Is Seattle an ugly duckling now?

[Sticky Spice]

I could have missed this being a Seattle fan, but it seems like players just don't want to come play for us. I wonder if it's just that we're geographically a bit isolated or the weather or what, but it seems like we have to settle for the bottom of the barrel unless we overpay.

I hate it for teams like KC and Pitt trying to improve their teams and nobody will take the money, but I never considered that it was happening to my team too.

[brandnew]

???

Beltre, Sexson? What cases are you talking about of FA's not coming?

[TheYanks04]

Well it is perceived to:

a. be a bad place for a hitter
b. be an organization not committed to winning (see Piniella)
c. Has Mr. Nintendo or whatever his name is more concerned about making some Yen as opposed to winning a pennant.
d. all the bad weather.

I do not think it is in the KC class for sure, but the attraction is not tremendous for anyone not from Japan at least. Add in some horrific signings in the past few years, the implosion of Bret Boone and roids, the aging of Moyer, etc.and a now perceived non-contender status.

Seriously, for a team that should be floating in it to have the likes of Dan WIlson being the best Catcher they could get for years and Moyer being their ace is sort of ridiculous.

[The Cow]

The team just isn't that good

[Sticky Spice]

I felt like they had to overpay Beltre who had the one good year, and I guess they didn't overpay for Sexson, but they had to take a chance on a guy coming off a major injury.

I wonder if Hispanic players just plain hate the weather. We don't have a bit of humidity even though our season are more mild than some southern cities. Oh, and for you Californians that rain thing is awful!!

Not that it's only Hispanics turning their nose up at us. I felt like Lou Piniella was a winner in Seattle even if he's crazy. And Dan Wilson has far more baseball value than you realize. Sorry if he couldn't win you your fantasy league

[brandnew]

They might be pretty decent next year. Clement in the minors is a stud. Johjima should be good at that price.

Washburn is a horrible signing, but having Felix and some nice offense might keep them as a decent team.

[The Cow]

Yeah I doubt players are crazy about the whole rain thing.

[TheYanks04]

Wilson may be a decent C defensively, but come on. A serious contender can't be running what amounts to an out out there that often. He is strictly backup material. They simply did not want to pay for a C...just like they did not want to pay for top-flight pitching, which is why RJ and Garcia are gone.

You can argue the value of whatever they got in return, but for as long as I can remember the Ms have penny pinched in MR and on the starting staff and C. And 3b has always been a basket case for them ever since Edgar stopped playing the field. Their attempts to fix it have led to Cirillo and now Beltre on bad contracts.

They have a lot of money and act as if they are strapped for cash all the time (until just recently). Sometimes you get what you pay for and sometimes a bad GM will bring you down.

[HOOTIE]

I can't think of anyone lately saying, no i won't go to Seattle? Maybe 12 years ago, yes. Safeco is a hitters nightmare, but it didn't stop Ichiro, Sexson, Beltre, Ibanez, Everett, and Jojima signing here. And Edgar said if he was ever traded, he would retire. Sexson last year in Safeco, posted his career high in ops+. Tejada would be here had Baltimore not outbid Seattle. As far as hispanics, i disagree. While they may not be hispanics, Garcia, Edgar, Arod, Cora, Ibanez, Sasaki, Hasagawa, Guardado, Beltre are not of American ancestry. Brandnew, i'm glad you mentioned Clement. Nice looking power hitting C. Things change quickly in bb. Seattle went from 91 wins to 116. They went from 93 wins to 63. They had to get Washburn or Millwood. Other then the length, i don't have a problem with it. I will be surprised if they don't hit .500. It's not a playoff team, but it's not a bad team either.

[brandnew]

They were penny-pichers in the past, but not anymore. And Garcia is hardly top-flight pitching. He was a mediocre pitcher who didn't deserve the money he got.