Yankees Reported to be Persuing Richie Sexson

First, be disabused of a certain, unsavory rumor that out-of-work slugger Richie Sexson has moved into a tree house at the top of a Pacific Coast redwood in protest of his being cut by the Mariners. More to the point, Richie Sexson IS a Pacific Coast redwood tree.

The lumbering, 6-foot-8, 245-pound Northwest native -- tallest position player ever to play in the major leagues -- intends to make a comeback with one of several teams reportedly making offers to him, including the Yankees, according to the New York Post.

"I can tell you we are interested," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was quoted as saying.

Sexson has struggled all season, hitting .218 with 11 homers and 30 RBI in 74 games, but is crying all the way to the bank considering he will collect from the Mariners $14 million guaranteed in the last year of his contract.

Pitchers Keeping Ichiro Suzuki Close to the Bag

Speedy Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has stolen only one base in more than two weeks, as opposing pitchers are holding him close to the bag, according to manager Jim Riggleman.

"When you steal enough, at some point the other manager won't let you," Riggleman recently explained to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "They change how they pitch. Right now they're not letting Ichiro run. They're...about 1.2 seconds to the plate. When other guys are on base, they pitch. When he's on base, they make sure they slow down the run."

Riggleman largely discounted what apparently is a minor hamstring issue.

Suzuki has 33 steals for the season.

Logan White To Interview For Mariners GM Job?

For all the Dodgers deficiencies, they seem to have one thing down pat: drafting good young players.  Logan White has run the Dodgers scouting department for the last seven years and is largely responsible for the drafting of budding stars such as Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, James Loney, and Clayton Kershaw.  And now the Dodgers have given him permission to leave.

The Dodgers are well known for trading away superstars such as Pedro Martinez and Mike Piazza.  They tend to make brilliant trade deadline moves such as trading future all-star first baseman Paul Konerko for scrub closer Jeff Shaw, just as Eric Karros' age was creating a need for a first basemen.  The Dodgers spend hundreds of millions of dollars on injured pitchers.  From Darren Dreifort to Jason Schmidt to Kevin Brown, whichever GM has not been around long enough to get fired finds a way to challenge common sense.  

If the Dodgers are in such a charitable mood this summer, perhaps they should let White take James Loney or Matt Kemp with him.  They need to make room to sign another washed up veteran anyway.

Mariners Finally Address Bill Bavasi's Incompetence

Bill Bavasi's amusing run as general manager of the Seattle Mariners has ended. Hired before the 2004 season, Bavasi managed to assemble only one team that did not finish last in the AL west -- the 2nd place finishing 2007 team. The current squad is not only in last place, but its 24-45 record is the worst in baseball.

Some of Bavasi's questionable moves during his tenure:

• Signing Richie Sexson for four years $50 million
• Trading top prospect Adam Jones, George Sherrill (now Baltimore's closer), and three pitching prospects for Erik Bedard
  
• Signing Carlos Silva for 4 years $48 million. Silva is 3-7 with a 5.79 ERA

This list is kind of a waste of time because you can trace just about every Mariners player to a questionable signing or trade. The Tacoma News Tribune has Bavasi's lengthy rap sheet here.

The Mariners are going nowhere this year and probably nowhere next year or the year after, but this firing could set the stage for an Erik Bedard trade.

The new GM will have no attachment to Bedard and it would make sense to trade the team's most valuable commodity. The Yankees might be interested, now that Chien-Ming Wang is out for six weeks. The Cubs and Blue Jays have also shown interest in the past.

Pitcher Erik Bedard's Status? Vexing

Seattle Mariners superstar southpaw Erik Bedard -- the American League's 2008 Cy Young recipient-in-waiting -- is on the trainer's table again with a bum hip, doubtless receiving a wide variety examinations, radiological imaging studies and physical therapy modalities followed by a raft of anti-inflammatory injections, oral medications, potions, liniments and incantations.

