[nfbwatlk] Meche officially a free agent

Mon Nov 13 10:01:01 CST 2006

I can't believe Bavasi did something intelligent!

Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, November 13, 2006 7:06 AM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Meche officially a free agent

Meche officially a free agent

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/292098_mari13.html

Meche officially a free agent

Mariners will go to market to find pitching

Monday, November 13, 2006

By JOHN HICKEY
P-I REPORTER

Sunday was the first day in the professional career of Gil Meche that he
wasn't a Seattle Mariner.

Meche was one of the dozens of big leaguers who officially became free
agents Sunday, able to shop themselves to any organization.

That means the Mariners will be looking for a couple of starting pitchers.
And there is a reasonable chance they will look to posting a pitcher from
Japan

Before you jump and shout that the Mariners bowed out of the Daisuke
Matsuzaka sweepstakes, realize that there are other pitchers in Japan.

On Friday, the Hanshin Tigers said they would grant left-handed starter Kei
Igawa's longtime request and would post him, the same system of organized
bidding
that Matsuzaka is experiencing and the process by which Seattle landed
outfielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.

Rumors say the posting fee on Matsuzaka is in the $38 million-$45 million
range, which may be the reason Seattle ultimately decided not to get into
the
bidding.

Igawa's posting won't cost that much. But he does present some interesting
assets. He's only 27, one year older than Matsuzaka. He's left-handed,
always
a plus.

And he has numbers, including a 93-mph fastball that has led to three
Central League strikeout titles, including this season, when he fanned 194.
A 20-game
winner in 2003, he was 14-9 this season with a 2.97 ERA.

Although the fastball is a good one, his out pitch is a circle change, which
he likes to throw on the inside half of the plate, as he does with the
fastball.
He also owns a good slider and decent curve.

Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi won't comment on Igawa, or on any of the
free agents on the market. But a lower price tag -- the posting fee goes to
the player's old club, and a contract still must be negotiated with the
player -- makes Igawa a less costly alternative for the Mariners.

What Bavasi does say is that by trade or free agency, the Mariners need to
add two starting pitchers this fall if they're going to be contenders next
spring.
A corner outfielder with clout wouldn't be bad, either. The GM is
comfortable with Felix Hernandez and Jarrod Washburn at the top end of the
rotation and
a younger pitcher like Jake Woods or Cha Seung Baek as the No. 5 man.

The general managers' meetings start today in Naples, Fla. The Mariners
aren't expected to make any moves during the meetings. Player agents prefer
the
hustle and bustle of next month's winter meetings for moving their players.

But two trades have already gone down -- the Yankees traded Gary Sheffield
to the Tigers and shipped Jared Wright to the Orioles. So this year may
prove
to be an exception.

"(Some deals have) already been made," Bavasi said en route to the meetings.
"History doesn't suggest much will be done here, but some clubs could (be
active)."

Even if Igawa winds up a Mariner -- by no means a sure thing -- Seattle will
have to go fishing for more pitching. There are some big names out there --
Jason Schmidt, Barry Zito, Greg Maddux and Mark Mulder.

Of lesser stature, and somewhat less costly, are pitchers such as Miguel
Batista, Ted Lilly, Adam Eaton, Jeff Weaver, Jason Marquis, Jeff Suppan,
Steve
Trachsel, Andy Pettitte (who might be retiring), Woody Williams and Chan Ho
Park.

Schmidt, who will turn 34 before spring training starts, figures to get a
contract in the area of $10 million-$12 million per year for four years. The
Mariners
can handle the money, and they'd rather go three years for a 33-year-old
right-hander, but the realities of the market may force their hand.

Schmidt (127-90 with a career 3.91 ERA) has made it clear that he'd welcome
playing in the Pacific Northwest. He's from Kelso, and before signing a
four-year
deal with the San Francisco Giants at the winter meetings in 2002, he'd told
his agents he was going to Seattle. After sleeping on it, he went to the
Giants
instead, but he has talked about pitching in Seattle before he was done.

The left-handed Zito, who may wind up making the most money of any of the
pitchers out there, is kindly disposed to Seattle. A close compatriot of
Zito
told the P-I this week, "Barry absolutely loves Seattle," but the Mariners,
who have something around $20 million to spend, may find the price to high.

There is another free-agent pitcher who claims Northwest roots. Eaton, who
is from Snohomish, is a pitcher high on the Seattle radar, both because the
soon-to-be
29-year-old has a good upside (54-45 with a 4.40 career ERA) and shouldn't
break the bank.

Weaver is a curious figure. He was so awful that the Angels released him
midseason, but he was dominating in the postseason for the World
Series-winning
St. Louis Cardinals.

Of course, Meche is still a possibility. Meche said he would consider
returning to Seattle but wanted to at least test free agency.

Because most of the Mariners' money will go to pitching, it's not clear that
Seattle can be a big player in landing a major offensive threat. They'd love
to sign Carlos Lee as the left fielder (Raul Ibanez would move to right) or,
maybe, Nomar Garciaparra as a full-time DH.

Garciaparra's younger brother, Michael, is in the Mariners' minor league
system, and playing with family might be a lure for the longtime star
shortstop
who moved to first base this year for the Dodgers.

A longer shot -- much longer -- is DH Frank Thomas, who revived his career
in Oakland this season. Another intriguing thought, especially considering
that
his left-handed swing is ideal for Safeco Field, is Barry Bonds, but the
Mariners aren't believed to covet him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P-I reporter John Hickey can be reached at 206-448-8004 or
johnhickey at seattlepi.com.

© 1998-2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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