[Whole Damn Bullpen] Update

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 4:38 AM PDT

The Mariners site is reporting that neither of Rhodes nor Reitsma will make the opening day roster:

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Veteran pitchers Arthur Rhodes and Chris Reitsma, both signed to Minor League contracts, were told Wednesday they would not be on the Mariners' roster when the season opens.

I don't think anyone will be disappointed or surprised to see the back of Reitsma (especially because we already have a diary about it), who was absolutely abysmal for us last year, but Rhodes was assumed by many to be in strong contention for the second left-hander spot in the bullpen. The job now presumably falls to amusingly named Australian and professional badass Ryan Rowland-Smith, which is awesome, because he's much better than Arthur Rhodes.

This would, however, also mean that RRS won't get the chance to start in Tacoma, which is less awesome, because he's also going to be much better than Jarrod Washburn before long, and we don't really want him to get Morrow'd.

Reitsma's going to try to find a major league job elsewhere (which is funny), so he's more or less gone forever. Reitsma has left camp and gone home to consider whether or not he'll accept the invitation to continue his throwing program in the minors (please decline, Chris). Rhodes will be staying with the organisation, so we probably haven't seen the last of him yet.

Can't complain too much though. In the big scheme of things two of the guys with the most potential to blow games coming out of the pen aren't making the opening day roster. Yay.

OK. Some more updates on the bullpen. Churchill is saying that we've offered knuckleballer R.A. Dickey back to the Twins, meaning that the violently emotional Cha Seung Baek wins the battle for long reliever. I liked Dickey better, but I suspect that's mainly because he throws the knuckleball. Oh well.

Geoff Baker is saying that Brandon Morrow might not make the opening day roster, with his spot taken instead by someone who is actually good (albeit an injury risk) in Mark Lowe. It is highly doubtful that the Mariners will use this opportunity to let him start in AAA, but the option's there.

Still no real word on whether we're going with a 6 or 7 man staff.

Tweet Comment 38 comments | 3 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

RRS can't be Morrow'd

entirely. He's made enough starts in pro ball to not be totally untested in that role. If we're gunning for the division we gotta gun for the division.

the artist formerly known as Mere Tantalisers.

by Bearskin Rugburn on Mar 27, 2008 5:43 AM PDT reply actions

Yeah, I do like the move

The starter thing is just in the back of my mind.

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 5:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Yeah I know what you are saying

For a little while we were so starved for SP I never wanted to see a prospect switched from SP to RP if he had success starting. We just don't need SP anymore because we are retarded and overpaid for our rotation. I feel like our minors should be able to keep up with our SP demand for the next few years so I'm not too worried about it (I miss Tillman/Butler a little though).

by Edgar for Pres on Mar 27, 2008 6:18 AM PDT up reply actions

I have to disagree

Our only decent starting prospects with 2 years of contributing are RRS and Morrow. We have a crop of pretty good arms in the really low minors, yeah, but basically nothing close to the majors.

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 6:28 AM PDT up reply actions

(Rohrbaugh, Thomas, Feierabend etc don't count)

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 6:30 AM PDT up reply actions

Don't worry...

Being a reliever never stopped a team from moving a potential arm into the rotation.

Except the M's.

GU Photography
Favor the Bold

by IcebreakerX on Mar 27, 2008 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions

Is RRS really that much better than those guys?

by Edgar for Pres on Mar 27, 2008 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions

Yes.

Much

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 10:17 AM PDT up reply actions

Rohrbaugh and Feierabend, yes

Thomas, not sure. Thomas gets an incomplete, as he was not healthy last year. Thomas was more highly regarded than RRS prior to last year (he gets groundballs and can miss bats), but RRS's control has improved since then. If healthy, Thomas still has a decent chance to become a solid back of the rotation starter. But we really will not know until we see how he performs this year.

by G_ on Mar 27, 2008 10:31 AM PDT up reply actions

I thought Reitsma hadn't made a decision

on whether to report to the minors or ask for his release. Graham, you sure he asked for his release?

