| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 02-07-2013 |
Yes, just five days remain until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, but the topic of the day remains the reported extension agreement between the Seattle Mariners and ace right-hander Felix Hernandez. Alex Carson wrote that news up earlier Thursday.
There was another roster move in the wake of the Felix news, however: Kelly Shoppach officially signed and to clear space on the 40-man the M's designated Shawn Kelley for assignment.
I didn't see Kelley being the move, as it seems Carlos Peguero, Mike Carp and Yoervis Medina were better candidates since none are likely to help the big league club in 2013.
Kelley, who just agreed to a one-year, $935,000 deal for this coming season, can be traded within the next 10 days, too, and I have to believe this was the plan all along and the club may already have a trade in the works for him.
Before the offseason started, I assumed Kelley would be traded because he and Josh Kinney are virtually the same pitcher and Kinney is a tad cheaper and perhaps a little bit more reliable.
The M's bullpen now projects somewhat differently and the departure of Kelley -- if he indeed moves on to another club -- could open the door for another arm.
Depending on what happens with the rotation, that arm could be Chance Ruffin, Hector Noesi or even Erasmo Ramirez if the M's find another starter or two.
Tom Wilhelmsen, Carter Capps, Oliver Perez, Lucas Luetge, Charlie Furbush and Kinney appear to be locks or close to it in Capps' case, leaving one spot. Stephen Pryor could be the favorite, but it wouldn't hurt to get him another few months in Tacoma to continue to work on his command.
It's not out of the question that Seattle brings in another veteran, too. Mark Lowe is available, as are a few other mid-level types that could come in on minor league deals.
Felix's new deal, which will be made official once some minor details are ironed out and ink is put to paper in the next day to a week, is the news of the day.
Rejoice. The Yankees can't have him, and after the 2015 season Hernandez will have 10-5 no-trade rights, too.
spring-training-countdown:-5-days
Comments
The following 36 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: Rockstar Parking on 02-07-2013 15:11:00 Any thoughts on trying Furbush, Wilhelmson, or possibly even Capps in the rotation? Would have to be better than Noesi, and probably better than Beavan. |
| 2. By: dewey on 02-07-2013 15:34:39 People need to get off Beaven he is a useable back end of rotation guy innings wins etc thats what number 5 starters due i will make this statement Beaven will have a better career then 2 of the alledged big 4|! Eveyone loves the Felix signing i am ok wityh it but do we realise that over 1/4 of our alloted money for salarys is gone? I feel it was the only way for the fans to keep coming to the park right now so it was the right thing to do but in 3 years when some of these guys are elgible for salary arb we are screwed |
| 3. By: StandinPat on 02-07-2013 15:40:46 Dewey you must be the only person on the planet that would immediately see this extension as a negative. My god man, who crapped in your cornflakes? |
| 4. By: Rockstar Parking on 02-07-2013 16:09:44 Well, I may be crazy, but I think the M's could get more value from the above 3 relievers as starters, and likewise get more value by using Noesi and Beavan in the pen. Not saying they should move all three of the relievers, but I'd consider testing out 1 or 2 in the rotation during spring training. I don't feel they are maximizing these players' value currently, and the M's need to find value anyway possible this year. |
| 5. By: Edman on 02-07-2013 16:21:34 Brignac for Kelley wouldn't be out of the question, or something like it. I'm sure Kelley has some value to a team searching for bullpen help. |
| 6. By: Edman on 02-07-2013 16:23:47 Rockstar, they have clear roles for Furbush, Wilhelmsen and Capps. They would have to be desparate to change the roles that they have asked them to prepare for in the off-season. |
| 7. By: Wishhiker on 02-07-2013 16:24:45 I agree about Beaven, dewey. If the payroll in 3 years is only 100 million i think things went terribly wrong in the interim. |
| 8. By: cpuglisi on 02-07-2013 16:27:28 I think that the bullpen is pretty much set going into spring i think there is no surprises as to who is going to be in the bullpen come opening day but Jason are there any guys that could surprise management and make the opening day bullpen? |
| 9. By: Edman on 02-07-2013 16:53:34 Paul and a few others can rest easy now, the Mariners signed Saunders. Seems Jack has been a busy boy. |
| 10. By: Rockstar Parking on 02-07-2013 16:56:54 Edman, fair point. But they would also have to be desparate to consider using Noesi in the rotation. Not that is was ever seriously considered, and even less so now that Saunders is in the fold. |
| 11. By: rotoenquire on 02-07-2013 17:25:39 Mariners just signed J. Saunders SP!! |
| 12. By: WSChamps2014 on 02-07-2013 17:29:48 There's no way we aren't going to carry a $140M payroll in a couple years. We have $50M a year coming in from MLB's tv deal, we'll have a new t.v. deal of our own. We hopefully will have some playoff money coming in as well. But most importantly, Safeco Field is almost entirely paid off. |
