Is This It For M’s Lloyd

Today being the last day of major league baseball regular season I believe we should be hearing in a few hours or maybe a day or so what the fate of Seattle Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon.

In my mind it could go either way whether Lloyd will be retained or not. I think it is hard to know whether this season was Lloyd’s fault or not. Last year the Mariners won 87 games under Lloyd’s first year under the helm and now the Mariners win today they would have 76 wins which is a drop of eleven games. If the Mariners were at 87 wins this year they would be in a tie with the Texas Rangers going into the last game of the season.

Most everyone thought the Mariners would be in the playoffs coming out of spring training this year. Boy were we all wrong for sure. No one expected that everyone except Nelson Cruz in regular lineup would start off in such a horrible fashion. I am sure if Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager would have had a first half like they did in the second half the Mariners would have been closer to the 87 wins again. Of course, none of us thought the bullpen would have the very bad season they did especially after Charlie Furbush went down in July. The starting pitching had a poor start to the season but they did rebound in May and were OK the rest of the way.

How much of the poor season do we blame on Lloyd? It is hard to say but he still may take the fall since that is what happens to managers when a team has a bad season. We heard on several occasions Lloyd made us aware that the team should go on a run winning seven or eight games in a row, and we all know that did not happen at all. We had hope when they won four in a row; however, the team would go right back into the tank again. Was that the fault of the team or Lloyd’s? Again we know usually the manager takes the fall.

What I know is that the Mariners have the talent to be a real good team, or they would have not been picked by almost everyone to make the playoffs. I don’t think that no one expected the team to sink so low this season. In my opinion the team as a whole did not play a team is supposed to. We all know with the new general manager Jerry Dipoto coming in there will be changes going to happen. I believe the team has to change in attitude. The problem is not with the talent except maybe a few areas like say catcher, and the bullpen I believe it is with attitude. So is the attitude problem with the players or Lloyd or the combination. Another thing we do know and Dipoto addressed it when he was announced as the new general manger that this current team does not fit well playing in Safeco Field. So regardless of the problems we will be seeing players next season that will play well in Safeco Field.

It will be interesting to see who the new manager will be if Lloyd does not return.  I expect it will be a manager who will take advantage of playing in Safeco Field with a new attitude. When Pete Carroll and John Schneider came to Seattle to take over the Seahawks they made a lot of changes in the roster, and I hope the same thing happens with the Mariners. I am sure we will still see Felix, Cano, Cruz, and Seager still on the roster next season; however, everyone else could be up to going elsewhere. I am sure that some people will say the Mariners need to trade one of the four guys to get several players in return. I am not sure about Cruz but I am sure that Felix, Cano, and Seager all have no trade clauses. So the most likely candidate of the four to be traded would be Cruz. The Mariners do not have the investment in Cruz like they have in the other three. I am sure they could try trading Cano but I am sure the Mariners would have to eat some of his contract and I am not sure they are willing to do so. Felix likely would get the most in a trade; however, the history and the love he has for Seattle I would be shocked if he were traded. Seager being signed to a new contract before last season he likely won’t be traded either.

Most likely Marte will be the starter at shortstop next season so either or both Miller and Taylor could be traded but that likelihood would happen in a multiplayer trade. Neither them would get much in a single player trade. I can see the Mariners trading any of the other players on the roster. After today we will know more for sure, and the days ahead.

I don’t see any trades happening until after the World Series unless it is a multiplayer trade. I am sure we will see a few transactions in the days ahead. They would be likely players that would be released that Dipoto sees no value in, and the Mariners could not get anything for them. Those I see would probably be those who right now are in the Mariners’ bullpen.

So everyone enjoy the last game of the season, and look forward to the off-season. Go Mariners!