Designated Hole

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I came across a tidbit early this morning that Mike Sweeney signed a one-day contract with the Royals to officially retire. He was a real good player in his prime, and a very high character guy to boot. It was always awkward for me as an M's fan to see him in the starting lineup. Every swing I was convinced he would hurt himself, but I wanted him to succeed, but I also knew if he was in the heart of the M's order, the offense needed some help.

Sweeney retires mere months removed from being a regular DH for the Mariners. As I thought more, I realized this has happened before. Really, though left field has been a mess for Seattle the majority of its existence, designated hitter has become as much of a problem since Edgar Martinez retired.

Hello Lawton; goodbye Reed?

Tonight the Mariners announced that they had signed free agent OF Matt Lawton to a 1 year contract with a base salary of $400,000, though incentives could escalate it to well over $1 million. Also included in the deal was a limited no-trade clause.

This deal is interesting for several reasons. First of all, Lawton will have to serve a 10 game suspension at the start of the season for testing positive for steroids at the end of last year. Lawton admits to taking them but also says that he only took them once. The Mariners believe him, and I believe him too. As interesting as this is, Lawton's signing is even more intriguing from a pure baseball standpoint.

When the Mariners signed Jarrod Washburn, it looked like their offseason was complete. Bill Bavasi had publicly stated that his offseason goals were to improve the catching, get a left-handed bat, and improve the starting pitching. Once Washburn was signed, every objective had been addressed. Then, out of nowhere, the Mariners add Matt Lawton. I really like the signing (personally, I think he is a much better player than Carl Everett, which makes me wonder why the Mariners did not just sign him in the first place instead of Everett) but it does not all add up to me. Bavasi did not specify what Lawton's role would be on the team, though he did say that Lawton can play a variety of roles, namely all three outfield positions. This is noteworthy because Bavasi tends to be very clear about defining player's roles. For example, when he signed Carl Everett, he clearly stated that Everett would primarily be the designated hitter and spell Raul Ibanez in left field from time to time. It just seems out of character for Bavasi to be as vague as he was about Matt Lawton's role.

To me, this is a clear signal that the rumors involving Jeremy Reed going to the Red Sox are legitimate. A deal may not be imminent quite yet, but I think Boston and Seattle are in serious discussions right now. It is no coincidence that the deal for Matt Lawton came right on the heels of the Johnny Damon signing, and also that Bill Bavasi was not willing to talk about Lawton's specific role.

Whether Jeremy Reed is traded or not, Matt Lawton was a great signing for the Mariners, especially at such a ridiculously low price. He will be the starting center-fielder if Reed is dealt, and I bet he will be a started very quickly even if Reed is not dealt. This was an outstanding move for the Mariners and it also may be a signal of things to come.

Carl ?#@!ing Everett

Ever since Albert Belle retired, there is no baseball player I hate more than Carl Everett. What is there to like about a man who is surly off the field and has a terrible temper on it? Everett is the biggest jerk in baseball today. However, with Everett having been signed by the Mariners, I may just be forced to root for him. The marriage of love and hate in my baseball world has left me torn. Should I, and the multitude of fans who also despise Carl Everett, actually be fans of this cantankerous player?

The Mariners certainly think so. One of their off-season goals was to acquire a bat with some power, preferably left-handed, who could play the outfield. Carl Everett seems to be a perfect fit as he perennially hits over 20 home runs, can bat from either side of the plate, and has extensive experience playing the outfield. Furthermore, Mike Hargove welcomes the "intensity" that Carl Everett will bring to the team, as he believes that Everett will stir up what has been a moribund clubhouse for several years. According to the Mariners, Carl Everett is a perfect fit.

The Mariners are completely wrong, as much as it hurts for me to say it. Carl Everett not only is an imperfect fit, he does not fit in at all. To start with, the "intensity" that Mike Hargrove referred to is one of Everett's worst qualities, not his best as the Mariners want to lead people to believe. He gets way to intense and the resulting tirades alienate him from his teammates. Then, with the clubhouse falling apart thanks to his own actions, he gets angry and blames everyone for not unifying as a team. Everett's antics will certainly stir up the clubhouse, but they will stir it up way too much. Just ask the Astros, Red Sox, and Rangers, who all dumped Carl Everett because he was such a burden to deal with.

However, just for argument's sake, I will say that Carl Everett is the best thing ever to happen to the Mariners' clubhouse. What makes this signing truly horrid is that he does not improve the team as a baseball player. Mike Morse was a likely candidate to have the role that Carl Everett will now fill. So, let's compare Carl Everett's 2005 statistics with Mike Morse's:

	Carl Everett	Mike Morse
BA	.251	.278
OBP	.311	.349
SLG	.435	.370
OPS	.746	.719

Based on last year's numbers, Carl Everett is barely an upgrade over Mike Morse. However, Everett's production is bound to plummet this year for two reasons. First, he has been steadily declining for several years, which is not surprising considering he is 34 years old. More importantly though, Everett played his home games at U.S. Cellular Field last year, a home-run-hitting paradise. Needless to say, Safeco Field is far more pitcher friendly. As for Morse, his numbers were compiled in Safeco and he is just starting his career, so his numbers in theory should improve. In addition, the Mariners have two other prospects, Chris Snelling and Shin-Soo Choo, who have both been better hitters than Morse throughout their minor league careers. Both of them are also left-handed hitters and outfielders, the exact type of player the Mariners were looking for in the free agent market. In fact, Shin-Soo Choo has the chance to be a gold-glover because his defense is so impressive. Any of those three prospects may be better players than Carl Everett right now and they obviously have way more upside than him at this point too.

So, in conclusion, Carl Everett is a clubhouse cancer who is a worse, yet more expensive, player than three prospects the Mariners already have. Everett looks like the next Rich Aurilia, or worse, the next Scott Spiezio and if he is it may cost Bill Bavasi his job. Whoever pushed for Carl Everett to be signed should be fired because nothing good will come out of this move. It is terrible, simply terrible.