No word yet on who's coming up. The best-case scenario is Jeremy Reed at LF and Raul Ibanez at DH, while the worst case scenario is Bryan Lahair at anything.
Bavasi had his reasons for promoting Clement when he did, but he was striking out entirely too often and just didn't look very comfortable, so he's heading down to AAA for more seasoning. Which will give us that additional year of team control we feared we had lost a few weeks ago. And I think that has to be considered good news.
See you soon, Jeff.
Update: sounds like Reed, although we don't know what his role would be. Presumably something stupid.
Update #2: Something stupid indeed.
0 recs | 94 comments
Reed deserves a shot
He’s still at best a 4th outfielder in the league, but it’s not like the Mariners need another 1B/DH. Plus if this gets the Mariners to actually DH Raul that’s even better.
nfreakct - May 18, 2008
Yeah...
We DH’d Raul today, and look what happened.
We won. Granted, WFB was in his spot…
but it’s the idea.
Maybe someone is taking notes.
lyleleander - May 18, 2008
LaHair was in the lineup. Reed was not.
I had been wondering why it looked like they had shuffled the catchers around for the D-Jaxx game today. Now we know.
JY - May 18, 2008
Reed was in Seattle today.
Matthew - May 18, 2008
Not just in Seattle...
... in the Mariners clubhouse
JY - May 18, 2008
Woot
Fin - May 18, 2008
This is a fantastic move
I’m sure it will be counter-balanced by stupidity tomorrow when we find out who gets called up and where that person is going to play.
Keep an eye on: Feierabend with Batista or Wash to the D/L.
Matthew - May 18, 2008
soon I mean, that's unrelated to the Clement demotion.
Matthew - May 18, 2008
I'm trying to figure out why they took him out after 3IP in his last start
to save him for the big club, or just a precaution…
marc w - May 19, 2008
Was he looking bad?
He gave up some offense in those 3 innings.
Gomez - May 19, 2008
No, what happened was
he got hit with a line drive through the box.
It didn’t hit HIM, per se – it actually hit his glove. I think that had more to do with it than his poor showing; he wasn’t THAT bad. Still, it sounded like the ‘injury’ wasn’t serious at all. At the time, I thought it didn’t really make sense to take him out, but if they want him ready to come up, well, that would supply some context for that decision that I didn’t have at the time.
marc w - May 19, 2008
Dude, that's the 2nd time this season someone's taken a line drive in Tacoma
Gomez - May 20, 2008
Vidro back to DH
From the tacoma tribune blog: “Manager John McLaren said Jose Vidro will return to the starting DH role. Vidro delivered a key pinch single in the eighth in Sunday’s game that helped fuel the Mariners’ game-winning rally.”
meh. so much for a ‘dream’ combo of ibanez DH/reed LF
AtomicGarden - May 18, 2008
Well there's the something stupid
Jeff Sullivan - May 18, 2008
With Reed up though, maybe it'll take a week of Vidro sucking until they take him out of the line up
or am I being too optimistic?
Fin - May 18, 2008
Maybe not
The Mariners have actually shown this season, if something isn’t working, they’re going to fuck around with it. A lot of the decisions they made have been somewhat… iffy, but at least they have consistently tried to shake it up. I guess that’s a good thing.
AtomicGarden - May 18, 2008
When Clement came up they believed Vidro was benchable
since that day, Vidro has hit .200.
Now he’s starting again.
Jeff Sullivan - May 18, 2008
It's that damn vesting option
If they don’t give him a shot at it he’ll probably go to the Union and/or the media and raise holy hell, and it’d probably rip up the clubhouse.
Gomez - May 18, 2008
It would be so horrible to do that to our amazing team chemistry
CapSea - May 18, 2008
Not a good argument
Vidro was already technically benched.
Jeff Sullivan - May 18, 2008
I'm not saying it's a good argument, because it's a stupid argument
Gomez - May 18, 2008
How could he do that?