The Mariners medical staff (along with a sizable representation of the Mariners Nation) likely would take a dead cat to a graveyard at midnight under a full moon and swing it three times if they thought it would do any good. Heck, manager John McLaren would probably sacrifice a virgin if he could find one.

What's most troubling is that Bedard (1-0, 3.27) has had his left hip chirp at him before, and it may very well be that it is worse than the team describes it. Certain things do not add up.

Remember the report that the injury was holding up the trade with Baltimore? Yet McLaren says the injury occurred when Bedard was "throwing in the outfield." Then Bedard was quoted as saying he woke up with the problem. Well, which is it? And why was he throwing on flat ground in the outfield?

Some fans may be reassured because Bedard's problem is in his hip and not his shoulder or elbow. But it would be foolish to think his lower extremities are unimportant.

Look at the action photo of Bedard. Yes, he knows how to pitch, and he has a lightening bolt coming from his shoulder joint. But look at his left leg! His power is largely generated from his legs. All hard throwers will tell you the secret to their heat is in the legs.

Now, is it possible that his is a new, true-true-and-unrelated injury related to casual throwing in the outfield? Possible -- but doubtful.

There is some loose talk about that Bedard is suffering from an "impingement" syndrome of the hip. What's that? Perhaps he has ileotibial band syndrome or simple trochanteric bursitis -- not dissimilar from what Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado was complaining about a few weeks ago. If Bedard is feeling a snap or a click, it may not be the hip joint at all, but inflammation of the musculoskeletal structures about the hip joint.

Regardless -- all the miracles of modern sports medicine notwithstanding -- Bedard is just going to have to rest, and with that, his arm will unavoidably wither.

Bedard can perform physical therapy, lift weights or participate in long toss, but to be a sharp pitcher, on his game, he has to pitch. He is just going to have to take a break. He'll be back, but it's a good bet he won't get 20 starts this year. Bye, bye, Cy Young. See you in 2009.

Book on Richie Sexson Sad, Sad Tale

A new autobiography is being written by Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson and it's for pitchers only. Whether it turns out to be truth, fiction or slander is yet to be determined, because only Sexson will be able to tell the ending.

But essentially, the point of the new book on the 33-year-old, 6-foot-8, slugger is that he no longer can get around on an inside fastball -- an assertion that proven true might explain his .205 batting average last year.

Though ESPN baseball commentator Buck Martinez and others have predicted a comeback for Sexson, one thing is certain: he will see a steady diet of fastballs until he demonstrates he can hit them the way he used to.

Though Sexson notched his first hit of the season in his most recent outing, he also struck out three times in that game, once on just three pitches from Texas Rangers right-hander Vicente Padilla.

Though Padilla is not especially known as a hard thrower, in that particular at-bat he simply reached back to throw a 97 mph fastball over the plate, all but screwing Sexson into the ground and he flailed at it helplessly.

The Mariners waited all last season for him to come around, but to no avail. It will be interesting to see how long the team will wait this year before running out of patience. A costly but simple solution would involve Raul Ibanez taking over at first base, giving Wladimir Balentien a shot to play the outfield on a regular basis.

Injury Analysis: Adrian Beltre

An old injury, just revealed by the Mariners, Adrian Beltre has evidence of an injury to the radial collateral ligament at the base of the left thumb. Since Beltre throws right, I suspect he suffered this injury from one or more fielding attempts where the thumb of his glove struck the ground forcing his thumb toward the index finger.

If you are paying attention, Andy LaRoche just had surgery and will miss at least a couple months (and in all probability not be right for the balance of the 2008 season) for an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament of the base of the thumb - the opposite side of the joint where the base of the thumb is attached to the bone of the hand (first metacarpal) where the mechanism of injury is the opposite of Beltre's (the ligament in the webspace between the thumb and the index finger is the ulnar collateral ligament, while the ligament on the outside of the thumb is the radial collateral ligament).

