The first day of the rest of the Mariners' sorry lives commenced on Friday, as their future increasingly came into focus -- or not. First, the not: the M's lineup was still littered with names like Cairo and Johjima who shouldn't be taking up precious field space. Meanwhile, the star of the show was a guy who probably won't be occupying the M's lineup much longer.
If you saw Raul Ibanez voguing as he rounded the bases during his second-inning grand slam against the Indians, it would be no surprise. His is the M's name most often bandied about as bait before the trading deadline. Published reports say the Diamondbacks and Mets have been kicking the tires of the 36-year-old slugger and clubhouse dean. Said manager Jim Riggleman about Ibanez's preparation: "He does so much. He's in great physical shape, and he spends a great deal of time in the batting cage every day. He's relentless in there."
On the other hand, one of the Mariners' other tradeable assets could be sidelined longer than expected. Reports say unenthusiastic "ace" Erik Bedard might not pitch before August. That would give him exactly zero more starts for the Mariners to put lipstick on this pig before the deadline. So Bedard's already-diminished trade value takes another hit.
Therefore, here's the Mariners' short-term future in a nutshell: they must trade the productive hitter and good clubhouse citizen, while keeping (or getting limited value for) the underachieving locker room schlub. As Dave Niehaus might say: "Mariners Baseball: My Oh My."
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