Projecting the Mariners 2011 Roster, v. 2.0

It's been over a month since I last took stock of the 25 guys the Mariners are going to throw on the field in April. With the latest additions, subtractions and developments, here's what I think we're all gonna see:

Rotation
RHP Felix Hernandez
LHP Jason Vargas
RHP Doug Fister
LHP Erik Bedard
RHP Michael Pineda

Ryan Rowland-Smith got non-tendered, eventually signing with Houston, so the re-signed Bedard takes his place. Of course, Erik is our resident fragile china doll, so who knows if the reports that he'll be ready by the spring are true. Hopefully, the club has enough cash to sign a mid-rotation guy and put all our doubts to rest. Whatever happens, David Pauley will at least be given a chance in Spring Training.

Bullpen
RHP David Aardsma
RHP Brandon League
RHP Dan Cortes
LHP Garrett Olsen
RHP Josh Lueke
LHP Luke French
RHP David Pauley

Aardsma's hip surgery isn't supposed to sideline him for too long, but if he's not ready by Opening Day, League will be the acting closer and everyone else jumps up a peg. Also, if guys like Pauley or French are needed in the rotation, Anthony Varvaro, Rule 5 pick Jose Flores or non-roster invitees Justin Miller, Chris Smith, Royce Ring and Chris Seddon could all pick up the slack. Free agency is yet another option. We're also still not sure if Lueke's criminal record will keep the club from including him.

Lineup
RF Ichiro Suzuki
3B Chone Figgins
DH Jack Cust
1B Justin Smoak
CF Franklin Gutierrez
C Miguel Olivo
LF Michael Saunders
SS Jack Wilson
2B Brendan Ryan

Cust and Olivo do add a bit of power to the lineup, but not enough to make this set of nine guys seem even remotely intimidating. The big questions are whether Figgy and Gutierrez will rebound from their disappointing 2010 campaigns and if Justin Smoak will be the star player we expected when we got him in the Cliff Lee deal. When Dustin Ackley gets called up in mid-summer, things should get more interesting. Until then, barring some major trade, this looks like the lineup we're gonna be dealing with.

Bench
C Adam Moore
INF Josh Wilson
INF/OF Matt Tuiasosopo
OF Milton Bradley

Bench help is one place where the team can dramatically improve. I'm sure Tui is a great guy, but we can do much better with someone plucked out of free agency. Josh Wilson is serviceable, but other options exist. He'll be fighting for his job in Spring Training, as non-roster guys Luis Rodriguez and Sean Kazmar will be out to prove things. Milton's contract is too big to deal with right now, but he actually provides a lot of flexibility, batting against lefties for Cust and Saunders. The roster still isn't all that pretty, but it's getting better. Let's see what January has in store for us.