LaRoche's injury is colloquially referred to in medical parlance as a "Gamekeeper's Thumb." No, not an injury to soccer's goaltender, but an injury to bird-handlers (in old England, as a matter of fact, where the malady was first described) who raise and harvest various birds for human consumption (chickens and game hens for example) and the "Gamekeeper" would sacrifice the bird by snapping its neck with their hands. When the maneuver is performed hundreds of times, the stress on the ligament at the base of the thumb became evident because the condition was so disabling to the gamekeeper and they complained about it to observant doctors.

The injury is also called a "Ski Pole" injury which is what happens to skiers when the ski pole is violently loosened from their grip in a fall when their hand is around the handgrip of the ski pole and the wrist is fixated in the pole's strap, ostensibly as a tether so as not to lose the pole in a fall. The thumb is taken violently beyond its normal range of motion, rupturing the ligament.

It's important to recognize that the thumb (along with the index finger) is responsible for about 90-percent of the function of the hand. The ulnar collateral ligament (LaRoche's injury), clinically, is far more important to the function of the thumb than the radial collateral ligament on the opposite side of the base of the thumb (Beltre's injury - which now chronic and likely healed).

If one examines Beltre's performance both before and after this ailment is believed to have originated, which has been done elsewhere (The Fantasy Hot Sheet presented by The Roto Times: Beltre, Granderson, Rolen and more, March 25, 2008, by Rick Wilton), you'll notice that his productivity is about the same, indicating that, while he has pain and perhaps some mild disability from that old injury he can still play and still produce.

All athletes, especially professional athletes, play with some degree of pain and disability. Just because something is found on an MRI and the athlete has some discomfort in that area does not necessararily mean that that finding is the cause of the problem and certainly not one that requires fixing. One third of the population taken at random off the street, for example, on an MRI has one or more bulging intervertebral discs in their back - and no symptoms, no disability.

When somebody has back pain or a back injury and an MRI is indiscriminately ordered, select unknowing (or unscrupulous) medical practitioners will ascribe their patient's problem to the disc and recommend surgery. The results of disc surgery (discectomy and/or laminectomy) are well known postoperatively: one third get better, one third get worse, and one-third are exactly the same as before the surgery. In well-controlled studies, randomized to surgery versus no surgery, two years after the diagnosis of disc disease producing back pain is made, the outcome of patients in both surgical and conservative management groups is precisely the same - the same number are better, the same number are worse, the same number are just the same.

Clearly, it's possible that the abnormal disc that is imaged by MRI may have nothing to do with the back pain. Along with lots of things MRI imaged in MLB players, so it could be true with the radial collateral ligament of Beltre's thumb. I would like to see a study where a series of asymptomatic baseball players undergo MRI of the thumb. I suspect there would be a significant number with evidence of old functional injuries not dissimilar from Beltre's, and this could all be much ado about nothing.

Starter Carlos Silva Hardly a Bargain at $48 million

Sure it's just one game, and maybe starter Carlos Silva was just wasting a few innings of exhibition play to try to get his newly developing cutter to cut more like a cutter. Still, he gave up a lofty 13 hits and 10 runs in the Mariners recent 17-3 loss to the Brewers at Peoria, Ariz., and has a little explaining to do.

One cannot draw too many conclusions from one spring outing, but a cloud hangs over the head of the Mariners $48 million, No. 4 starter not only because of his more than 9.00 spring ERA, but because questions linger as to why Silva was unable to re-sign with the Twins when he practically begged them for a contract renewal at a fraction of the Mariners cost.

Silva offered the Twins a sweetheart deal because he married a Twin Cities woman and only recently completed building a multimillion-dollar home in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area. But as a finesse pitcher who all too frequently has been unable to hit his spots with his sometimes shaky sinker, the Twins said thanks, but no thanks.

The Mariners willingness to spend $52 million over five years to sign pitcher Jerrod Washburn and his now 18-29 Seattle record was one thing; Silva's four-year deal is quite another considering Silva's 24-29 mark and more than 5.00 combined ERA over the past two years.

Seattle Outfield Crowded with Adam Jones Arrival

The long-anticipated arrival of minor league slugging prospect Adam Jones to the Mariners creates a crowd in the outfield, likely pushing established veterans to the bench from time to time in an unhappy game of musical chairs.