Used to be MarinerintheDistrict

by brayden04 on Mar 27, 2008 6:51 AM PDT reply actions

Ah, you're right

I interpreted 'has left camp' as 'has gone away' but apparently he's just going home to think about it.

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 6:57 AM PDT up reply actions

Sounds like Morrow may not make the OD roster either

Per Baker.

If Lowe is healthy and effective, that really makes Morrow superfluous, doesn't it?

This could just mean that later in the season the FO will call Morrow up at the expense of Green/Dickey/Baek.

by BrianL on Mar 27, 2008 11:59 AM PDT reply actions

Lemme finish dinner and I'll update

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 12:09 PM PDT up reply actions

You limeys and your wacky timezones!

Signatures are for Communists.

by JI on Mar 27, 2008 12:18 PM PDT up reply actions

They're really annoying

Unless you want to watch a game in Japan

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 12:50 PM PDT up reply actions

welcome to the world of the north american football fan

where cup finals always kick off at 7AM or noon, and Premiership games are watched over breakfast.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Mar 27, 2008 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions

yeah but there's nothing like an english breakfast,

beer and good soccer

by Matthew on Mar 27, 2008 1:00 PM PDT up reply actions

I reckon

an English Breakfast and baseball would top it

i don't suppose anyone's ever experienced it, but if they did they'd enter some kind of utopia

Accidental Mariner - P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Mar 27, 2008 1:02 PM PDT up reply actions

Mmmm

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions

Nope

As much as I love baseball, watching it in a pub over breakfast just isn't the same - the atmosphere of watching a football match in a pub, especially a cup final, is not something that baseball and its languorous pace can reproduce.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Mar 27, 2008 1:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Good for lazing, not good for productivity

When the 2002 World Cup was in Japan and games were on in the morning here, nobody went to work

Accidental Mariner - P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Mar 27, 2008 1:31 PM PDT up reply actions

We probably shouldn't have

Many games - incl. England/Brazil started at 4am as I recall. Painful.

At some point in your life, being productive after an all-nighter just isn't an option.

by marc w on Mar 27, 2008 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions

For those games

I went to bed at 8pm and got up at 3. "All-nighter" is a concept that doesn't really exist for me any more, with the notable exception of my bachelor party, which was an all-weekender.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Mar 27, 2008 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions

My brother

Who I was living with at the time left home at 6:30am to go to the pub for the Brazil game, with three cans of lager to accompany his walk and proceded to get trashed in the bar by the end of the game.

I stayed in bed. You can only take British yobbishness so far.

Accidental Mariner - P3 W1 L2 (.333)
Sponsor of Jamie Burke's baseball-reference page

by MarkE on Mar 27, 2008 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions

I remember that game

The next day was my last day of 10th grade. I was unhappier than any kid going into summer vacation had a right to be.

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions

A Welsh breakfast does.

Beer and good rugby.

by Llewdor on Mar 27, 2008 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions

i did that for the rugby world cup

have to say I disagree

by Matthew on Mar 27, 2008 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions

I do it every year for the Six Nations

Hen Wlad Fy Nadau

There's nothing being outnumbered 5-1 by Irish fans and stealing the Triple Crown from them.

by Llewdor on Mar 28, 2008 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions

That's like me at every Old Firm match

except I'm usually cheering for the losing side :(

BUT NOT THIS YEAR!

by Matthew on Mar 28, 2008 10:35 AM PDT up reply actions

There's no such thing as good rugby

by Graham MacAree on Mar 27, 2008 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions

Sure there is.

At the opening of the Six Nations this year, the commentator for the England-Wales match sounded exactly like Tom Baker. It was so strange to listen to these sardonic comments about rugby coming from Doctor Who.

by Llewdor on Mar 28, 2008 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions