Seattle Mariners

Contributor: Jay Yencich, Mariner Minors

2007 Record: 88-74

2007 Summary: The Mariners were a surprise team in more ways than one. A team with a losing record in 2006, they finished with fourteen more wins and were in contention late into the season. Nearly all of the players in the starting lineup had more than 60 RBI, and three, Adrian Beltre, Raul Ibanez, and Jose Guillen were near or above 100.

The front half of the rotation, Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn, and Miguel Batista combined for a 40-33 record, but at the back end, offseason acquisitions Jeff Weaver and Horacio Ramirez combined to go 15-20, and two of their replacements ran out a 5-9 record between them.

Closer J.J. Putz proved that his '06 run was no fluke, establishing himself as one of the league's top closers with 40 saves, a 6-1 record, and only 52 baserunners allowed in 71.2 innings, to go along with 82 strikeouts. Other areas of the bullpen struggled at times, but some new names emerged who could form a core to build around in Eric O'Flaherty, Brandon Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Sean Green.

2008 Key Additions: After months of negotiations, the Mariners picked up one of the best pitchers on the trade market in Erik Bedard, who was quickly named the Opening Day starter. Carlos Silva had been added earlier to provide stability for the middle part of the rotation. The lineup remains almost entirely the same, save for the addition of Brad Wilkerson in right, who will platoon with Mike Morse to start the season.

2008 Key Losses: The acquisition of Bedard came at the expense of young outfield prospect Adam Jones, who looked to start in right, as well as left-hander George Sherrill, one of the most underrated setup men in the league. The team may also come to miss Jose Guillen, who signed a three-year contract with the Royals in the offseason, both for his bat and his leadership.

2008 Starting Lineup:
1. Ichiro Suzuki CF
2. Jose Lopez 2B
3. Raul Ibanez LF
4. Richie Sexson 1B
5. Adrian Beltre 3B
6. Brad Wilkerson RF
7. Jose Vidro DH
8. Kenji Johjima C
9. Yuniesky Betancourt SS

2008 Starting Rotation: Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista

2008 Closer: J.J. Putz

2008 MVP: Erik Bedard Bedard was brought in to change the dynamic of the starting rotation and exert some positive influence over the rest of the pitching staff.

The Mariners will be successful if: they can find some consistency. The 2007 Mariners were overachievers, winning or breaking even every month despite allowing more runs than they scored in many of them. The rotation looks to be patched up by the new additions, and the Mariners hope that Felix Hernandez will be able to pick up some things from the pitchers on either side of him. As for the offense, the Mariners desperately need rebound years from both Richie Sexson and Jose Lopez, as well as the continued development of Kenji Johjima and Yuniesky Betancourt at the bottom of the lineup. The Mariners have options in the minors with catcher Jeff Clement and right fielder Wladimir Balentien, who could fill in with Brad Wilkerson doesn't pan out, but the offense may have difficulty weathering continued slumps from various spots in the lineup.

2008 Season Prediction: While most sports writers picked the Angels to come out on top, the loss of John Lackey for the first month of play and Kelvim Escobar for the entire season improves the Mariners' odds dramatically. The rotation should be able to keep the M's competitive, provided the bullpen survives the loss of Sherrill, but the ability of the offense to put runs on the board will determine where the team is in October.

Standings Prediction:
1. Seattle Mariners
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Oakland A's
4. Texas Rangers