The Mariners front office has made a lot of decisions that make you scratch your head and wonder “What were they thinking?” and they made another such move this week.  The Mariners traded 23 year old right-handed starting pitcher Yorman Bazardo to the Detroit Tigers for 24 year old outfielder Jeff Frazier.  Frazier had a bad season in A-ball where he hit .228 with 61 runs scored, 13 homers and 73 RBIs.  He also had a .625 OPS which is dowright awful for a 24 year old outfielder in A-ball.

The Mariners forced their own hand when they designated Bazardo for assignment on January 30th to make room on the roster for free-agent signee Jeff Weaver.  Still they should have at least got someone that could someday be a Mariner for a 23 year old starting pitcher that will someday be a major leaguer.

Japanese catcher Kenji Johjima was everything the Mariners thought he could be and more.  Johjima hit .291 with 18 homers and 76 RBIs as a 29-year old rookie last season.  He wasn’t fooled very much as a rookie as he only whiffed once out of every 11.0 at bats over the season.  That could mean his batting average will be even higher this season.  He hit all 18 of his homers against righties, which is a little bit strange.  He also will pump up his average if he just hits a little better at home as he hit .307 with 12 homers on the road.  Johjima did good in throwing out base runners as he sent 28% of them back to the dugout.  He made 7 errors and allowed 10 passed balls, so he needs to receive the ball a little better from his pitchers.

23 year old Rene Rivera had a rough season backing up Johjima and he’ll have to hold off competitors to keep his job this season.  Rivera only hit .152 with a .437 OPS.  He also took his hitting problems with him behind the plate as he made 3 errors and allowed 6 passed balls.  Rivera did throw the ball decent as he threw out 25% of the base stealers that challenged him.

35 year old Jamie Burke will battle Rivera for his job.  Burke hit .278, with 10 homers, 49 RBIs and had a .745 OPS in AAA last season.  He also has played in 73 major league games in his career and has a career batting average of .328 with a .773 OPS.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he beat Rivera out in Spring Training.

If something were to happen to Johjima, chances are the Mariners would give prized prospect Jeff Clement the job.  Clement split last season between AA and AAA and hit .263 with 6 homers, 42 RBIs and a .716 OPS.  He also will be a great trade chip if the Mariners think they need something to compete this year.

The Mariners signed Jim Parque to a minor league contract and have invited him to Spring Training.  The odds are definately not in Parque’s favor to make the roster.  He’s 31 years old and hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2003.  His last full season as a starting pitcher was 2000!   He has a career record of 31-34 with a 5.42 ERA and a 1.637 WHIP.

The Seattle Mariners have undergone a major facelift on the pitching staff.  They also have add two hitters that they hope will make a big impact for them this season.  The Mariners signed Jose Guillen to play RF for them.  He’s coming off an injury marred season that saw him only hit .216 with 9 home runs.  In 2004 and 2005, Guillen hit .289 and averaged 84.5 runs scored, 25.5 homers and 90 RBIs.  The Mariners are hoping that’s the Guillen they are getting.  The Mariners also traded for DH Jose Vidro.  Vidro used to play 2B but the Mariners want to lessen the strain on his knees so he can play more often.  The Mariners better hope that works because Vidro has only averaged 394.7 at bats per season in his last three.  He’s still a good hitter but his power has been sapped a little from all the injuries he’s suffered.

The Seattle Mariners have brought in three new starting pitchers and a couple of relievers that will make their team.  Jeff Weaver parlayed his fine post season into an $8 million contract with the Mariners.  Hard to believe Weaver got that after posting an 8-14 record and a 5.76 ERA for the Angels and Cardinals.  The Mariners also gave big money to Miguel Batista who was 11-8 with a 4.58 ERA for the Diamondbacks last season.  The final starter brought in was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in a trade.  The Mariners got lefty starter Horacio Ramirez for reliever Rafael Soriano.  Ramirez has had injury problems lately but he’s a decent pitcher.  The Mariners are banking on comeback seasons from Chris Reitsma and lefty Arthur Rhodes to help balance out the bullpen.  Reitsma was 1-2 with 8 saves and an ERA of 8.68 last season for the Braves.  Rhodes was 0-5 with 4 saves and a 5.32 ERA last season for the Phillies.  Righty Justin Lehr was also brought in to compete for a spot in the bullpen.