s belief that given more regular playing time, he’d prosper? If that’s the case, why haven’t they done so and tested that theory?
Was he so bad defensively when they played him for those 34 innings that they couldn’t stand to see him? Didn’t they know that he wasn’t a stellar glove man going into this?
Sure, I’d cut QMcC, but I wouldn’t have ever traded for him.
Trying to get into the M’s mind — why discard him now? To carry both Bloomquist and Cabrera on the roster? So Cabrera becomes McLemore and Bloomquist becomes… Bloomquist?
I don’t get it. It doesn’t make sense even within the wacky world of M’s thinking.
Derek
So, I’m finally settling back in a bit after a good weekend trip to D.C. Thanks to all the really cool readers who joined Peter and I for an afternoon of Mariner watching. The M’s are now 1-0 during U.S.S. Mariner/Mariner Musings gatherings. It is only a matter of time before Melvin becomes aware of this stat and asks us to help turn the season around by watching more games together.
Lots of talk in the papers this morning about Meche being optioned to Tacoma. Near as Derek, Jason, and I can figure, including conversations with folks who really should know, he’s out of options, no bones about it. The only way that we can see that he could be sent to Tacoma would be if he was outrighted off the 40 man roster and cleared waivers (as a first time designee, he wouldn’t have the option of refusing the assignment). Of course, MLB has so many abstract rules that not even they know, we’re probably wrong about this. But, from our understanding, they shouldn’t be able to option him to Tacoma without him first clearing waivers.
If Meche goes down and George Sherril doesn’t come up, well, he’d have every reason to go all Milton Bradley in Tacoma this afternoon.
Oh, and in case you haven’t thrown in the towel on 2004 yet, the M’s need to go 76-35 (.684 baseball) the rest of the way to win 95 games, which would probably get them in the playoffs. The Yankees have the best record in baseball right now at 31-19, which works out to a .620 winning percentage. So, for the rest of the year, the M’s would have to play significantly better than any other team in baseball has been able to play so far this year. Yea, that’s gonna happen…
Also, the M’s are on pace to lose 102 games this year. We’re a half game ahead of Tampa Bay and percentage points ahead of Kansas City for the worst record in the American League. On the bright side, since we’re almost certainly going to be picking in the top half of the first round next year, the M’s can’t forfeit that pick no matter how many lame free agents they sign.
Speaking of the draft, it’s next Monday, but you probably won’t even notice since the M’s don’t have a first or second round pick. Their first selection is #93 overall. I’m sure Howard Lincoln has to be pleased, however, that slot money for that pick is a little north of $400,000. So, the only way the M’s are going to add any real impact prospects in this draft will be overpaying for hard-to-sign types in the later rounds. Or by getting a bunch of great picks in the late rounds, but really, do we think this organization is capable of such a thing?
Last year, they overdrafted Adam Jones, who I still maintain will spend more time in the majors as a pitcher than as a shortstop, tossed a $700,000 bonus for the right to have Jeff Flaig rehab a torn labrum with the club for two years, and then spent three mid-round picks on senior signs that cost a combined $19,000 in signing bonuses.
2002 brought us such winners as the Mayberry/Esteve debacles, Josh Womack’s overdraft, a giant collection of HS arms who have been injured or ineffective, and the ridiculous Evel Bastida-Martinez selection (and subsequent huge bonus to a guy who just sucks).
2001 was the Michael Garciaparra draft, which everyone claimed was a terrible selection at the time, only made worse by the fact that they paid him $2 million to sign. Toss in Michael Wilson, Lazaro Abreu, Tim Merritt, John Cole, Justin Ockerman, and Jeff Ellena, and well, this was just one ugly, ugly draft. Right now, the entire crop has netted us Bobby Livingston and Rene Rivera, a pair of B- prospects with some pretty severe flaws in their games.
There is some hope, since Frank Mattox was inexplicably promoted after botching three consecutive drafts, and now Bob Fontaine is the man making the calls. But, in reality, it’s the same scouts, similar philosophies, and a team that doesn’t pick until most other teams have grabbed three players. Nothing like another missed opportunity to brighten the day on this sunny season.