| 13. By: WSChamps2014 on 02-07-2013 17:42:11 11, I'd remove one and possibly both exclamation points. We don't know the figures and more importantly, offenses put exclamation points after his name for an entirely different reason, so adding a left-handed Beavan is hardly exciting, especially when he's not coming at the league minimum. His nickname should be Joe Blow instead of Joe Saunders, because he's literally the league average pitcher. Hello new #4 starter. It looks like our rotation may be set... Hernandez (YEAH!!) Iwakuma (golf clap) Ramirez (yeah!) <~~ They need to do a M's comercial with Felix and Erasmo as mini-Felix. Saunders (yawn...) Bonderman or Beavan (meh) We need more yeahs than mehs and yawns. Hey, but no Noesi, so there's that! Maybe Noesi can throw batting practice to our guys before games to help build the confidence of our young hitters in 2013!! |
| 14. By: Mackie on 02-07-2013 18:15:17 I'm going to hazard a guess that Zduriencik is not done making moves. If a reliever as good as Kelley has been DFAed, maybe he is going to be part of a trade. Maybe a trade for Rick Porcello or Chris Capuano? I'd be fine with having Felix, Iwakuma, Saunders, and Porcello or Capuano in the 1-4 slots... and then one from among the many others who would be competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. Support that with a bullpen that ought to be pretty good, and support the pitching staff with an offense that ought to be better, and it looks like the team should certainly do better in 2013. If Saunders is only on for a one-year deal, I like that. I think having him on board for this season could mean less pressure for the ball club to rush one of the young SPs from the minors. |
| 15. By: Paul Martin on 02-07-2013 18:23:13 Joe Saunders for one year??? Wow, this day just keeps getting better!!! Say hello to AAA Tacoma Hector Noesi... |
| 16. By: Bookbook on 02-07-2013 18:39:11 Saunders is a mediocre #3 or a solid #4. Beaven would be the perfect sixth starter - a replacement player for a replacement role. I'm expecting Wells and Kelley for another SP to happen soon. Maybe just me being optimistic. The M's look more and more likely to crawl to 79 wins next year. |
| 17. By: Paul Martin on 02-07-2013 18:44:51 @16 well Mr. Negative, if you can't be happy on a day like today, then there is no hope for you! |
| 18. By: Edman on 02-07-2013 18:46:02 rotoenquire, it's okay to be excited. Some are, and others aren't. You can keep your exclamation points. Paul used them too. And, WSChamps, unless you're paying the bills, you have no real say in how much they choose to pay Saunders. He's not in Seattle to be a value (financially), he's here to throw a baseball and hopefully win games. |
| 19. By: rotoenquire on 02-07-2013 19:00:15 A lot of negative comments about a solid and most likely cheap get. There is still one more move up JackZ's sleeves. Not to mention I still think the M's are going to give Paxton and Hultzen every chance to make the rotation. I would even say if they are just above par one of them will make the rotation. |
| 20. By: Edman on 02-07-2013 19:02:51 I'm not sure why some see the M's going out to add more starters. Wishful thinking, but why wouldn't they want to go with Ramirez? Does it need to be a more established name? Should they add guys who might get in the way of one of the big four? I can see Jack making some further moves, but I'd have to think he's pretty happy with the staff he has going into Spring Training. He's got pitching of his own to use, why would he want to block players already in the Mariner system? |
| 21. By: dewey on 02-07-2013 19:03:27 Standin Pat no one pissed iny wearied I love Felix but I made a true statement he know takes up over one quarter of our patyrole we aren't th NYY it's tough for a team that spends 100 mil to have a 25 million dollar player that was all I was saying I would have signed him also but it will hstring the next gm |
| 22. By: Jason A. Churchill on 02-07-2013 19:46:20 For the record, Noesi was never going to NEED to be part of the rotation. Beavan and Ramirez ahead of him, but so is Bonderman, the three oldest of the Big 4 and any NRI's they brought in. |
| 23. By: Jason A. Churchill on 02-07-2013 19:48:04 In response to dewey's payroll comments... the M's are going to have to spend more than $100 mil to win. If they don't know that by now, they never will. |
| 24. By: Paul Martin on 02-07-2013 20:05:13 Jason, Do you agree with the Vargas/Saunders comparisons? People are making it sound like they are virtually the same pitcher, giving us Morales for free... |
| 25. By: Bookbook on 02-07-2013 20:30:35 #17, Sorry if my comment seemed negative to you. Saunders was a good signing, especially for one year. A mediocre #3 as a stopgap is a real asset to the M's. Note as well, that 79 wins for the M's would represent the fourth straight year of progress and the most we've won since 2008. S'all good. |
| 26. By: rotoenquire on 02-07-2013 21:26:32 I would like to see the M's add D. Braden. I think he would be a cheap get who could make an impact for the M's. As to a trade A. De Aza To play CF and give the team a lead off hitter. I think he could be had for a decent price. Say Franklin and a lower prospect or Carp type player. The M's could also trade Guity to the LAD for Capuano straight up. Could be a win win for both clubs. |
| 27. By: sexymarinersfan on 02-07-2013 22:15:02 Do you think a trade of Shawn Kelley and Erasmo Ramirez for either Chris Capuano or Rick Porcello would be an overpay? 1.King 2.Iwakuma 3.Capauno/Porcello 4.Saunders 5.Beavan Thoughts?? |
