M's add depth

The Mariners had wondered if young Jeff Mathis was ready, and internally they liked Humberto Quintero much better as a #2 catcher. So they decided to pull the trigger on a deal that brough in veteran Brian Schneider from Kansas City to help sure up the position.

What could be the sleeper side of the move though is the addition of Shea Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand can play 3B, or 1B, moving Hafner to DH. The key to adding Hillenbrand though is now Mike Lowell is expendable if the M's feel Josh Fields is ready. If Fields faulters, they have Shea to jump in at 3B.

The last addition in the deal was left handed slugging Ryan Langerhans, who adds a great option off the bench against RHP.

The Cost? Hot slugging prospect Nelson Cruz, who is tearing up the Winter league, but whose K-rate scares many Mariners higher up's. The M's also shipped recently acquired Elliott Johnson, and speedy project Joey Gathright, along with streaky 3B Pedro Feliz.

Mike Lowell on of the interesting names on the block this offseason.

After taking offers for Mike Lowell during the summer, the Mariners decided to take Lowell off of the market. After Lowell's hot start in the MLB, the M's felt he will project well for next season. They also want him to hold the fort down long enough to see if prospect Josh Fields continues to tear up the minors.

Well, now with all the assurance that Fields will make the big league club next season, the M's have a log-jam with Lowell and Feliz. Lowell was almost dealt to Colorado at the deadline for SP John Maine. The M's couldn't pull the trigger though, and Lowell finish strong in the MLB (.275 20hr's 80 rbi).

But judging his value seems to be a daunting task, as 3B is a valuable position, and Lowell added gold glove caliber defense to his impressive offensive numbers this season.

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Breaking News.....

Hafner finds himself heading to NL...

When People in Seattle went to bed last night, Travis Hafner was leading a line up that would be considered competitive in a tough AL West. When they woke up, he was gone...

The Mariners and Pirates struck a deal to send Hafner, along with versitile Chris Burke and young pitcher Adam Harben to the steel city for the dynamic Jose Reyes, DH Jim Thome & SP prospect Kevin Slowey.

"Reyes gives our offense something that it's never had. Speed. This also allows us to move Carlos Guillen to 1B, and let him focus on hitting" says GM John Anderson.
Hafner had been looking forward to hitting in front of Vlad Guerrero, now he'll have to hit behind Jason Bay in Pittsburgh.

Slowey has been coverted by many GM's since being drafted in 2005. He will start the season in AAA Tacoma.

This star shines silver...

(by Jared Cloutier, Yankees)

Very Vlad to see you!

GM John Anderson wasted little time taking advantage of the trade season. On the first day that it opened, the Mariners and Mets struck a deal to send breakout CF Gary Matthews, RF Xavier Nady & can't miss pitching prospect to the Mets for Vladimir Guerrero & 2B prospect Elliott Johnson.

"We saw this as a chance to finally give Travis (Hafner) the protection he deserves. He did a hell of a job for us last season, but imagine what would have happened if we had that extra push". Extra push is exactly what they should have. Vlad was NL MVP last season, and has drawn comparisons to the likeness of Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. The M's have said that they have not yet commited to a line-up order for next season.

M's finish season winning 11 straight, 2nd place in AL West.

Many picked the AL west to finish in the order of Angels, Mariners, Rangers, A's...before the season. It took until the last day of the season to happen.

GM John Anderson has got to like what he has seen from his team going into the offseason. They have some young depth at pitching, and some solid pieces to use as trade bait.

"We have 2 3rd basemen, and a young talent ready to play at the ML level next season" says Anderson, refering to Mike Lowell, Pedro Feliz & Josh Fields. "We obviously will look to thin that position to sure up another".

The Mariners have the 20th pick in the draft, mainly thanks to their late winning streak, so unless they move up, they'll have to add pieces via trade and free-agents. "Our main priority is to get a bat to protect Travis (Hafner). We thought we had one with (Jose) Guillen, but he was unable to stay healthy for us" says Anderson.

Asked if anyone was unavailable if teams came knocking, Anderson commented "We will not trade Hafner, Verlander or Feliz Rodriguez. Those three are untouchable at the moment. The next tier of players that won't get moved consists of Carlos Guillen, Rodney and Aaron Heilman...after that, anything is possible. We'd like a OF bat, SP and a catcher..assuming Jeff Mathis needs more time".

Jose Guillen Wants Out.

The talented RF is quickly learning that Safeco is much different than Fenway Park.

Guillen, who was projected to hit .290, has batted only .236 for most of the season, while consistently failing to drive in runs, and has also made 6 errors. He has never looked comfortable in Seattle since day 1, and recently has been the subject of many rumors, but he'll have to prove he's healthy before he'd bring back any value. "We're not going to give Jose away" says GM John Anderson. "We had big hopes for him when we made the deal with Boston (giving up blue chip prospect Mike Pelfrey). We have spoken with Jose, and he still wants to prove that he can help Seattle win. He had some tough injuries that he tried to play through, and we're convinced that he'll bounce back and be productive, regardless of where he plays next season".

Top Story

M's Can't Find Ingrediants For Winning:

When GM John Anderson took over the Mariners, he knew he had a lot of work to do...And while many agree that the team is much approved, some even picking the M's to compete for the AL West, they have continued to underachieve and dissappoint.

"Out biggest problem has been our bats" says Anderson. "I also belive that injuries have really ruined out momentum." The M's had to begin the season without OF Gary Matthews, and top Starters Kerry Wood and David Wells. Starting 2B and catalyst Ray Durham also spent 2 weeks on the DL.

While it's too early for the M's to pull the plug on the season, you have to wonder if trading away a lot of their young stars before the season started may come back to haunt them...

"Out thoughts when acquiring those veterans were that if we weren't contending by July, then we would make some deals to restock the farm"..."We still feel that the players we got are of great quality and could help contenders if the time comes."