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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Where: Progressive Field.

When: Monday through Wednesday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, Monday and Tuesday. No TV Wednesday; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitching matchups: LHP Jason Vargas (7-11, 4.37) vs. RHP Fausto Carmona (6-12, 4.89) Monday at 7:05; RHP Blake Beavan (3-4, 4.10) vs. RHP Justin Masterson (10-7, 2.71) Tuesday at 1:05 p.m.; undecided vs. undecided Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.; RHP Felix Hernandez (11-11, 3.38) vs. RHP Josh Tomlin (12-6, 4.03), Wednesday at 12:05 p.m.

Season series: The Indians are 4-0 against the Mariners. The Indians lead Seattle, 200-154, overall.

Indians update: Coming off 2-4 trip against Chicago and Detroit. The Indians, playing the Mariners for the first time since May, have outscored them, 25-12. Shin-Soo Choo is hitting .400 (6-for-15) against his former team. Tomlin and Masterson are each 1-0 against Seattle.

Mariners update: They’ve lost five straight. They’re hitting only .180 (23-for-128) against the Tribe. Vargas, who has thrown three shutouts this year, is 0-1 against the Indians.

Injuries: Indians — 2B Jason Kipnis (right oblique, right hamstring), RHP Carlos Carrasco (right elbow), CF Grady Sizemore (right knee, hernia) and OF Trevor Crowe (right shoulder) are on the disabled list. DH Travis Hafner (right foot) is day to day. Mariners — 3B Chone Figgins (right hip), 1B Justin Smoak (fractured nose), 2B Jack Wilson (left heel), RHP Dave Aardsma (left hip, right shoulder), C Adam Moore (right knee), C Chris Gimenez (left oblique) are on the disabled list. SS Luis Rodriguez (right elbow) and 2B Brendan Ryan (left shoulder) are day to day.

Next: The Royals visit Progressive Field for a three-game series Friday.

Where: Progressive Field.

When: Monday through Wednesday.

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, Monday and Tuesday. No TV Wednesday; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitching matchups: LHP Jason Vargas (7-11, 4.37) vs. RHP Fausto Carmona (6-12, 4.89) Monday at 7:05; RHP Blake Beavan (3-4, 4.10) vs. RHP Justin Masterson (10-7, 2.71) Tuesday at 1:05 p.m.; undecided vs. undecided Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.; RHP Felix Hernandez (11-11, 3.38) vs. RHP Josh Tomlin (12-6, 4.03), Wednesday at 12:05 p.m.

Season series: The Indians are 4-0 against the Mariners. The Indians lead Seattle, 200-154, overall.

Indians update: Coming off 2-4 trip against Chicago and Detroit. The Indians, playing the Mariners for the first time since May, have outscored them, 25-12. Shin-Soo Choo is hitting .400 (6-for-15) against his former team. Tomlin and Masterson are each 1-0 against Seattle.

Mariners update: They’ve lost five straight. They’re hitting only .180 (23-for-128) against the Tribe. Vargas, who has thrown three shutouts this year, is 0-1 against the Indians.

Injuries: Indians — 2B Jason Kipnis (right oblique, right hamstring), RHP Carlos Carrasco (right elbow), CF Grady Sizemore (right knee, hernia) and OF Trevor Crowe (right shoulder) are on the disabled list. DH Travis Hafner (right foot) is day to day. Mariners — 3B Chone Figgins (right hip), 1B Justin Smoak (fractured nose), 2B Jack Wilson (left heel), RHP Dave Aardsma (left hip, right shoulder), C Adam Moore (right knee), C Chris Gimenez (left oblique) are on the disabled list. SS Luis Rodriguez (right elbow) and 2B Brendan Ryan (left shoulder) are day to day.

Next: The Royals visit Progressive Field for a three-game series Friday.

“The biggest play of the game was Johnny beating that ball out,” Rays center fielder B.J. Upton said. “That’s why we play the game the way we do.”

Hernandez (11-11) took a one-hitter in the eighth before the Rays’ put together the late rally. An out after pinch-hitter Sam Fuld lined an one-out, opposite-field single to left, Damon had a single before Longoria and Zobrist had consecutive RBI hits to put Tampa Bay ahead 3-2.

“That’s the one thing you can actually control in this game is hustle,” Damon said. “I’ve done it ever since I was a kid and I do it now, and it paid off. There’s been plenty of times this year when I missed it by a half step, but right there I showed the track wheels that I had back in the day.”

Seattle manager Eric Wedge felt Damon’s ball to third baseman Adam Kennedy should have resulted in an inning-ending out.

“It’s just a play that has to be made … Adam just took a little too much time getting it over there (the throw to first),” Wedge said. “Inning’s over, it’s a different ballgame.”

Kennedy, when making the play, didn’t feel like he took too long.

“I didn’t think so at the time, but he was getting down the line pretty well,” Kennedy said.

Juan Cruz (5-0) got two outs in the eighth for the win. Kyle Farnsworth pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.

Hernandez allowed three runs and six hits in eight innings. The 2010 AL Cy Young winner, who had nine strikeouts and three walks in his fourth complete games this season, felt like he had no-hit quality stuff.

