The Frinklin and Fred Show

Comparing M’s to O’s? That can’t be good

This week’s Sports Illustrated contains, between nice articles on the well-liked Chargers and Husky dynamo Nate Robinson, a tiny slice on the beloved Mariners. Albert Chen, a writer for the SI (not-so) Daily Blog, has this to say:

The Mariner’s courtship of the Carlos Delgado and Richie Sexson reminds me of the Orioles lat winter: Baltimore bought sluggers Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmiero and Javy Lopez and barely improved. Seattle should add a starter and upgrade its dreadful bullpen

While I am not a fan of the sign-both-aging-sluggers idea, I have to disagree with this. Yeah, the pitching is a mess, and the M’s are attempting to pick up a starter (the wrong one, but that is another thing entirely), but this team had a terrible offense. Of course, the idea that Delgado and Sexson are preferable to Beltre OR Beltran is questionable in of itself. This does compare to Baltimore, and that’s a sure sign of a franchise heading in the wrong direction.

Of course, this may all be moot, as contracts for non-stars are so ridiculous so far this off-season it is beginning to frighten. Jermaine Dye? Omar Vizquel? Cristian Guzman?