Designated hitter Jose Vidro has been seen as a likely candidate to go to the bench, not because he cannot hit but because he can, with a better than .300 average and an ability to swing from both sides of the plate in key situations.

But that means more playing time would go to outfielder-first baseman Raul Ibanez or first baseman Richie Sexson, both of whom are performing poorly and hardly can be expected to be seen by Vidro, Jose Guillen, Ben Broussard or other teammates as deserving of extra at-bats.

As if the Mariners didn't already have enough trouble coming down the stretch, now the team must contend with what likely will amount to a potentially unhappy clubhouse.

Mariners Weigh Deal for Top Prospect Adam Jones

The sudden halt to the Mariners plans to call up top outfield prospect Adam Jones points toward a potential blockbuster deal in which Jones would be dealt for pitching before Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline.

Jones, 21 -- a 2003 second round pick -- is batting .313 at Triple A Tacoma with 24 homers and 81 RBI in 96 games. Jones had been thought to be ready for major league action some two weeks ago, when the team abruptly decided to hold him back.

With the likelihood that an unexpected new offer for Jones was thrown over the front office transom, expect management to use what little time remains to carefully weigh all the options.

Mariners Raul Ibanez Claims Injuries Behind Him

If outfielder Raul Ibanez's bad back and hamstring troubles are behind him -- as he claims -- then why do the Mariners continue to give him rest by playing him at designated hitter?

An uncharacteristic .270 batting average and mere half dozen homers in more than 350 at-bats suggest the 34-year-old veteran is considerably less than his usual self.

Young Adam Jones Presses for Callup to Mariners

Mariners outfield prospect Adam Jones continues to make his case for a callup to Seattle, going 5 for 5 with a triple and double in his most recent appearance for Triple A Tacoma, a 12-6 drubbing of Salt Lake.

Jones now has raised his season's average to .314 with 23 homers, six triples and 26 doubles. Jones' torrid pace comes as the expectation of his summoning to the majors reaches a virtual crescendo, as the 21-year-old phenom was expected to have been called up nearly a week ago.

But the team remains in something of a flux as the front office strives for a playoff bid, with right fielder Jose Guillen refusing to sign an option to stay with the team without an extension, first baseman Richie Sexson in a season-long funk and the subject of trade rumors earlier this year, and designated hitter Jose Vidro likely balking at the prospect of less playing time to make room for Jones.

One or more of these issues may require resolution before Jones can be elevated.

The team had been expected to rest Vidro to make sure the oft-injured designated hitter would be healthy through the end of the season. That would have allowed Jones to take the majority of time in left field, and left fielder Raul Ibanez to move to DH and rest his troublesome hamstring.

Vidro has flirted with a .300 batting average all season, but has only two homers and less than two dozen RBI. With such little power, his switch hitting ability might be more valuable coming off the bench in key situations, but Vidro cannot be expected to see it that way. He has batted 10 for 21 since rumors surfaced regarding his change of status, hardly an invitation to management to sit him on the pine.

Perhaps at-bats could be found for Vidro at second base, his natural position. But the whole idea of moving him to DH in the first place was to spare wear and tear on his body, a concept to which Vidro supposedly had been amenable.

Mariners Richie Sexson: Misery Loves Company

Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson -- dropped to sixth in the batting order as a result of his season-long slump -- remains hopeful his numbers will improve because historically he has been a so-called second-half player, with a .290 career batting average after the All-Star break.

In the meantime, Sexson comforts himself with the knowledge that even the best of players can have off years. Misery loves company.

"Mark McGwire had one...Look at Andrew Jones. He's having one now," Sexson told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "They just happen. Who knows why?"

Always seen as a potential 50-homer hitter, that threshold continues to elude him, though he has a respectable 49 RBI so far this season. But Sexson has only 15 homers, less than half that of former Mariners shortstop and current league leader Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees.

