This doesn't really have anything to do with the Mariners*, but in case you missed it, Miguel Olivo had a busy Thursday evening. The Rockies were running up against a midnight deadline to pick up or decline his 2011 option. Rather than sort it out for themselves, though, the Rockies traded Olivo to the Blue Jays at 10:14pm ET. That made Olivo Jays property until the Jays declined his option at 11:47pm ET, making him a free agent. Two teams, two countries, 93 minutes. And now he gets to sign wherever he wants.
The Rockies did it so they wouldn't have to pay Olivo's $500k buyout. The Blue Jays did it so they could get a draft pick for the Type B free agent. It's completely sensible for both teams, but also completely ridiculous for the player involved, who must've had a world of trouble trying to figure out what was happening to him.
O'Dowd: Hey, Miguel!
O'Dowd: Miguel Miguel Miguel
Olivo: hey
O'Dowd: Miguelllll
O'Dowd: So I've got someone I'd like you to talk to
O'Dowd: He'll be calling you in a minute, that ok?
Olivo: sure
Olivo: who
O'Dowd: Your new boss!
Olivo: what
O'Dowd: :hangs up:
Phone: :rings:
Olivo: hello
Anthopoulos: Hey Mr. Olivo, this is Alex Anthopoulos.
Olivo: alex an
Olivo: alex ag
Olivo: alex acropolis
Olivo: mr alex
Anthopoulos: I'm the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. I would like to personally welcome you aboard!
Olivo: oh ok
Anthopoulos: The Rockies have traded you to us. We have big plans for you.
Olivo: this is exciting for me
Anthopoulos: Our first big plan is that we have declined your option and you are a free agent now. Toodles!
Olivo: you know i don't like curveballs
* as a Mariners tie-in, it's sometimes easy to forget that Olivo spent a year in Seattle after coming over in the Freddy Garcia trade. Over that year, he batted .176 with a .218 OBP and 14 walks. That would be twice as many walks as he drew with the Royals in 2008. Additionally, with the Marlins in 2006, Olivo drew nine walks in 127 games, four of which were intentional. He also struck out 103 times. That strikeout-to-unintentional-walk ratio of 20.6 is the worst of all time, with Shawon Dunston's 13.5 from 1997 sitting in second place.
(It is also the worst K/BB ever even without subtracting the intentional walks.)