If you build an option into the contract based on plate appearances, it kind of indirectly states that the player has to play well enough to earn the plate appearances. If he doesn’t perform, he doesn’t play, his option doesn’t vest. Plate appearances can be a performance-based incentive.
BrettJMiller - May 18, 2008
He would have a pretty crappy case for raising a stink
Because his performance has been god awful
OlSalty - May 18, 2008
Could that mean a Wlad/Reed platoon in right?
JY - May 18, 2008
As long as Raul is here
I don’t forsee a situation where they take Raul off the field because of the whole “Raul prefers playing on the field” thing.
With that said, I think we will see more similar things like today. Instead of Willie = LF and Raul = DH, we’ll see Reed out there.
I’m not bothered by Vidro getting the start again cause I know it will only last as long as he’s hitting. Thanks to lineup construction, they don’t exactly have a lineup that keeps Vidro on the bench. They need to take what they can get at this point.
ThundaPC - May 18, 2008
I thought Raul was open to DHing.
I think the problem is that the Mariners either simply don’t think he’s that bad, or that LF defense barely matters.
JI - May 18, 2008
I am hoping they become somewhat competitive again
and they see more of an need for outfield defense.
Fin - May 18, 2008
I hope Raul strians a hamstring.
JI - May 18, 2008
Raul was the starting DH in 2005.
Raul told Geoff Baker that he thought he was going to be the DH this year last offseason.
BrettJMiller - May 18, 2008
Argh...
The Typical Idiot Fan - May 19, 2008
I imagine Reed with be the new Jimerson
he might get a little more playing time, but who knows.
One thing that makes me optimistic is that Mac did give Reed some decent playing time last September.
MFAN - May 18, 2008
Stoopid.
IcebreakerX - May 18, 2008
They're going to let Vidro's option vest, aren't they?
He’s going to get the 400 or 450 At Bats he needs for that 8 million dollar pay day next year. Crapsticks and weaksauce.
Frosty Raptor - May 18, 2008
I'm going with....
Not a chance.
PLU Tim - May 18, 2008
This is good....
It was a nice experiment to see if the team could make up some games, but it’s pretty clear that unless a miracle happens, this team is toast. May as well get back that year of service time.
Predicting anything with this team is folly though. I’d bet my house that WFB or Cairo will be the starting LF while Reed becomes the 4th outfielder. They never seem to do what makes sense.
PLU Tim - May 18, 2008
So what has changed that's convinced them that Vidro can cut it as a DH now?
OlSalty - May 18, 2008
The fact that we don't really have anything else available?
ThundaPC - May 18, 2008
But we do
Jeff Sullivan - May 18, 2008
But Vidro's a veteran
and can hit for average.
Fin - May 18, 2008
Vidro can't even hit for average anymore
He should not be in the major leagues at all
OlSalty - May 18, 2008
JI - May 18, 2008
Vidro 4 1st base?
ThundaPC - May 18, 2008
VIdro 4 DFA
JI - May 18, 2008
Seriously, he has less offensive value than Bloomquist.
JI - May 18, 2008
I have more value offensively then Willie.
PhilKenSebben - May 18, 2008
and Cairo
PhilKenSebben - May 18, 2008
Tuggy! Tuggy! Tuggy!
JI - May 18, 2008
I prefer the name Tugger
Robert - May 18, 2008
Yeah, Tugger makes me think of a handjob more.
JI - May 18, 2008
Good.
I’m sure that’s exactly what his parents wanted. JI to think about handjobs when hearing their son’s name. Finally their goal has been reached.
CapSea - May 18, 2008
His parents named him Tim.
JI - May 18, 2008
Well...
Fine….
...
...
...
Fuck.
CapSea - May 18, 2008
Hehe
As did the Lincecums.
qrsouther - May 18, 2008
Tuglett
BTW he’s on a hot streak lately, having bumped his Tacoma average into the .220s. I’m sure you’re excited.
Gomez - May 18, 2008
Tugger!
Fin - May 18, 2008
That third guy looks like a douchebag.