Worse, Sexson has barely been able to keep his average over .200, with little hope of matching his .264 career average by the end of the year.

Mariners Raul Ibanez to Push Jose Vidro to Bench

Mariners outfielder Raul Ibanez likely will take his tender hamstring to the designated hitter slot, pushing Jose Vidro to the bench. The move will help keep both veterans healthy with the team looking to stay in contention as the long season wears on.

Vidro -- who has a history of nagging problems with his lower extremities as well -- looks to be the key bat in reserve.

The move will be made possible by the emergence of 21-year-old rookie Adam Jones, a 2003, No. 37 overall pick who is hitting at better than a .300 clip with power at Triple A Tacoma. He has been compared to former Mariners center fielder Mike Cameron.

Jones' long anticipated arrival is imminent, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Jones has a cannon for an arm and has won high marks for his defensive play in center field at Tacoma. Opposing hitters will not enjoy seeing Jones side by side in the outfield with Ichiro Suzuki.

Brandon Morrow to Try Out for Closer Committee

Top pitching prospect Brandon Morrow -- a former No. 1 pick who closed for University of California -- will likely join a reserve committee of closers for the Mariners if he passes a key test Wednesday, when he will appear with only two days rest for the first time in camp.

Morrow, 22, initially had been slated for the minor leagues to develop as a starter, but continued forearm inflammation experienced by regular closer J.J. Putz has forced the team to consider Plan B.

Putz threw 15 pitches -- limited to fastballs -- in a minor league game Tuesday. But knowledgeable observers familiar with his strained pronator flexor muscle see a potential that Putz may have to remain behind in extended spring training when the club departs for an exhibition game at San Francisco on Saturday. Though Putz could remain with the club, don't be surprised if his duties are limited through the first few weeks of April, or perhaps even that he is moved to injured reserve status.

Until Putz's condition is clarified, Morrow's 99-mph fastball figures to be added to the Mariners roster to bolster not only the bullpen but a committee of potential emergency, mix-and-match closers including veteran Chris Reitsma, 29.

Reitzma has logged three Cactus League saves with a 4.50 ERA, but has given up five hits in six innings, including a pair of homers. Don't breathe a word of it, but with Morrow's upside far greater than Reitsma's, rampant camp speculation has Morrow potentially winning a significant number of closing assignments until Putz's return. Should Morrow continue to impress, he possibly could find an opportunity as a long shot to be named the primary setup man for the remainder of the season.

In the overall scheme, Putz's condition is not regarded as serious. Still, he is merely bone, muscle, sinew and flesh and has no guarantee his discomfort will not linger throughout the season, adding even greater possibilities for Morrow as a surprise Rookie of the Year candidate.

A non-roster invitee, Morrow began to loom large on the Mariners radar screen as he put up a 1.08 ERA with a strikeout per inning while surrendering just four hits in eight innings, with no homers. Morrow last year gave up just 10 hits with 13 strikeouts in 13 innings with a 2.27 ERA in four starts in the Arizona Fall League.

Morrow's diabetic condition is not expected to impact his ability to perform on the field as long as he monitors his insulin.

Brian Lawrence Soon To Be Back Among the Living

It wasn't so long ago that Brian Lawrence's sinker and cerebral approach to pitching had him winning 15 games for San Diego, where he was envisioned as a long-term staple at the back of the Padres rotation.

But a couple of down years and an injury or two, and the poor man's Greg Maddux all but found his picture on the side of milk cartons after being out for the entirety of last season with shoulder surgery while under contract with Washington.

Still, in a tight market where such mediocreties as Gil Meche and Ted Lilly command some $10 million a year, Lawrence, 31, finds himself back in demand. The former 17th round pick has whittled down a half dozen offers to a choice between the Rockies and -- according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer -- the Mariners.

Seattle's rotation is among the weakest in the majors, with little to bank on beyond promising youngster Felix Hernandez, and not so promosing oldster Jarrod Washburn. Look for Lawrence to give a run for his money to Cha Seung Baek, who is penciled in at the No. 5 spot.