Yes the local boys of summer are off to one of the most dismal starts ever, and this with one of the higher payrolls in baseball. What can be done with a team that can’t even BUY a winning season? We recently fired the hitting coach and the GM (Bavasi) - What players should go? Should they? Is Cafe Society even the right place for this thread?
sigh This definitely isn’t shaping up to be a happy season in Seattle. 
There are plenty of good players on that team, but lately they just can’t seem to pull themselves together. And only yesterday they let McLaren go. I think this sort of panicked shakeup is a mistake; it’ll definitely hurt them in the short term, at least. But then, this season is probably shot whatever they do.
Today there are rumors of firing players. I used to watch the Mariners regularly, but frankly have just been too frustrated these last two or three years to even watch them.
I guess that makes me more of a fairweather fan.
You can bring back Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey, Jr! I don’t think Alex Rodriguez is available, however. 
Well now the manager is gone and replaced by another incompetent.
They need to find a good GM quick, trade off some of the older talent for younger talent and prospects and prepare for next year.
The problem is they don’t have older talent, as much as they have old players. The only veterans they have with trade value are Felix Hernandez, Ichiro, and Bedard. The first two are pretty much the franchise, and dealing the third, probably for far less then they gave up for him, would require admitting a major mistake. Beyond that no one is going to give up anything for Washburn, Silva, Beltre, Sexson, et al.
There is no easy fix here. They badly overestimated how good they were last year. They had 75 win talent, and got exceeding lucky. They acted like they had 88 win talent, went all in, and screwed their future. Here is what I’d do.
-
Release Vidro and Sexson immediately. They can’t hit and offer no defensive value.
-
Sent Morrow back to the minors, and make him a starter. He is being wasted in his current role.
-
Let Clement play everyday, preferably at catcher.
-
Move Ibanez to DH or deal him. His defense is killing them.
-
Keep Beltre You aren’t going to get anything good back for him, and he is’t bad for the price.
-
Dump Silva, Washburn, and Batista if at all possible. Do not ever sign another pitcher by just looking superficiouly at their record and ERA.
-
Call up the Blue Jays and tell them how much your hitters really like baseball.
-
Deal Bedard.
<snerk>
Thank you, I needed that today.
I think Hawkeyeop maybe hangs out on the same blogs I do. I agree for most of it. My moves if I’m in charge:
From the top… Out with Chuck and Howard by the end of the year
Out with Riggleman at the end of the year
in the meantime
OF: Wlad, Reed, Ichiro
3B: Beltre
SS: Betancourt
2B: Lopez
1B: Clement, Willie, Kenji!?, Raul
DH: Raul, whoever
And I’m trying out anyone showing promise from AAA.
Trade bait: anyone who isn’t Ichiro, Beltre, or Felix. I imagine we’re stuck with Kenji though. No one else is immune, but I’d like to see Balentein and Morrow stay. Trade for young talent and be competitive in a few years