Mariners offseason

Contrary to the beliefs of some fans and those within the media, I thought Jack Zduriencik had a strong first offseason as Seattle's general manager. Besides advancing an antiquated organization into the modern era by bring Tony Blengino with him from Milwaukee to head the new Department of Statistical Research, Zduriencik has revamped the roster through a series of trades.

The result is a defensive emphasize the Mariners have lacked since their best stretch in club history from 2000-03. It started with the three-team December trade centered around closer J.J. Putz. That deal sent center fielder Franklin Gutierrez and left fielder Endy Chavez to Seattle. Couple those two with Ichiro and the Mariners feature one of the best defensive outfields in baseball.

After watching an assortment of center fielders since Mike Cameron left as a free agent after the 2003 season and a designated hitter masquerading as an outfielder in Raul Ibanez the last several years, the defensive upgrades are significant for a mediocre pitching staff.

A great example of how mediocre pitchers can benefit from stellar outfield defense is Aaron Sele. In 2001, he allowed 1.005 hits per nine innings — the lowest rate of his career in a season where he pitched at least 150 innings — and his ERA was 3.60. Even though ERA isn't the best metric to evaluate pitching, that statistic and hits rate suggest that some of those fly balls were turning into outs. Sele's career rate for hits allowed per nine innings was 1.12, while his ERA was 4.61.

There's other examples of fly-ball pitchers, such as Ryan Franklin in 2003, benefiting significantly from strong outfield defenses. Jarrod Washburn's statistics could improve as much as anyone in the rotation simply from having an outfield with more range.

It also was impressive to see Zduriencik load up on cheap available talent, particularly in the bullpen. The Mariners wasted millions and/or draft selections in the past to sign relievers such as Eddie Guardado, Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Jeff Nelson. There was nothing wrong with any of those pitchers, but there are more efficient ways to build a bullpen. Zduriencik seems to have about a half-dozen candidates who can serve as a left-handed specialist and righties such as David Aardsma and Luis Pena. Both could develop into late-inning relievers if they harness their stuff. It's happened before in Seattle with Bill Risley, J.J. Putz and others.

Zduriencik also made a nice move when he flipped Aaron Heilman, who was acquired from the Mets in the Putz trade, to Chicago. The deal netted infielder Ronny Cedeno and left-handed pitcher Garrett Olson. Heilman wanted to be a starter without the quality pitches necessary to perform that role. Olson, who was rushed to the majors by Baltimore, can spend the season in Tacoma grooming for the major leagues.

After all, the rotation appears set with Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard, Brandon Morrow, Carlos Silva and Washburn unless one is injured or traded. The previous administration didn't understand the value of having inexpensive starters who could fill the back end of the rotation, and signed Miguel Batista, Silva and Washburn to bloated contracts to take those positions. Once Washburn's contract expires after the season, Zduriencik can plug Olson or Ryan Rowland-Smith into that spot for a fraction of the cost.

The offense will have to improve for the team to become a contender, something that the potential acquisition of Ken Griffey Jr. won't change, but not everything can be changed in one offseason. Trading for a Nick — Johnson or Swisher — would represent an improvement. Zduriencik should have more flexibility next winter when Bautista and Washburn's contracts expire.

One final aspect of improvement, and perhaps the most significant, should come through the farm system. Zduriencik's ability to recognize talent helped turn Milwaukee's minor-league system, usually regarded as one of baseball's worst, into a group that helped the Brewers advance to the playoffs last season for the first time since 1982.

Zduriencik used the Putz trade to land hard-throwing right-hander Maikel Cleto and was astute enough to let Philadelphia sign Ibanez, which means the Phillies' first round in addition to a sandwich pick were awarded to Seattle. Those selections, along with the second overall pick, give Zduriencik and his staff the ability to infuse the organization with talent.

The new administration will need time to rebuild the organization after a 61-101 season, but give Zduriencik some time and I think he'll get the job done.