The Trading Game
By Tracy Larsen, for Seattle Insider
Originally published by Cox Interactive Media, August 1999
There are just about
six weeks left to the '99 baseball season. Think the Mariners will make
it to the postseason? Answer this: Does Buhner fill Segui's shoes at first?
I was as amazed as
anyone that the M's traded away Segui to the Toronto Blue Jays. His sure
hands and gritty determination during every at-bat was welcome following
some give-away inning by our bullpen. I know we need help in that arena,
but c'mon... Segui? Couldn't we have found a couple of up-and-comers in
Tacoma to send to the Great White North instead? Friends of mine on vacation
from Canada couldn't believe it when I told them that the Mariners had
traded away Segui. That is, until they heard where he'd been traded to,
at which point their faces lit up like Christmas in August.
So best of luck,
David - just not too much when the Blue Jays come to town. Still, we'll
miss you around here.
So who did we get
in return? Knowing the Mariners organization to be the visionaries they
are, I wouldn't have been surprised if a bucket of balls and a few more
feet of advertising space in the bathroom stalls at Safeco had been announced
in trade. But in fact, we've added two new arms to our bullpen -- Tom Davey's
right and Steve Sinclair's left, to be exact.
We'll start with
Davey, the rookie. At 6' 7" and lean enough to remind one of a young Randy
Johnson, Davey is a physically imposing presence on the mound, if not yet
the tower of Babel that Johnson has shown himself to be. In the whopping
3+ innings that he's pitched in Seattle, Davey has allowed five runs, four
of which were earned. The real "ouch!" of a number, however, is those of
BB's: five so far. We don't need more help in that department, Tom, thank
you.
On the upside, he's
young, he's a power as opposed to a Moyer-style finesse pitcher, and he
has some major league experience (he pitched against the M's earlier this
season while still with Toronto). Plus, he'll most likely have the entire
off-season to work on his delivery.
Our other pitcher-in-trade
is Steve Sinclair, a lefty in his second season in the majors. He comes
to us with a 2.06 ERA in 34 games with the International League where he
was working as the Skychiefs (the Jays triple-A Syracuse team) closer.
He appeared in only three games with Toronto, posting a 0-0 record and
an underwhelming 12.71 ERA.
His upside? He's
a young left-hander, something Lou has been sorely needing in the bullpen,
especially since promoting -- or is it paroling? -- Halama out of there
and into the starting rotation. With Carmona on the DL, Sinclair is now
our only lefty in relief.
So please, Steve:
Don't be afraid to go after the hitters. Those "ball one...ball
two" counts are what's killing us.
One person who might
think about that timidity is Jeff Fassero. Even with a 4-13 record and
a major league-leading 34 HR's allowed, I'm actually sorry to say that
I think Fassero's days here are numbered. I like his style, the way he's
always kept cool under pressure (and there's been lots of that this season).
But that's gotten to be a rarer thing to witness these days when he's often
pulled by the top of the third. Fassero's losses can't all be blamed on
a lack of run support when he has outings like last Friday's, when he allowed
three homers after two outs in just the first inning.
Sorry, Jeff, but
my money's on Moyer and Garcia -- another rookie- - taking us through the
homestretch, whether that leads to a Wild Card bid or back home watching
in a Barcolounger. Your succession of surgeries has finally taken its toll.
Your leadership abilities and postseason experience, however, are things
that our young pitchers still need. So while we've still got you, let's
use you for something. We all know what opposing batters have been using
you for.
So let's see where
the newbies take us. I'm all for giving them a chance. Coming in to an
established group in the middle of a season, especially when you've arrived
in trade for someone the fans respect, can't be easy. Just ask Freddie
Garcia and John Halama, the two rookies-for-Randy trades from last season.
Somehow, despite everyone's predictions of Earth-shattering proportions,
they've turned that opportunity (and possibly something to prove) into
a combined 20-10 record -- an even .500.
But not to fear.
If Davey and Sinclair don't work out by next year's July 31 trade deadline,
the M's could send them away, too -- possibly throw in Mesa, making it
a package deal. Hey, we could always use another bucket of balls.
©2000. Tracy Larsen & Cox Interactive Media. All Rights Reserved.