If the Mariners do go with a 12-man pitching staff, which is looking likely, then Greg Norton will probably get cut. Has McLaren confirmed that Norton is on the bubble for the final roster spot?

DIckey can throw almost every day if needed with that knuckler...that in itself is of great value. If the guy can keep an ERA under 4 while eating those inning, well, icing on the cake. He's a shoe-in to make the team.

Typical bavasi blunder. I just hope it doesnt hurt as much as i am positive it will.

what happens to Baek then? Will he be traded as he is out of options?

This is GREAT!! An NCAA-tourney style bracket of bad offseason MLB trades/signings! haha

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/03/24/the-2008-sweet-sixteen-of-offseason-fleeces/

Reitsma is not a major league pitcher. I can't understand why McLaren can't see that. Why they'd buy the notion that this is all really injury-driven is beyond me. He's been done for some time. If we see him in the bullpen, it's a sign that we are in for the same old bullpen misuse we saw in the key parts of the year last year. Chris Reitsma is done, and McLaren's love affair with veterans who can't pitch continues if he makes this team.

What is this team's problem with evaluating pitchers? Horacio was bad enough the first time, but then they resigned him? I know they cut him, but he didn't show anything in a whole season to think he was a major league pitcher. And Reitsma is the same way, the guy hasn't pitched well this spring.

But, but, but Waaaaaallllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyy(whiney sing-song obnoxious voice), Reitsma has "been through the wars!"...Wait, but Lowe was through the wars as well(just roughly 1 season, I think)...I guess Reitsma is a more "seasoned" war veteran...I'm gonna scream if we cut Lowe in favor of Reitsma. This looks like another "DOH" moment for the M's...

why was Cairo brought in again? to motivate Lopez? MOTIVATION is something Lopez should have already figured out at the professional level. why not sign 25 more guys to "buddy" everyone on the team and "motivate" them.
with the season a week away i have to find some equanimity.
i do that by realizing we are not a professional organization committed to winning. we are a hubris-driven cabal of lazy middle management types who sign mediocre milquetoasts to lucrative long term contracts then stroke said players' egos with industrial strength Astro-glide.

there wont be any cutting lowe.... they'll put him on the dl or aaa til he's completely healthy

You know what really would have motivated Lopez? Bring in a guy with talent and make him produce. Wait a minute, that's the way to get anybody motivated. But two problems with the M's during the Bavasi years: 1- guys can not perform for years and still not be worried about their jobs. 2- they bring in guys like Cairo to push former all-stars. If I'm Jose, I'm laughing at the thought that Cairo could push any starter in the majors. I mean, honestly, Cairo is a shell of Lopez, even when Lopez is slumping. Just because someone is a vet doesn't meant that they are any good! What the duece? I wonder if Bavasi is too lazy to scout other players, and so he assumes if a guy has been around a while on a couple of different teams that he must be good because teams always seem to want him. I'm getting worried, and not because they aren't playing well, but the things that the management is saying.

Is Mike Morse going to make the roster or did he already? I think he's much more serviceable utility than Willie Boom Boom or Miquel Cairo. Could he be the 4th outfielder?

I cannot believe management is going to be so stupid as to keep Reitsma, who will never amount to anything, and lose Baek, who might become a very good pitcher. Baek is already better than Reitsma and has much more upside.

I'm curious about the Woods comment: How has he opened eyes? Granted I haven't seen him throw, and I can already hear the "don't base anything on spring numbers" argument, but looking at his box scores, nothing jumps out at me. It's the same pattern of his entire career: a servicable outing or two followed by an absolute shellacking. I think the top end of his development would be as the 11th man on the staff, an innings-eater if you will. He just doesn't seem to have the stuff to move beyond that...

Never fear....MAC solved the problem today by taking Morse out of the lineup and going with all Veterans. I expect 15-20 runs today.

Hey Geoff - some more great unbiased journalism...love the photo of Morse muffing the play at 3rd.

Reed is definately not showing anything recently he should be cut. Of course he has played recently but that's beside the point.

last post...hasn't played...sorry

Wait, aren't the Mariner's going to have to play some games in Arizona? What about other cities that don't have "thick air?" Does that mean Dickey is going to be completely ineffective in those games? What about the other pitches? I guess that means for the Diamondbacks to be successful they have to sign a bunch of pitchers who throw balls with no movement...like...Brandon Webb...

Geoff - lineups for today?

Geoff,

Notcied there was an article last week in the S.D. Tribune mentioning Jeremy Reed getting traded there (Padres) before ST ends. Any idea if that has some validity to it in M's camp?

Why would McLaren want Dickey to change anything about his knuckler? Sounds like he asked Dickey to experiment with the slower version yesterday (resulting in a HR and several hits). Didn't Dickey give up 6 HRs in a game as a Ranger throwing the SLOW knuckle ball? Not sure I'd tinker with anything now. His numbers have been pretty good this spring. I think I'd let Dickey decide which version he prefers and when to throw it.