| 28. By: DRWheelock on 02-07-2013 22:28:10 We need to save Erasmo Ramirez as "part" of the package that we will be giving up this July for Stanton ... woot woot After the Felix extension the Dodgers and Tigers might be boycotting trades to Seattle Now considering they both are going to have to pony up for Kershaw and Verlander! |
| 29. By: whereswoody on 02-07-2013 22:31:44 @27, I wouldnt do that. Erasmo Ramirez pitched 57 innings last year. Unless you think the M's can compete for a world series this year, it would make no sense to trade Ramirez. If he has a good year this year, and the blue chips from the farm progress the M's will have more value to trade at the end of the year for a big fish. Remember, Jack Z's move by trading Morrow for League was an attempt to win in the short term without the talent to do so. |
| 30. By: DRWheelock on 02-07-2013 22:33:50 Actually I can still see a trade for either Capuano OR Porcello. I think Kelley will be traded. Z has to have a trade in the works. |
| 31. By: DRWheelock on 02-07-2013 23:04:49 @27, There's a LOT of club control on E Ramirez. Plus Ramirez has more tools and more pitches than Pineda did that we traded for Montero. If he can come out the 1st half of 2013 and do what Pineda did, he'll be a valuable commodity in a package. |
| 32. By: Edman on 02-08-2013 00:34:09 I think some of you just like the idea of trades. Not satisfied with your own yard, then covet your neighbor's yard. I don't know what Jack is going to do next, but some of you are spinning some mighty big yarns. Enjoy the day and leave it at that. |
| 33. By: Galway on 02-08-2013 04:48:55 Brignac was interesting a few years ago but has seemed lost even in AAA the past two years, anything account for that regression? Great news about Felix, now if the M's can just win enough to dispel Seattle is a baseball hole. Will be interesting to see the dual stories of how the MLB roster plays out on a day to day basis and how the calvary in AAA develop. |
| 34. By: Jazz00 on 02-08-2013 05:25:04 Interesting comments on a very special day. I think everyone should take a step back and recognize that the Mariners stabilized a significant hole in their starting pitching with the signing of Saunders and the organizations stature with the league and potential free agents by the extension with Felix. Saunders signing allows us to continue to groom or kids which will strengthen us down the road. |
| 35. By: CactusFan on 02-08-2013 07:24:37 I'm very pleased to see the Mariners do what needed to be done for a change. Felix is a special talent and brings a lot more to this team than his pitching alone. We have watched great players be developed within this organization over the years only to see them wearing some other teams uniform at the first opportunity. If loyalty is a desirable attribute ( and I think it is ) then the Mariners need to foster this by showing thier players that they are thought of as more than trading chips. Draft well, develop well, and make this the strength of the team (keep up the good work Jack). Trading players to round out and make corrections to a system is necessary and reality, but it shouldn't be considered a board game. Anyway, looking forward to seeing our minor league system develop and watch young players show great stuff in Mariners colors. Thanks for sticking with us Felix, it's a gas to watch you play and keep having fun ! Leaving for AZ in a couple of weeks, see ya'll in Peoria.... |
| 36. By: maqman on 02-08-2013 10:50:07 Felix has already created 38.3 WAR for the M’s worth $191.5MM based on $5MM per WAR (It’s current value is probably a little higher and will be even more so when gets paid the first dollar on his extension.) So far the team has paid him about $60MM so he has already earned about $130MM in surplus value. There is a very low probability that Felix will not more than earn every dollar he will have been paid in his career by the M’s. Additionally, as with the Yankees and A-Rod the M’s will most likely buy insurance against any medical reason ending his ability to pitch for them. According to Wendy Thurm (of Fangraphs) the M’s current regional TV deal is worth $45MM a season. Their viewing market covers all of Washington, northern Oregon, most of Idaho and Alaska and western Montana. They along with all 29 other teams will start getting an additional $25MM in revenue from the new MLB national rights sales next year, taking that up to about $50MM a season. That total of $95MM a year next year will about cover their current payroll, including Felix’s. When they renegotiate their regional deal in 2015 (if not before) their media revenues should be close to Texas but not at the level of the NY or LA teams. Texas signed their media deal two years before the Dodgers took regional TV money to a whole new level. Their deal was big then, not so much now and will be even less when the M’s set their new deal up. The M's have put their money where their mouth was so the snarks can now zip theirs. Just think of it! No more trade Felix threads for years to come! Count me among those satisfied to see Beavan and Erasmo "Mo Mo" Ramirez in the M's rotation this season. I don't see Kelley by himself bringing back a rotation piece but he should be worth something in a trade. I doubt he will clear waivers. Finally, thank you Mr. Z, for everything! |
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