Morrow Picks the Pen

Brandon Morrow has gone the way of Jonathan Papelbon and announced that he doesn’t feel comfortable in the starting rotation, primarily due to health concerns (diabetes), and that he will fill the closer’s role for good.  He apparently made this decision a week or two ago. (Geoff Baker)

Given the similarities of Papelbon’s situation a couple seasons back and Morrow’s position this spring I had started to wonder if the call might come directly from Morrow rather than the team management.  Unfortunately, that turned out to be the case.

This is obviously a big hit to the rotation and the organizational depth chart as far as right handed SP go.  What else more is there to say about it?  We can blame Bill Bavasi for putting him in the bullpen in the first place, but that’s about it.

The most depressing part might be that we’ve spent two recent 1st round picks (2006, 2008) on closers in Morrow and Josh Fields.  That was the old regime, though, and GM Jack Zduriencik is probably focusing on what he needs to do going forward.

So, let’s look at the bright side.  We’ve gone from having a very up in the air late innings situation to having a shut down stud closing out games.  It didn’t happen the way a lot of us wanted, but it happened.

And while I’m obviously upset that Morrow isn’t being given a true opportunity at starting before defaulting to the bullpen, it’s hard not to look at the collection of young power relievers Seattle has collected and imagine a Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, Billy Wagner type of combo to shorten games.  Shawn Kelley, Josh Fields, Brandon Morrow in 2010?  Perhaps, and not to mention Luis Pena, Jesus Delgado, David Aardsma, Mark Lowe etc.

It’s done.  I’m very disappointed, but also relieved that the situation is settled and that we can move on.  I feel like if he had started it would be a constant battle trying to limit his innings and keep him healthy, ultimately leading to his return to the ‘pen.  I think it would have been necessary to give it a try, but it’s a bit of a relief to avoid that roller coaster.

Walker Released

Tyler Walker, who has been considered one of the “locks” for the bullpen all spring, has been released following the Morrow news (Larry LaRue).  Walker could have helped out in the pen, but this isn’t something worth talking about with all this other news flying around.

Clement Sent to AAA

Most of us saw this one coming, but Clement was optioned to AAA Tacoma (Geoff Baker).  He had struggled on both sides of the ball this spring.  Rob Johnson figures to win the backup job, but Jaime Burke is still around so it’s not a done deal.

I think this spells the unofficial end of Clement’s tenure with the Mariners.  He should be the starting catcher right now, but given the circumstances it just isn’t as easy as it should be.  Kenji Johjima is still going to be the third or fourth highest paid catcher this season with three years left on his deal.  At least he looks like he’s returning to form a bit.  Then there’s Johnson, who is a better defensive catcher than anyone the M’s have, making him an ideal backup to someone like Johjima.  Adam Moore is going to be splitting time with Clement in AAA, and he is the guy the organization is really banking on to become the catcher of the future.

With Morrow heading to the ‘pen for good, I would like Seattle to see if they can get a young, high upside RHSP in exchange for Clement+.  The Red Sox are the team that comes to mind as they’ve been in trade rumors for young catchers all offseason.  The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks were unable to extract Clay Bucholz or Michael Bowden in exchange for one of their young backstops (Salty, Montero, etc), but maybe Seattle could put together a package that works.  Having a Bucholz or Bowden would certainly make Morrow’s bullpen return a bit more palatable.

I’m probably getting ahead of myself though.

Batista to be Long Reliever

With the news of Morrow jumping into the closer competition, this isn’t a shock.  But Batista has been ruled out for the closer role and will serve as the team’s swing man, according to Larry LaRue.  Finally, some good news!

M’s Acquire Burke

Ryan Divish is reporting that Seattle has bought utility player Chris Burke from the San Diego Padres.  He was a non-roster invitee on a minor league contract, meaning Seattle can send him down without consequence.  GM Jack Zduriencik is calling him an insurance policy at a number of positions.  I would assume that this spells the end of Chris Woodward and Reegie Corona’s chances of getting playing time with Seattle at the big league level.