“I don’t think it’s in our best interest to do that,” Zduriencik said on a conference call Tuesday. “I ologize. I wish I could tell you a little more, but I don’t think it’s fair for us.”

Zduriencik spoke ahead of baseball’s winter meetings, which get started Monday in Dallas. Zduriencik said his priorities remain adding a bat to the lineup, getting a left-hander for the bullpen and trying to find a veteran starter for a young rotation that includes ace Felix Hernandez and promising right-hander Michael Pineda.

But when the topic turned to Fielder, Zduriencik picked his words carefully, saying he did not want to talk specifics. He added that in a situation like Fielder’s, where he is one of the top free agents available and a player Zduriencik has known since he was a teenager, relationships are important but probably become secondary.

“A lot of times these come down to what the player and agent views as the best opportunity for them and they have to gauge that on many fronts,” Zduriencik said. “I’ve known Prince since he was a young kid in high school, but in the end, Prince or any other player has to do what’s best for their best interest.”

Among the many issues for Zduriencik’s young team, Seattle’s offense had a serious lack of power in 2011. The Mariners hit just .233 as a team and finished last in the American League in batting average, runs, hits, total bases, RBIs, slugging and on-base percentage.

Only three Seattle hitters reached double figures in home runs — none had more than Miguel Olivo’s 19 — and the Mariners hit 109 for the season. Fielder wouldn’t solve all of Seattle’s offensive woes, but he fits the profile of the left-handed slugger the team has lacked in the past.

“There are a few options out there that would fill some needs that we have. But on any of these things you’re going to have to figure out where it ends up at. Often times the years of the contract are factors, the dollars tied in are factors and where you currently stand is a factor as well,” Zduriencik said. “There is a point with any player that you can go down a road a certain distance and find out it’s not exactly as far as you want to go. I think a lot of that ends up in the air. I think we will explore several options, even via trade if possible.”

Zduriencik said the team doesn’t have an offer out to any free agents right now. Seattle did complete a trade last weekend, sending right-handed reliever Josh Lueke to Tampa Bay for backup catcher John Jaso. He added that getting an experienced starting pitcher to complement Hernandez, Pineda and a handful of other options may need to come via trade.

“We have a couple of very nice pieces,” Zduriencik said. “It would be good to add a veteran guy to this. How we get there, I don’t know.”

___

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Copyright 2011 The . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t get me wrong. If the Seattle Mariners sign free-agent Prince Fielder(notes) to a contract, I am not going to complain. Given the fact that the Mariner offense has been absolutely dreadful the last few years, Fielder would represent a huge upgrade to the lineup. The presence of Fielder could send ripples throughout the entire team and infuse an immense amount of confidence into a group of hitters that has been searching for a go-to slugger. Amidst all the positives of signing Fielder, there are some negatives to consider.

One chance at success

I don’t want to say that Fielder would represent the only chance for free agent success. However, Prince is not going to come che. My fear would be that if Seattle signed Fielder, they would not have the payroll to sign anyone else. As mentioned, Fielder would be a huge upgrade to the lineup, but Seattle needs more than just one bat. If Fielder was signed but didn’t produce in a couple of years, the contract could hamper the M’s for years to come. Seattle is not the New York Yankees, and they cannot afford to absorb numerous bad contracts.

Weighty issues

Let’s be honest. Prince Fielder is a big man. So far his girth has not been a major problem as he has missed only 13 games in the last six seasons. However, I would worry about a man with his particular physique. Anyone can get hurt in Major League Baseball, but it seems logical to assume that someone who is 5-11 and 275 pounds might be more prone to weight-induced injuries as they get a little older.

Past failures

As a fan, I might just be a little gun-shy. The Adrian Beltre(notes) experiment was arguably a failure and the second half of the Richie Sexson contract was pretty much a disaster. Then there was Carlos Silva(notes), which may have been the worst Mariners free agent signing ever. In addition, Seattle still has Chone Figgins(notes) on the books for two more seasons, and he was supposed to be a solid free agent signing. This isn’t to say that the Mariners can’t sign good free agents, but they have had some difficulties in recent years when they try to make a big splash.

Again, if Fielder is hitting bombs at Safeco Field next year, I won’t complain. I just hope that if he comes, Jack Z knows what he is doing.

Sources:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-passan_10_degrees_pujols_fielder_free_agents_112711

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7290/career;_ylt=Ai.ZsDuWx8CAY99GzTi4Gh6FCLcF

The author lives in Los Angeles, but grew up in Seattle and still roots faithfully for the Mariners even though they are sometimes frustrating to watch. He gets to Seattle whenever he can to see his M’s.

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The Seattle Mariners pulled off a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday (Nov. 27) to acquire a backup catcher for the 2012 season. The Mariners brought in left-handed-hitting John Jaso(notes) in exchange for pitcher Josh Lueke(notes) and a player to be named or cash considerations. The two aforementioned players are the main parts of the deal though, and fans shouldn’t worry that another good asset will get sent to Tampa Bay in the near future.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik talked about the trade on Sunday, stating that, “John gives us a left-handed-hitting catcher with some big league time who is still young.” He also provides the Mariners with some experience playing in the postseason, as he played a lot for the Rays in the 2011 season. Over three years with Tampa Bay, he posted a .245 batting average with 10 home runs and 71 RBIs in 595 at-bats.

