I think you might be underestimating the boldness and level of desperation that exists within the organization right now.

This is a club that has been incredibly conservative over the past several years. A few weeks ago, most people thought McLaren would be around until late season. Almost nobody thought that Bavasi would get fired before the offseason. And the M’s are now shopping around their supposed final piece for a playoff run just a few months after gutting the farm system to acquire him. These moves are totally outside their established MO.

This is perhaps the most disappointing club in team history. The team has already shaken things up, and the trade rumors are persistent. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made more completely unexpected moves before August 1st.

I completely disagree with your argument about the teams ills being solely attributable to 1B/DH/RF.

I agree that those positions are holes. However, that is not the end of the teams problems. These are areas that need improvement:

1) Lack of ability to get one base throughout the lineup. The M’s are dead last in MLB in OBP at .312. Getting on base is the most important part of scoring runs, and the M’s have out machines throughout the lineup. Obviously, improving at 1B and DH is a quick fix. But that won’t fix the M’s problem. The top 5 teams are all at about .350. Right now, Jeremy Reed is the only M’s starter with an OBP above .350. The ML average is .331. Only Reed, Ichiro and Ibanez are above average. Lopez, Betancourt, Johjima, and Beltre are the worst offenders, consistently putting up OBPs of .320 or less. It is almost impossible to win games making outs at that rate, and the M’s need more than a new DH and 1B to fix that problem. Beyond Clement, there really isn’t anyone in the farm system who will help. The M’s, as an organization, have accumulated a ton of tools guys who don’t have good plate discipline.

2). Bad defense. Despite their reputation, the M’s are a terrible defensive team. Lopez and Betancourt are not the plus gloves we thought they were. Clement’s best case scenario is league average. With Ichiro in RF, we have upgraded RF and downgraded CF. Getting Ibanez out of LF will be a huge plus, and 1B is not difficult to upgrade. However, fixing the offense while simultaneously fixing the defense will be tough. This is one area where the farm system could help, particularly in the OF, but the middle infield defense is becoming a big issue.

3). Starting pitching. After Felix and Bedard, the M’s rotation is not good at all. Washburn, Silva, and Batista are all #5 quality starters. All are underperforming their FIPs (particularly Silva), and moving Morrow to the rotation could help immensely. However, it is looking really likely that the M’s will move Bedard, which, obviously, will be a big loss to the rotation. There isn’t much help on the way in the system besides Morrow. Feierabend could replace one of the back end guys at much lower cost, but that wouldn’t really equate to an on-field upgrade.

This is a club that has pretty much reached rock bottom without too many major injuries. Putz is the only major contributor to miss significant time, but the pen has not been a huge issue despite his loss. Really, the bullpen is the only part of this club that doesn’t need retooling.

The only real way that the M’s could make enough of an upgrade at RF, 1B, and DH would be to go out in free agency and spend BIG. Like signing Jason Giambi, Milton Bradley, and Mark Teixeira. That would cost many millions over many years, and is not realistic at all. Then you still have bad middle infield defense and mediocre starters after Bedard and Felix.

This is why so many people want to blow this club up. The team isn’t as bad as their record, but they have a lot more to do to get back into contention. If they trade a few guys while they still have value, they could set themselves up for the long term. Continuing to think that they are close to contention, as you are arguing, is exactly what got them into this mess in the first place.

I swear Jeff had a frontpage post not long ago that had a ‘don’t trade Ichiro at all costs’ theme, but I can’t find it. Maybe I read it somewhere else and am attributing here mistakenly.

Anyways, it has been on my mind ever since my wife made me explain why I’m still a fan of such a perennially losing team.

However, I’m somewhat confident the right package will never materialize. No one values Ichiro’s skillset properly, not even our own FO.

As for Felix…I’m not going to lie, I’d have to think hard if Tampa Bay offered that theoretical package Derek proposed.

Indulge me, why is the success of the Rays bad for baseball?