It looks like the Seattle Mariners are set to hire former Cleveland Indians Manger Eric Wedge to lead the rebuilding effort for their club. Now I have never been a big fan of retread hires, nor am I sold on Wedge as the best candidate for this job, but some of his record cannot be denied. In 2002 he was hired by the Indians and over the next several years he improved that club until he was able to turn them into a team that would win 95 games a year for several years.
Now Wedge’s teams always seemed to fall short in the playoffs, but many think the job Wedge did with the Indians makes him baseball genius. Sure I am sure Wedge played a role, but those Indians teams had a crap load of talent, guys like Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, CC Sabathia, and Cliff Lee just to name a few. The Mariners have little to now talent and a front office that seems to not have a clue.
I mean really what do the Mariners have beyond an aging Ichiro Suzuki? They seemed to have a lot of talent heading into the 2010 season but the front office pulled the plug on the coaching staff far too early and the season spiraled out of control. The Mariners ended up with a 61-101 record, and I don’t see a way for them to get better quickly.
Ok maybe this team has an ace in King Felix. However I don’t see anything else to be excited about. Sure Wedge was able to turn around the Indians but he had a front office that was able to secure him elite talent. The Mariners do not have the same and this looks like a move that will end badly, quickly.
Related Links:
•The Business of Major League Baseball •MTR baseball •Joshua Lobdell.com