As you've heard by now, the deal is finally official. I don't know if a "finally" is warranted, since this only took three days while the Erik Bedard trade a few years ago took seventeen months to complete, but this was such a winner from the beginning that the longer it dragged on, the more everyone couldn't help but get a little anxious. Alas, despite Bob Elliott's misdirection this morning, Tyson Gillies, Phillippe Aumont, and J.C. Ramirez are now officially Phillies, and Cliff Lee - Cliff freakin Lee - is now officially a Mariner.
What's funny about a trade like this is that, by the time it's done, there's nothing left to say, because everything's already been discussed in the days leading up. So, yeah. I guess you can consider this your thread to voice elation that is 100% anxiety-free, because there's nothing left to stop us. The Seattle Mariners have two of the most talented and durable starting pitchers in baseball.
I won't say this is my favorite move the M's have ever made, but it has to be the biggest.
6 recs | 133 comments
So what would be your favorite M move then?
ManifestDestiny - December 16, 2009
Has to be the Langston deal, right?
That started the ball rolling on quite a few solid M’s moves.
JLProck - December 16, 2009
To me, this is the 2nd best move
The Langston deal, with RJ coming out to dominate was good.
Phelps for Buhner was a better long term deal.
TheEmrys - December 16, 2009
Bragg for Moyer?
Gotta be top 5, at least.
Aly Edge - December 17, 2009
Haven't decided, but it isn't this
Jeff Sullivan - December 16, 2009
Broussard!?
MFAN - December 16, 2009
Didn't want to say it
Jeff Sullivan - December 16, 2009
I miss him
royalcurve - December 16, 2009
I loved it when they built a new stadium and stayed in Seattle
lemonverbena - December 16, 2009
anti-Sonics
Not going the route of the Sonics and Pilots was the best move.
jameslcrockett - December 16, 2009
Phelps for Buhner?
speedomike - December 16, 2009
The Felix extension.
Robert - December 16, 2009
Yes
OlSalty - December 16, 2009
HOLY SHIT WE'RE GETTING PINSTRIPES ON THE M'S UNIFORMS
Decatur - December 16, 2009
Um what? That isn't funny
royalcurve - December 16, 2009
Are you serious?
ajgraham - December 16, 2009
He is not serious.
It’s a reference to the OP photo
Matthew - December 16, 2009
It's the S in Phillies script that gets me
lemonverbena - December 16, 2009
Welcome, Mr. Lee.
I officially will now attempt to replace Erik Bedard with Cliff Lee for one year. Here goes!
royalcurve - December 16, 2009
Show me a sexy pitcher and I'll show you somebody who's tired of sexing him.
Kermit. - December 16, 2009
I should have just dropped the f-bomb. Drat.
Kermit. - December 16, 2009
Eh, it won't work anyway. It'll be me in a tear stained chemise watching Cliff Lee pitch while I clutch an Erik Bedard photo
royalcurve - December 16, 2009
.
lemonverbena - December 16, 2009
I could see this picture being used as the default photo when buying a frame at Target.
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
Hahaha totally
royalcurve - December 16, 2009
It would be the best marketing campaign ever.
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
Can we replace the crying bitch Sexson with this picture?
We are clearly in a new era.
InSpokane - December 16, 2009
Asking to replace Richie is a dead meme
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
I hate Richie, but I leave it alone. Gotta respect the dead memes
InSpokane - December 16, 2009
Memes don't deserve respect
Dead or otherwise. All that prancing around without talking, pulling on the invisible rope, leaning on the invisible wall, trapped in the invisible box….
wandergeist - December 16, 2009
Have to win a championship first
World Series variety
lemonverbena - December 16, 2009
Nononononono.
It’s a legacy of what we suffered through.
redwolf75 - December 16, 2009
I know, but it is also time to move.
InSpokane - December 16, 2009
on
InSpokane - December 16, 2009
Trust me, it's better if you just drop it.
Decatur - December 16, 2009
Consider it dropped.
InSpokane - December 16, 2009
I don't think it should even be considered
until the Mariners win the world series.
redwolf75 - December 16, 2009
I want to rec you for the whiter part
but I am unsure if the joke you are making there is the one I am thinking of.
Matthew - December 16, 2009
Seattle = pastyfaces
Jeff Sullivan - December 16, 2009
Rec earned sir!
Matthew - December 16, 2009
I don't know what other joke I could have been making
I guess people might think the arrow is pointing at his teeth.