“It was going to be something special,” Hernandez said. “Baseball is like that. It was a tough loss. Can’t do nothing about it.”

Kyle Seager put the Mariners up 2-1 with his first major league homer, a solo shot off Wade Davis leading off the seventh.

Trayvon Robinson doubled in the third and later scored from third to make it 1-0 when Rays’ shortstop Sean Rodriguez was charged with an error for an errant throw to the plate on Franklin Gutierrez’s grounder.

Davis gave up two runs and seven hits over seven innings. He struck out eight and walked two.

Hernandez peared to land wrong on an 0-2 pitch to Casey Kotchman in the fifth, but the right-hander wound up recording a strikeout. B.J. Upton then hit a one-out grounder that got past the glove-hand side of Kennedy for the Rays’ first hit.

“Just a couple tough plays for me and I didn’t make any of them,” Kennedy said.

After Upton stole second and third and Matt Joyce drew a walk, John Jaso tied at 1 on a sacrifice bunt. Upton had been 1 for 22 against Hernandez before the hit.

“It was a Bugs Bunny changeup, just diving off the table,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Hernandez. “There’s a reason this guy won the Cy Young.”

Mariners first baseman Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a second-inning infield single.

Seattle outfielder Casper Wells, hit by a pitch in the nose Wednesday, went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts as the designated hitter. Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo, who missed one game after being hit in the chin by a foul ball Tuesday, had a single in four at-bats.

NOTES: Seattle placed INF Jack Wilson (bruised left heel) on the 15-day disabled list and activated SS Brendan Ryan (left shoulder) from the DL. … Tampa Bay activated Jaso (right oblique) from the 15-day DL. C Robinson Chirinos was optioned to Triple-A Durham. … Mariners 3B Chone Figgins (right hip flexor) took grounders before the game. “He’s still going to need some time,” Wedge said. …. Seattle 1B Justin Smoak (broken nose) is taking batting practice and will be reevaluated in about a week. … Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (10-8), Saturday’s scheduled starter, allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings of last Saturday’s 9-2 loss to the New York Yankees. “The last start was pretty frustrating, dispointing,” Hellickson said. “One of those you try and forget about.” … Mariners LHP Charlie Furbush (3-4) will make his first career start against Tampa Bay Saturday.

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Evan Longoria and Ben Zobrist each had run-scoring singles with two outs during the eighth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays beat Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Friday night.

Hernandez (11-11) took a one-hitter in the eighth before the Rays’ put together the late rally. An out after pinch-hitter Sam Fuld lined an one-out, opposite-field single to left, Johnny Damon had an infield single before Longoria and Zobrist had consecutive RBI hits to put Tampa Bay ahead 3-2.

Juan Cruz (5-0) got two outs in the eighth for the win. Kyle Farnsworth pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.

Hernandez allowed three runs and six hits in eight innings. The 2010 AL Cy Young winner had nine strikeouts and two walks in his fourth complete games this season.

Kyle Seager put the Mariners up 2-1 with his first major league homer, a solo shot off Wade Davis leading off the seventh.

Trayvon Robinson doubled in the third and later scored from third to make it 1-0 when Rays’ shortstop Sean Rodriguez was charged with an error for an errant throw to the plate on Franklin Gutierrez’s grounder.

Davis gave up two runs and seven hits over seven innings. He struck out eight and walked two.

Hernandez peared to land wrong on an 0-2 pitch to Casey Kotchman in the fifth, but the right-hander wound up recording a strikeout. B.J. Upton then hit a one-out grounder that got past the glove-hand side of third baseman Adam Kennedy for the Rays’ first hit.

After Upton stole second and third and Matt Joyce drew a walk, John Jaso tied at 1 on a sacrifice bunt. Upton had been 1 for 22 against Hernandez before the hit.

Mariners first baseman Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a second-inning infield single.

Seattle outfielder Casper Wells, hit by a pitch in the nose Wednesday, went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts as the designated hitter. Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo, who missed one game after being hit in the chin by a foul ball Tuesday, had a single in four at-bats.

Notes: Seattle placed INF Jack Wilson (bruised left heel) on the 15-day disabled list and activated SS Brendan Ryan (left shoulder) from the DL. … Tampa Bay activated Jaso (right oblique) from the 15-day DL. C Robinson Chirinos was optioned to Triple-A Durham. … Mariners 3B Chone Figgins (right hip flexor) took grounders before the game. “He’s still going to need some time,” manager Eric Wedge said. …. Seattle 1B Justin Smoak (broken nose) is taking batting practice and will be reevaluated in about a week. … Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson (10-8), Saturday’s scheduled starter, allowed four runs and eight hits in 4 1-3 innings of last Saturday’s 9-2 loss to the New York Yankees. “The last start was pretty frustrating, dispointing,” Hellickson said. “One of those you try and forget about.” … Mariners LHP Charlie Furbush (3-4) will make his first career start against Tampa Bay Saturday.

By Marc Topkin, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Friday, August 19, 2011

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Last modified: Aug 18, 2011 09:40 PM

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