We Don’t Know Jack

by ~ November 12th, 2009 at 1:01 am

We don’t know Jack Zduriencik as well as we think we do.  Look at his body of work with the Mariners like you would any baseball statistics.  You have to look at sample size and context.

It’s just one year worth of moves while the team was handcuffed financially by several large (and mostly bad) contracts as well as a tough economic climate and 100 loss season that slowed ballpark revenue.  Zduriencik was forced to make low profile moves and search for diamonds in the rough because he didn’t have a choice, not necessarily because that’s just his style.  Luckily, he is good at it.  Some seem to see Zduriencik as this guy that wouldn’t know what to do with a large allowance, but I’m sure that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  He wanted to go after some of the big name free agents last offseason (Bobby Abreu and Orlando Hudson are two examples that we know of) but the money just wasn’t there.

Based on the way he went about business last offseason it seems like a lot of fans are looking at the high profile free agents and trade targets and saying they’re not Zduriencik’s type of players without giving any followup reasoning beyond the price tag.   Well, Zduriencik has a lot more money to work with this offseason after having several major contracts expire and he’s going to spend it.  And then he’s going to try and get the payroll expanded so he can keep dealing.  Zduriencik wants to win a World Series in 2010 and sincerely believes he can pull it off.

Zduriencik will still make thrifty moves as they come to him, but he won’t be limiting himself.  Reclamation projects like Rich Harden and Ben Sheets won’t be the only hurlers he’ll be negotiating with.  He’s going to do more than just kick the tires on John Lackey, for example.  I’m lead to believe Lackey’s going to get a legitimate, competitive offer from the Mariners.

This may sound like crazy talk after last offseason but based on what I’ve heard as well as the publicly posted rumors, Zduriencik is going to show a different side this winter.  He’s not messing around.

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  • browerad

    I was noticing that as well. The mariners were mentioned in a lot of rumors over the Gm meetings. I think it’s going to be great offseason

  • harrison

    I completely agree, Jon. I also think that John Lackey is going to get an offer from us, that will be competative.

    I just don’t want to get into a huge bidding and war ruin our chances of picking a secondary impact player.

    I’m not saying that if we sign Lackey that we immedately eliminate our competiviness in the market but I do think it does hinder our budget to a greater degree than say if we sign Ben Sheets or Rich Harden.

  • maqman

    I think we will indeed see some bigger moves from GMZ this offseason. I’m sure there will be one or two that nobody saw coming. I’m not hot for Lackey at half a 100 million. A couple of long shot stocking stuffers I’d like to see are named Pinero and Votto if the price is right. The Doug Davis prospect is not appealing. I believe Branyan’s $12.6M WAR in 2009 makes him worth a two year contract, he did it the old-fashioned way – he earned it!

  • gsquared

    Great stuff here. People can never get enough reminders: context matters when evaluating someone’s decisions. I love Z’s optimism about 2010 even if I don’t completely share it yet.

  • Luisam911

    im giggling like a school girl thinking of all the moves we can make and how exciting this is offseason is going to be.

  • MarinerMan6

    I’m starting the “Trade for David Dejesus” mantra today. Apparently Dayton Moore thinks he sucks (which he doesn’t but Moore is the worst GM in baseball) and is shopping him. Given the fact that we gave the Royals Yuni, do you think it is worth kicking the tires on? He is left-handed, he’s been between 2.7 and 3.8 WAR the last four years. He is only going to cost $10.7 million for these next two years, I think it is worth a go. He is an above-average defender and can hit at league average making him an above-average player. What would it take to get him?? It is not that I am giving up on Saunders, but if you could possible get a potential 3 WAR LF on the cheap it is worth a thought. Any thoughts??

    • http://proballnw.com Jon

      It’s a mystery what it would take to get him. There has been this thought over the past few seasons that Moore would move him, but he never does, presumably because he’s asking for A LOT. Now that he only has one more guaranteed year left on his deal (+ ’11 option) maybe that finally changes, but we’ll see. I wouldn’t mind having him, but I don’t think he’s a guy worth sending a big package for.

  • StandinPat

    Moore is an idiot, and would prob undervalue any asset he every came across. That being said, DeJesus is a more than solid player and would be a solid get for more than one team. The issue for the M’s, how much better is he than Saunders, and if the answer is .5-1 wins, which is very likely, is that then worth 4 to 5 mil plus some specs? Prob not. If you snagged DeJesus on the cheap and turned Saunders into something good, then you might make your team better now and bide your time till Ackley was ready to roll.