Jeff Sullivan - December 16, 2009
I don't know either,
but I’ve been burned by your so-called cleverness before, Sullivan
Matthew - December 16, 2009
I am so proud of myself
Jeff Sullivan - December 16, 2009
In fairness had I been making another joke here it probably would've been really clever by accident
Jeff Sullivan - December 16, 2009
I was thinking the same thing
Dewey N - December 16, 2009
This is what I thought
Kirsten Schlewitz - December 16, 2009
"bluer", "whiter"
you don’t hear this enough, Jeffrey… but you’re fucking fantastic.
Grea trade… can every Cubs fan trade their first born to the Mariners and every first rounder for the next 20 years to the Mariners to have him as the Cubs GM? Or someone even remotely like him?
jameslcrockett - December 16, 2009
Give us a few years.
We might actually be able to farm a future GM!
ThundaPC - December 16, 2009
Tony Blengino =(
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
Or Tom McNamara...
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
Yeah yeah no not that ever.
GMZ brings what he brings but I think of Tony as that extra something. The blade, or the tip of the sword, I don’t know I haven’t settled on an analogy for him yet.
Kermit. - December 16, 2009
Smile...
The hand under Mona Lisa’s skirt.
jameslcrockett - December 16, 2009
Lol. You said "tip".
Adam B - December 16, 2009
No chatspeak. Thanks!
CapSea - December 16, 2009
i don't know...
have the Mariners ever farmed a future GM? Mike Flanagan? ick.
jameslcrockett - December 16, 2009
Huh...
Props again for your Tweet @ProspectInsider…
Effing amazing. I’m stunnnnnnned. WOOOOOOOO JAAAAAAACK!!!!!!
PositivePaul - December 16, 2009
Ahem
CLIFF MOTHERFUCKING LEE
lemonverbena - December 16, 2009
Congratulations to M's fans
This is a sweet trade for Seattle.
Now take Figgins and Lee and beat the freakin’ Angels, will ya?!?!
grover - December 16, 2009
Jack Z on 710.
Link
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
Doesn't sound like Z is done dealing
ManifestDestiny - December 16, 2009
He's not.
But he needs to find someone to dance with.
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
Right now he is just doing the footloose by himself.
Scruffy Lefty - December 16, 2009
Thank you.
Man. I love him.
royalcurve - December 16, 2009
Look for a recording of this interview later.
I am sure BrockandSalk will Twitter when it’s up on the website.
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
Does anyone know what Lee thinks?
I mean…it sounded like he kind of wanted to stick around in Philly. At least according to his agent:
Somebody needs to make a giant head-on-a-stick of him so he knows how much we care.
short - December 16, 2009
That's not the vibe Philadelphia seemed to have
given his ‘I won’t take a discount to stay in Philadelphia’ stance
Matthew - December 16, 2009
He'll want to stay once Griffey gets his freaky ticklehands on him
lemonverbena - December 16, 2009
Cliff Lee probably did want to stay.
Means nothing to us though as he hasn’t been by Marinerland yet. We’ll be changing that tune in a hurry.
ThundaPC - December 16, 2009
Horray!
Goose - December 16, 2009
Neato
Robert - December 16, 2009
Ahem.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ahem.
rtang - December 16, 2009
I think his eyes would be bluer also, now that they will be highlighted by the blue in his cap
Kirsten Schlewitz - December 16, 2009
My feelings can be summarized in the last panel of this cartoon strip.
Here.
katal - December 16, 2009
No more Phillippe :(
Matthew - December 16, 2009
You, sir, have earned yourself a rec.
Phil Hatzenbuehler - December 16, 2009
Achewood always gets a rep from me.
Not that you would know!
Johnny Slick - December 16, 2009
Cliff Lee in a pitchers park... o my!
ajgraham - December 16, 2009
Cliff Lee with Franklin Gutierrez, Ichiro Suzuki and Michael Saunders in the outfield
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
And not Yuniesky Betancourt
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
Cliff Lee has had Frabklin in the outfield.
Is it a coincidence Lee become the pitcher he is today because of Guti? I think not!
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
became
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
Huh, totally forgot about that, actually
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
Well, I guess we're even with Cleveland for Choo and Cabrera now!
suckers
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
Also stole Guti from them, via NYM
lemonverbena - December 16, 2009
CY YOUNG SEASON!
Scruffy Lefty - December 16, 2009
biblically?
Adam B - December 16, 2009
Huh...
Awhile back I got an e-mail from Zduriencik’s daughter wondering if I had any more pictures of Jack. She thought this one looked too “mean.” I’d say it looks NINJA!
(And I did send her other “nicer” photos)
PositivePaul - December 16, 2009
I'd say it looks just mean enough.