This isn’t one of those deals that Mariners fans should get over excited about, but it does give the team depth at the catcher position for the 2012 season. Adam Moore(notes) is one of the pla yers competing for that backup slot, but he missed most of the last season due to injury and it is unclear if he is ready to hit Major League pitching yet.

Giving up just Lueke so far isn’t a bad deal for the Mariners either, as he struggled to really find a place with the organization. In 25 games last season, he pitched just 32.2 innings, but gave up 22 runs. His ERA of 6.06 and WHIP of 1.44 is not something that fans will miss in the bullpen either.

It’s good to see that the Mariners are making moves to shore up the 25-man roster, even if this will get considered as a small one in the scheme of things. The truth is that the Mariners desperately needed a backup catcher with how much work Miguel Olivo(notes) had to put in last year, and this trade is a pretty good one for the team.

Hopefully it isn’t the last move that the team makes this offseason, but this is definitely one that will help improve the roster for the 2012 season. It is safe to pencil in Jaso as the opening day backup catcher unless something drastically changes over the next few months.

More From YCN :

Offseason_Mariners_Signings

Mariners Release Spring Training Schedule

Houston_Comes_To_AL_West

Mariners_Retain_All_Coaches

Mariners_2012_Schedule_Released

References:

Mariners_Pitching_Stats

Mariners_Hitting_Stats

Best_Mariners_Of_All_Time

Seattle_Mariners_Team_Page

*Ryan is a lifelong Seattle Mariners fan who never misses an opportunity to attend a game at Safeco Field. He has been attending games since 1985, and has fond memories of The Kingdome, Edgar Martinez, and the historic 1995 team. Sodo Mojo!

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Seattle Mariners pulled off a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday (Nov. 27) to acquire a backup catcher for the 2012 season. The Mariners brought in left-handed-hitting John Jaso(notes) in exchange for pitcher Josh Lueke(notes) and a player to be named or cash considerations. The two aforementioned players are the main parts of the deal though, and fans shouldn’t worry that another good asset will get sent to Tampa Bay in the near future.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik talked about the trade on Sunday, stating that, “John gives us a left-handed-hitting catcher with some big league time who is still young.” He also provides the Mariners with some experience playing in the postseason, as he played a lot for the Rays in the 2011 season. Over three years with Tampa Bay, he posted a .245 batting average with 10 home runs and 71 RBIs in 595 at-bats.

This isn’t one of those deals that Mariners fans should get over excited about, but it does give the team depth at the catcher position for the 2012 season. Adam Moore(notes) is one of the pla yers competing for that backup slot, but he missed most of the last season due to injury and it is unclear if he is ready to hit Major League pitching yet.

Giving up just Lueke so far isn’t a bad deal for the Mariners either, as he struggled to really find a place with the organization. In 25 games last season, he pitched just 32.2 innings, but gave up 22 runs. His ERA of 6.06 and WHIP of 1.44 is not something that fans will miss in the bullpen either.

It’s good to see that the Mariners are making moves to shore up the 25-man roster, even if this will get considered as a small one in the scheme of things. The truth is that the Mariners desperately needed a backup catcher with how much work Miguel Olivo(notes) had to put in last year, and this trade is a pretty good one for the team.

Hopefully it isn’t the last move that the team makes this offseason, but this is definitely one that will help improve the roster for the 2012 season. It is safe to pencil in Jaso as the opening day backup catcher unless something drastically changes over the next few months.

More From YCN :

Offseason_Mariners_Signings

Mariners Release Spring Training Schedule

Houston_Comes_To_AL_West

Mariners_Retain_All_Coaches

Mariners_2012_Schedule_Released

References:

Mariners_Pitching_Stats

Mariners_Hitting_Stats

Best_Mariners_Of_All_Time

Seattle_Mariners_Team_Page

*Ryan is a lifelong Seattle Mariners fan who never misses an opportunity to attend a game at Safeco Field. He has been attending games since 1985, and has fond memories of The Kingdome, Edgar Martinez, and the historic 1995 team. Sodo Mojo!

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

By Brendan Porath

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Nov 27, 2011 – The Tampa Bay Rays have traded catcher John Jaso to the Seattle Mariners for right handed reliever Josh Lueke. The reliever comes to Tampa from Seattle with a 6.06 ERA and 1-1 record in 25 games last year for the Mariners. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times first broke the news. Topkin also tweeted a quote from the Rays Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, who talked about what Lueke can bring to the club in 2012.

Rays Friedman on Lueke: “Josh has the stuff to get hitters out in the AL East and began to show that during 2nd half of last season.”

Lueke does have a criminal incident in his recent past revolving around a report that surfaced when he was traded to Seattle from Texas as part of the Cliff Lee deal. Lueke initially faced charges of re but agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge of false imprisonment with violence. Topkin also tweeted that Friedman stated the Rays were aware of the incident and had done their due diligence on his background and character.

“We’re satisfied that he is going to be the kind of person and teammate that we look for and we expect him to contribute positively to our group.”

For more on the Rays, visit SB Nation’s Rays blog, DRaysBay.

Read More: John Jaso (C – TAM), Josh Lueke (P – SEA), Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners

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