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2010 Season Preview: Seattle Mariners
Brian Reynolds. 1st April, 2010 - 6:40 pm

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The Mariners improved by 24 games from 2008 to 2009, finishing with a record of 85-77, which was 12 games behind the Los Angeles Angels for the AL West crown.
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Seattle?s successful season included the return of Ken Griffey Jr. and the hiring of general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu.

2009 Opsera Finish: 12th

What Happened In The Winter

Seattle has made it very clear this winter that they are in it to win it.? Zduriencik and his staff made more moves than any other club in order to make them legitimate 2010 contenders.
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The biggest addition of the off-season is undoubtedly the acquisition by trade of Cliff Lee.? Lee was nothing short of dominant in last year?s postseason run with the Phillies and will provide the Mariners with arguably the best 1-2 punch in the majors.
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Chone Figgins signed a four-year, $36 million contract in December.? Not only do the Mariners add his versatility, but also they take him away from the rival Angels.?
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Casey Kotchman is another former Angel and new face with the Mariners.? Seattle completed a trade with Boston to acquire the first baseman.? Kotchman will replace Russell Branyan at first, who the club elected not to re-sign and is now a member of the Cleveland Indians.
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The Mariners also took a chance on disgruntled outfielder Milton Bradley in a straight-up trade of problem contracts that involved relief pitcher Carlos Silva.? Both players struggled with their respective clubs in 2009, and the Mariners are hoping Bradley?s attitude and performance make a 180-degree turn from what it was in Chicago.
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Seattle also traded pitcher Brandon Morrow to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for pitcher Brandon League.?
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Eric Byrnes will try to resurrect his career in the Pacific Northwest, signing a one-year, $400,000 contract to platoon with Bradley in left field.? Catcher Josh Bard signed a minor-league contract with the club.
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Ken Griffey Jr. agreed to a one-year extension in November to play in his 22nd big league season.
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Catcher Kenji Johjima left Seattle to return to Japan and play for the Hanshin Tigers.? Johjima has been the club?s primary catcher since 2006.
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Other subtractions include pitcher Miguel Batista to the Washington Nationals, Adrian Beltre to the Boston Red Sox and Endy Chavez to the Texas Rangers.
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Yes, it was a very busy off-season of maneuvering for the M?s, but it appears meaningful baseball is back in Seattle.

Mariners Offensive Preview

Seattle was a poor offensive club in 2009, finishing last in the American League in runs scored (640) and OBP (.314).? Don?t expect the new-look Mariners to repeat those numbers, but the long-ball is still an issue for this club.
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Figgins will help out in most offensive categories.? In 2009, he had an OBP of (.395) and scored the second most runs in the American League with 114.? He made the Angels go and he is going to be a great fit with the Mariners.
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It doesn?t get much better than Ichiro in the leadoff spot and the Mariners will have that luxury once again in 2010.? Ichiro had an excellent 2009 season, which included a .386 OBP and .465 SLG.? He also snagged 26 stolen bases.
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The heart of the Mariners order will include Kotchman, Bradley and Griffey Jr.? Kotchman is not your prototypical first baseman because he lacks consistent power.? However, he is still maturing as a hitter and still has room to improve.? Before being acquired by Boston at last season?s trade deadline, Kotchman had a .427 OBP, .507 SLG, and .934 OPS in the month of July.? With Ichiro and Figgins batting ahead of him, Kotchman is going to have his fair share of run producing opportunities.? At the very least, there are not many better defensive first basemen in the game.
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Many in the Mariners organization expect Bradley to bounce back from an extremely disappointing 2009 and perform like he did earlier in is career.? He has proven over the years that he is one of the better hitters in the game.? Seattle fans can only hope they see a rejuvenated Bradley for at least a little while because he has caused problems everywhere he has gone.
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An aging Griffey Jr. is projected to bat fifth for the club.? While his numbers were down in 2009 (.324 OBP, .411 SLG), Griffey brings a calm demeanor to the clubhouse that cannot be overstated.? When expectations are as high as they are, it?s important to have a guy like Griffey in the lineup everyday.? He has already turned Ichiro into a more friendly, and out-going teammate.
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Franklin Gutierrez will be a tremendous hitter in the sixth spot for Seattle.? He brings a decent amount of power and speed and is really only starting to fully develop his potential, which is already extraordinary from a defensive standpoint.?
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Jose Lopez will bring some more pop at the bottom of the order.? In 2009, Lopez belted 25 homers and had a.463 SLG.? If he can improve his OBP (.303 in 2009), Lopez will be a feared hitter to face at the end of Wakamatsu?s lineup.
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The Mariners will likely have Rob Johnson as their opening day starting catcher, but Adam Moore has been impressive in spring and will see time behind the plate as well.?
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Veteran shortstop Jack Wilson is a very encouraging bat to have in the ninth spot of the order and also contributes to their organizational priority of defense.
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Mariners Pitching Preview