After this trade, it is clear that Jack Z is not a nice man.
Johnny Slick - December 16, 2009
The blurring at the top is pure energy coming out of his mind
lemonverbena - December 16, 2009
All that's missing
Is a voice-over from someone with a deep voice.
ThundaPC - December 16, 2009
I was just typing the same thing! The guy from NFL films needs to narrate him just walking around, looking like that.
Kermit. - December 16, 2009
RIP Harry Kalas.
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
John Facenda was the real gem of the NFL Films.
I like Harry Kalas and all, but Facenda was better.
Phil Hatzenbuehler - December 16, 2009
Peter Cullen.
Optimus Prime’s voice makes everything better.
JAH - December 16, 2009
Get James Earl Jones on the phone!
Benne - December 16, 2009
James Earl Jones?
Morgan Freeman?
Coach Owens - December 16, 2009
Jack has a daughter?
Does she like English guys?
EnglishMariner - December 16, 2009
I don't think we want you having any potential influence over what Jack Z does
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
He'd just sell his interest in the M's to some minor Dubai royal and hope the money pours in
pdb - December 16, 2009
Faces: "Zduriencik looks like he makes other GMs do foolish things."
Adam B - December 16, 2009
Not ninja
Angels fans call their GM a Ninja. Whatever Zduriencik is, it’s what ninjas fear.
wandergeist - December 16, 2009
A ninja is a mammal.
Johnny Slick - December 17, 2009
I still do not understand...
how it is that Jack Z did not become a major league GM 10 years ago. I get that he was a really good scouting director but the Peter Principle states that you keep rising until you reach your own level of incompetence. Clearly, Z wasn’t an incompetent scout and he’s definitely not an incompetent GM either.
Johnny Slick - December 16, 2009
Maybe he was content where he was?
Scruffy Lefty - December 16, 2009
There's only 30 job openings in baseball.
Wilder. - December 16, 2009
Yeah, and some of those GMs have been Herk Robinson, Cam Bonifay, Randy Smith, and Bill Bavasi.
And at the same time there have been a lot of younger guys who haven’t paid there dues so to speak; granted that most of them came from the Moneyball camp. I know I’ve been stuck in jobs below my ability but unlike GMZ I am basically incompetent.
Johnny Slick - December 16, 2009 via mobile
"you can consider this your thread to voice elation"
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
RunningFool - December 16, 2009
Perhaps my favorite thing I've ever read on Wikipedia
seattlebruin - December 16, 2009
Phifer?
Phil Hatzenbuehler - December 16, 2009
I'm calling it.
With Felix, Lee, and our defense, the Mariners will have a no-hitter this year.
katal - December 16, 2009
Thrown by Ian Snell. I'm calling that.
Decatur - December 16, 2009
AJ Burnett style - 9 walks.
seattlesundevil - December 16, 2009
Carlos Silva, in a spot start.
Just to go along with the theme of fat guys throwing no-nos that Bosio started.
Robert Lintott - December 16, 2009
Hey guys, did you hear?
WE SIGNED CLIFF FREAKIN’ LEE
Jeff Nye - December 16, 2009
Err, traded for Cliff Lee!
I’m so excited I am speaking gibberish.
afahg;athasl
Jeff Nye - December 16, 2009
I'm sure there's at least one piece of paper he had to sign though
Locker rental agreement? Safeco keycard release form? Something.
pdb - December 16, 2009
Booyeah grandma
abender20 - December 16, 2009
Your brain is the same as mine, I think.
Teej - December 16, 2009
That's pretty clear.
abender20 - December 16, 2009
Jack Z is my new role model
sorry, Jesus
Sykes423 - December 16, 2009
Three Team Jack knows how to find the ace
Matthew - December 16, 2009
At least 1/3 of these recs should be mine.
Robert - December 17, 2009
So will Figgins be getting whiter too
OlSalty - December 16, 2009
Caramel-y.
JLProck - December 16, 2009
I think their elbows just get ashy
Bicycle Rider - December 16, 2009
If he hangs out with Sammy Sosa, I suppose...
Wait – did Bavasi sign Sammy Sosa to a contract we don’t know about?
PositivePaul - December 16, 2009
I thought this was the blackest team in baseball
Poochie - December 16, 2009
Fanbase, not team.
CapSea - December 16, 2009
Too cool
Nate Dogg - December 16, 2009
.
DaCheez - December 17, 2009
Nice, but try to stay within the 300 pixel limit next time.
Decatur - December 17, 2009
I think we'll live this time
seattlebruin - December 17, 2009
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Lookout Landing to post a comment.