CapSea - May 18, 2008
He prefers dirtbag
Last Fan Of Jose Lopez - May 18, 2008
He prefers dirt badge.
qrsouther - May 18, 2008
The 2nd man from right is nothing resembling an option
Gomez - May 18, 2008
Willie in left and Raul at DH makes this team way better
Jeff Sullivan - May 18, 2008
Oh I was thinking Willie as DH option
Willie in LF and Raul at DH at least makes some sense
Gomez - May 18, 2008
Willie as DH might actually be better than Vidro too
:|
Jeff Sullivan - May 18, 2008
Boy, this roster is a mess.
ThundaPC - May 18, 2008
Sadly that was not hyperbole.
JI - May 18, 2008
Willie doesn't clog up the bases
MFAN - May 18, 2008
This team can't find a DH who can OPS better than .546?
He’s slugging under .300 for christsakes, just about anyone would be better than him right now.
Raul should be our full time DH, Reed should be our fulltime LF, Vidro should be DFA’ed, he has no value whatsoever.
OlSalty - May 18, 2008
Cheesing.
CapSea - May 18, 2008
Woo Reed!
Too bad he will sit on the bench. What does this do to Clement option wise? or does it work like that for him?
PhilKenSebben - May 18, 2008
No effect...
Options are actually Option Years, and since he started in Triple-A, he’s already used an option year.
IcebreakerX - May 18, 2008
thanks
PhilKenSebben - May 18, 2008
Hey look its the front office
Robert - May 18, 2008
We get Clement for another year!
Last Fan Of Jose Lopez - May 18, 2008
That kid just brightened up the whole situation
amanalone11 - May 18, 2008
Vidro again!?!
Seriously. At least help our fucking defense Bavasi/Mac … UGH!
phil333 - May 18, 2008
What do people think about Reed now?
He’s putting up a pretty fantastic year in AAA. .348/.410/.560 with more BB than K and 6 HR in 141 AB and 6/1 SB/CS. Is he just on a hot streak or is he actually turning a corner?
Edgar for Pres - May 18, 2008
Whatever he is, this is as good as he's ever going to be
no better time to call him up and…sit him on the bench, I guess.
Jeff Sullivan - May 18, 2008
With a few breaks, he could do 280/330/450 in MLB
Gomez - May 18, 2008
more OBP, less SLG
Matthew - May 18, 2008
Either way, that plus shifting Ibanez to DH and improving our OF def would make me :)
now we just need to recognize that’d be the smart thing to do…
Edgar for Pres - May 18, 2008
290/350/420 maybe
Gomez - May 18, 2008
I'd be pretty happy with that.
BrianL - May 18, 2008
I'd be excited with 260/320/400 if it meant Raul didn't play LF and got shifted to DH
Edgar for Pres - May 18, 2008
How big of an upgrade do we think Reed is over Raul in LF?
25 runs? 35? More? Given that we’ve called Raul -20 or worse, and Reed projects somewhere a little above average…
seattlebruin - May 18, 2008
I'd guess
Reed is avg defensively and Raul is -20 runs (+/-5 runs for both). Then Raul is probably +20 runs with his bat while Reed is probably -5 runs.
Edgar for Pres - May 18, 2008
20 < x < 30 runs with the glove
Matthew - May 18, 2008
Hey, that's significant.
JI - May 18, 2008
I was hoping you'd nail "significant" and misspell "hey"
Jeff Sullivan - May 18, 2008
I alrerady gave in to the ultimate JI bait
I have to draw the line somewhere.
JI - May 18, 2008
We'd still probably have a below average LF/DH combo
Don’t get too excited.
Edgar for Pres - May 18, 2008
CapSea - May 18, 2008
I'm just sad that Canada is missing it's black man.
JI - May 18, 2008
Why, did Vernon Wells go away?
Gomez - May 18, 2008
I thought he was on the DL.
JI - May 18, 2008
DL or not
He’s still a black man.
Gomez - May 19, 2008
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