In 2009, Seattle actually had a very impressive staff from top to bottom.? Their starters had a collective ERA of 3.89 (1st in the AL) and a bullpen ERA of 3.83 (3rd in the AL).? They also had the second most quality starts with 83 and gave up an OPS of just .710.
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With the addition of Cliff Lee, Seattle?s staff is now that much more intimidating.? However, the transition to the team?s No. 2 starter won?t necessarily be a smooth one.? Lee is battling an abdominal injury that he hopes won?t keep him out too long past Opening day.? He also plans to appeal a five-game suspension that he was given for throwing at Chris Snyder?s head in a Spring Training game. Once he does return, Seattle will hope to see the guy that was so dominant with the Phillies last October and who won the 2008 AL Cy Young.
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Felix Hernandez has quickly turned into one of the best pitchers in baseball and will be the team?s ace in 2010.? King Felix is coming off a year where he went 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA.? To give you an idea of how much the Mariners love this guy, there was a report at last year?s trade deadline that the Red Sox offered five of their best prospects for Hernandez.? Seattle promptly said, ?Thanks, but no thanks.?
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Ryan Rowland-Smith gives Manager Wakamatsu another lefty in the rotation.? He will be the team?s No. 3 starter and he?s a good one to have.? Although nothing about his stuff is too special, he has four pitches that he is comfortable with and will keep his team in the game.
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Ian Snell is a power arm, but he needs to improve his command.?
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Justin Vargas will likely be the team?s fifth starter.? He is another left-hander who likes to throw strikes and pitch to contact.? He?s a solid back end of the rotation guy and brings some experience as well.
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Keep an eye out on Erik Bedard, who is recovering from left shoulder surgery and will be out until at least July.?He was limited to just 15 starts per season during his first two campaigns with Seattle, but he has been every bit as good as he was in Baltimore when actually on the found.
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The Mariners bullpen consists of Doug Fister (who will likely replace Lee in the rotation to begin the season), League, Shawn Kelley, Sean White, Kanekoa Texeira, Mark Lowe and David Aardsma.
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The knock on the pen from a season ago was their major-league leading 28 blown saves.? Don?t expect the Mariners to come anywhere close to that number in 2009.? Morrow started off as the team?s closer last year and struggled mightily.? When Aardsma took over, he recorded 38 saves while only blowing four.? He has already proven to be one of the better closers in the game in such a short stint.
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Lowe, White, Kelley, and League give Wakamatsu a powerful pen where he can mix and match depending on who?s coming to the plate.? It?s a young bullpen, but impressive to say the least.

What Are Their 2010 Chances?

Seattle's chances are undoubtedly promising.? From the looks on paper, this is a much-improved team that won 85 games in 2009. As RealGM's executive editor Christopher Reina points out, their 2009 win total was inflated, as Pythagorean had them at just 75. They went down this road before when they won 88 games in 2007 with a Pythagorean of just 79 leading to delusions of grandeur, the Adam Jones for Bedard swap and a 61-101 record in 2008.
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However, I am skeptical with the lack of power this team has.? There is no doubt that the Mariners will score more runs in 2010, but the power is an issue.? They play a National League style game in a powerful American League and that does not bode well for them.
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I like what they are doing in Seattle and I wouldn?t be surprised if King Felix and Lee led the club to postseason baseball.? But I feel more comfortable predicting the Mariners to finish third in what will be an extremely competitive division.
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--Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer for RealGM.? He can be reached at Brian.Matthew.Reynolds@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at BReynolds404.

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