The Mariners had a terrible 2011 season (Thanks Captain Obvious!). Despite this uninspiring and downright gut-wrenching bomb (17 game losing streak) of a season, I do applaud one thing: the Mariners brass made a commitment to letting young players play.
Now with that last statement comes an instant realization your beloved team is bad. If your lineup is filled with rookies/sub 25′s/ and half the active 25-man roster was with another organization in March, you’re fielding a Triple-A talent level team. And ultimately that leads to many losses. Growing pains so to speak. GM Jack committed to this around the time Dustin Ackley finally got the call from Tacoma in June. Guys like Carlos Peguero and Mike Wilson came before him… but you catch my drift.
However, one thing I still do not understand, is the fact Jack Cust was on this team until AUGUST. When Mike Carp was called up the first time, he sat the pine while a useless Jack Cust was penciled in somewhere between the 3-6 spot in the lineup.
Carp was sent back to Tacoma, caught fire once again, was recalled and you know the rest. But manager Eric Wedge trotted Cust out there despite the fact all of us knew he was horrible. It was incredibly frustrating and something I’ll never understand. Luckily Carp got the chance to play everyday once Cust left for good.
I would have been sick to my stomach had Mike Carp left this organization before we got the chance to see his future role on this team. Think of Mike Morse (info below that makes me wanna cry). Carp has a spot on this team in 2012. Whether it’s as a full-time DH or a hybrid DH/1B/LF, I don’t care. He needs to be on this team and play every day.
So it got me thinking about just who the Mariners in fact traded and released during this clunker of a season. When the chips are down, you’d expect a lot of the guys being DFA’d, but that wasn’t really the case. It felt like a door was constantly swinging from Tacoma to Seattle with left fielders. Blake Beavan was called up once and never went back. Josh Lueke, Tom Wilhelmsen and a cast of misfits felt like they’d be up, then down, and be back by default.
Research below. And I promise you will not miss the ones released, but may miss one or two of the traded (Dougy!). Educate yourselves. Thanks!
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Mariners Traded in the 2011 season:
7/29 – Ryan Langerhans “purchased” by Arizona Diamondbacks (I’ll categorize this a trade more than a release. Cool?)
- Seattle: 19 games, .173 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI (Earned an Opening Day roster spot/Gutierrez was hurt)
- Triple-A Tacoma: 57 games, .313 AVG, 16 HR, 37 RBI
- Triple-A Reno: 38 games, .308 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI
- June 28, 2009: Traded by the Washington Nationals to the Seattle Mariners for Michael Morse
- Morse in 2011?: 31 HR… yes, 31.
7/30 – Doug Fister & David Pauley traded to Detroit Tigers
- Fister with Mariners: 21 starts, 3-12, 3.33 ERA
- Fister with Tigers: 11 games (10 starts), 8-1, 1.79 ERA — Amazing!
- Pauley with Mariners: 39 games, 5-4, 54.1 IP, 2.15 ERA
- Pauley with Tigers: 14 games, 0-2, 19.2 IP, 5.95 ERA
7/31 – Erik Bedard traded to Boston Red Sox
- Bedard with Mariners: 16 starts, 4-7, 3.45 ERA
- Bedard with Red Sox: 8 starts, 1-2, 4.03 ERA
8/31 – Jack Wilson traded to Atlanta Braves
- Wilson with Mariners: 62 games, .249 AVG, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 9 BB in 187 PA
- Wilson with Braves: 15 games, .235 AVG, 0 RBI, 1 walk in 37 PA, -0.3 WAR
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Mariners Released in the 2011 season:
5/9 – Milton Bradley
- Did not play baseball again this season
Unemployed.... yet very wealthy
8/4 – Jack Cust
- 6 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley (Phillies)
- 5-20, HR, 3 RBI (August 13-19) — Released for reason I could not find
8/15 – Chris Ray
- Did not play baseball again this season — made more beer
9/1 – Matt Tuiasosopo (with Tacoma)
- Did not play baseball again this season
- I felt the need to add Tui because so many people wanted him to workout here. He never did. His last name carried him. He was a 3rd round pick that was paid like a Top 15 pick. For all intensive purposes, he is a big bust.
Paid well... never got it going ever in Seattle
