Catching Up with the Seattle Mariners

It's been a while since I wrote about baseball. Spring Training has been a process, players have been cut and the future of Seattle baseball has become a bit clearer. However, there haven't been many big stories to talk about. However, with less than a week left before Opening Day down in Oakland, I'm kicking my baseball writing back into gear. First off, here's what our roster seems to currently look like.

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

Bedard is virtually a lock to make the team right now, which is amazing in and of itself. Erik's injuries have been well-documented during his time in Seattle, but he's been remarkably loyal and it looks like his fourth season with the club might actually see him contribute. Pineda also seems to have secured a rotation spot with six dominant, shutout innings against the Brewers this afternoon. It looks like our rotation coming out of the gate will be the best case scenario we could have hoped for as fans. Hooray.

Bullpen
RHP Brandon League (closer)
RHP Chris Ray
RHP Josh Lueke
LHP Aaron Laffey
LHP Royce Ring
RHP Jamey Wright
RHP David Pauley

If the rotation is the best we could have hoped for, this bullpen is a lot less encouraging. David Aardsma's injury didn't help an already shaky pile of bullpen candidates, but the implosions of guys like Dan Cortes, Manny Delcarmen, Nate Robertson and Cesar Jimenez have left us with stop-gap guys like Ring and Wright. They aren't all that great and we have to find room for them on the 40-man roster. Tom Wilhelmsen might make the team if the front office doesn't want to put too many guys through waivers. League has also had a disconcerting spring, walking too many guys and getting lit up when he does put the ball over the plate. Turning the game over to the 'pen might be very stressful this season.

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

There were a few interesting position battles this spring. Wilson and Ryan swapped positions, which may or may not be a good thing. Milton Bradley also went ballistic, in a good way, hitting for a high average and knocking in a dozen runs. Saunders' early spring struggles seemed to have him ticketed for more marinating in Tacoma, but Franklin Gutierrez's stomach issues seem to have opened up space for Saunders in center. This lineup doesn't look overpowering, but we probably won't embarrass ourselves every day. Big improvements from Smoak, Cust and even Olivo could help make baseball watchable until Dustin Ackley takes over at second around June.

Bench
C Adam Moore
INF Adam Kennedy
1B/OF Matt Tuiasosopo
OF Ryan Langerhans

Beyond a couple bullpen spots, the only space not settled on the roster is the second infielder bench spot. Kennedy will be there, but Tui, Josh Wilson and maybe Chris Gimenez are in the mix for that last seat. The facts that Tui bats right-handed, is already on the 40-man roster and can actually hit home runs have him squeaking ahead of the others in my book. This means Jack Wilson would shift to short if anything happened to Brendan Ryan, with Kennedy taking over at second if Ackley isn't called. I'm totally okay with that set-up.

With only a week left, it's probably worth noting who will be on the...

Disabled List
RHP David Aardsma (15-day)
RHP Shawn Kelley (60-day)
LHP Mauricio Robles (60-day)
3B Matt Mangini (15-day)
CF Franklin Gutierrez (15-day)

Franklin will hopefully figure out his digestive problems quickly. Depending on how Saunders deals with major league pitching, Guti's return could finally force the overachieving Langerhans to Tacoma or out of the organization entirely. Or, just maybe, the club with cut ties with Milton. As for Aardsma, he should back mid-April-ish, forcing someone like Jamey Wright into obscurity. Mangini will end up at Tacoma once he heals, while Kelley should be a key 'pen member for the Mariners around July. Robles will have surgery to remove "loose bodies" from his elbow before joining the Tacoma rotation mid-summer.

There could always be some ambitious waiver claims or trades in the next week, but the roster seems to have mostly settled into place. I'll be writing more as we countdown to 2011 baseball on Friday.