In case you haven't been closely following the box score, you may not have noticed that Richie Sexson has not seen action in 3 straight games. Miguel Cairo has instead been taking the duties at 1B. Could it be that Sexson has seen his last action in Seattle? I believe so.
Who knows, Sexson may play a game or two this weekend, but his time is up. The Mariners have been extremely aggressive in trying to work out a deal with Scott Hatteberg, who was designated for assignment by the Reds after the call-up of Jay Bruce. I am a fan of Hatteberg. He is a good fielder, and a "Moneyball" player in terms of his approach at the plate. He would be virtually the only hitter besides Ichiro on this team with some kind of plate discipline.
Here's the kicker: Can the Mariners get any value for Sexson? The Answer: Not really. If they are lucky, they can get "a player to be named later" from a team to get them to take a chance on The Big Sexy. Otherwise, they will just outright release him, as he is not likely to accept a minor league assignment.
Lets just hope Bavasi doesn't screw this situation up as he has in the past.
Comments
Part of the problem in thse kind of situations is that you want to show other teams that the guy can still play, which is why so many managers will continue to "showcase" the guy by continuing to run him out there, hoping he'll catch fire and increase his value. Bravo to McLaren (and presumably Bavasi) for not falling into this trap.
I agree that they're unlikely to get anything for Sexson, but I'm not as crazy about Hatteberg, who offers little more than that vaunted plate discipline--with the Reds he was 7-52, and his 7 BB only brings his .173 average up to a whopping .262 OBP. There's something to be said for a veteran presence in the clubhouse, especially from a guy with NW roots, but taking on the 38-yr-old Hatteberg is a stopgap solution at best.
Better than Sexson, yes, but that's not saying much.