Offseason poll

by Manzanillos Cup on Sep 6, 2007 9:11 AM PDT

I gotta say, I really don't have any confidence that we'll be any better next year. We have a lot of declining players still under contract, and can we trust the management to do anything right?

So with the Shankmaster looking to be locked up for three more years, what else is going to happen?

Poll

What will the M's do to "improve" this offseason?

Sign Raul Ibanez to a lifetime deal

4 votes

Ban Vidro from Home Town Buffets

6 votes

Sign David Eckstein to play 2B

18 votes

Move <i>out</i> the left field fence

3 votes

Bring back their "proven" management team

31 votes

Aquire expensive bullpen help, a la Baltimore

7 votes

Trade Wlad for Steve Trachsel

9 votes

78 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

They'll bring in Eckstein

David Eckstein is a proven, gritty veteran who clearly knows how to win, as evidenced by that world championship ring overpowering his itty bitty ring finger. That bunt that Jose Lopez popped up? David Eckstein gets that bunt down. And beats out the throw. And gets dirt on his uniform doing so. These are things that don't show up in the boxscores.

by Gomez on Sep 6, 2007 9:19 AM PDT reply actions

i voted for that one too...

i hate eckstein more than i hate willits.

that option reminded me of when they traded moyer.

at the time, i knew he should be traded. i still don't know what they got for him, but i couldn't stomach it.

Yu Bet! Cuba, si! Yanqi, NO!

by Patrick517 on Sep 6, 2007 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions

Andrew Baldwin, Andrew Barb

Baldwin strikes out guys in AA when he's not busting phat rhymes but also gets lit up. Barb was the closer in Single A Wisconsin this year... when he's been healthy. Both are longshots for the majors at best.

by Gomez on Sep 6, 2007 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions

i knew we should have kept him!

by which i mean anyone but bavasi could have landed something for him.

good think pat gillick was involved.

that trade officially killed me last year. i believe i claimed i would never root for the mariners again.

Yu Bet! Cuba, si! Yanqi, NO!

by Patrick517 on Sep 6, 2007 9:53 AM PDT up reply actions

Baldwin's K rate

is about 15% below the league average.
So technically, yes, he 'strikes out guys' sometimes. But it's not a defining characteristic or anything.

his rhymes, his flow...THAT'S a defining characteristic.

by marc w on Sep 6, 2007 10:23 AM PDT up reply actions

He would have good K games

and then have games where he hardly gets any. It's strange how his K rate would spike and fall with each game... and as you pointed out, the end result is below average.

by Gomez on Sep 6, 2007 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions

RINGS

by JI on Sep 6, 2007 10:04 PM PDT up reply actions

Just to be ridiculous...

I voted to move back the LF wall. Really the only one that would help would be banning Turbo from the buffet.

by SethGrandpa on Sep 6, 2007 9:24 AM PDT reply actions

I am curious as to who they would sign to manage

If they didn't bring back McLaren, then who?

Are we talking Bobby Valentine? Larry Dierker? Or are they going the Dusty Baker route?

Or would that big name be an "organizational" big name. Someone like Buhner or Dan Wilson.

by Ben in Va on Sep 6, 2007 9:31 AM PDT reply actions

Anybody

would be better than Mac. Of course, that's what we said when Grover threw in the towel. I think who the manager is going to be next year is the scariest part of the whole off-season, even scarier than seeing Vidro at Hometown.

by derban on Sep 6, 2007 9:34 AM PDT up reply actions

does that mean dusty baker?

Yu Bet! Cuba, si! Yanqi, NO!

by Patrick517 on Sep 6, 2007 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions

Yes

Baker and Mac are the scariest of the possibilities

by derban on Sep 6, 2007 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm starting to think that

no matter who the manager is, as long as he works for Bavasi, he's going to suck.

My thinking stems mainly from last season, watching Hargrove in action. Time after time, I asked myself why Bavasi didn't step in and correct Hargrove's shortcomings. Then I realized that Bavasi's inaction showed that, in his opinion, Hargrove was doing just fine.

Hargrove's performance this season, and now MacLaren's, makes me think I'm spot on in this.

So, before the manager is changed, Bavasi's got to go or it will be business as usual.

by Tom2000 on Sep 6, 2007 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions

Joe Girardi

or maybe when NY Gets booted from the playoffs (or misses the playoffs) it'll be Joe Torre.

Personally, I think this organization will have McLaren start the year as the manager next year.

by MfaninAlaska on Sep 6, 2007 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions

I'd love me some Bobby Valentine.

by sammy on Sep 6, 2007 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions

He's a God in Japan,

and he's very happy there. I doubt he's ever coming back to MLB.

"Send lawyers, guns and money. The s**t has hit the fan"

by Thingray on Sep 6, 2007 11:49 AM PDT up reply actions

yeah, I know.

by sammy on Sep 6, 2007 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm still going for

Lopez for Lenny DiNardo.

With an outside shot of John Schuerholz sending up HoRam's cousin who also is a crappy LHP.

by eponymous coward on Sep 6, 2007 9:44 AM PDT reply actions

Surely

you misspelled "scrappy" right?

"You guys should be in every major city. This is some heavy shit. This is, like, Lone Ranger heavy, man."

by AZSEAfan on Sep 6, 2007 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions

No, that would be if...

we traded for WFB's cousin.

by eponymous coward on Sep 6, 2007 5:11 PM PDT up reply actions

I thought we already had Ellison on the team

this year?

"Send lawyers, guns and money. The s**t has hit the fan"

by Thingray on Sep 7, 2007 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions

Is "Nothing" an answer?

God. Dammit.

by CapSea on Sep 6, 2007 9:50 AM PDT reply actions

RE: in-house manager next year?

IMO Dan Wilson won't ever manage a MLB team. He's a great guy, and probably has no interest in taking the kind of abuse that managers have to take. I think the same is true of Edgar... though I'd love for him to become a hitting coach.

Buhner (known as much for his personality as his baseball skills) is an interesting possibility... just because I think he would thrive on the conflict (with the media and his players) ala Billy Martin.

by johnbai on Sep 6, 2007 11:21 AM PDT reply actions