couldnt let the guy finish his career here, and retire as a Mariner? of course not, thats too logical of thinking... and the Yankees just got a little bit better...

thanks Ichiro, you will always be one of the best to play for the M's...

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/...-york-yankees/1

I wish him all the best and hope he gets to play in the world series. He has earned it.

Not a bad move at all, his contract is up his abilities are down and they got some good young arms for him. Thanks for the good years but your time was up Ichiro.

we got 2 minor league no bodies, for a guy that can make any line up better, put him on a team (like the Yankees), that plays better ball than the M's always, and watch out... he now has a shot at the WS, something he never had here, because the Mariners are stupid...

the Mariners havent done sh!t since 2001 the year they got Ichiro as a rookie... just after they traded Griffey, the year they lost Buhner to retirement, and a few years later lost Edgar to retirement...

we have one good player in Felix, the rest of the team sucks, and their records the last 10 years reflect that... that would be the front offices fault... because they are stupid...

I like the move. His career with Seattle was over after this season anyway.
Seems our resident board GM fails to consider that Ichiro was a 10 & 5 player, so he agreed to the trade.
I hope he does well with the Yanks and thanks for your time with the M's.

uhhhh, salmo, i most certianly could win this...

the M's suck, we have one good player, in Felix... which they will likely trade to some team for some "bats", get a bunch of idiots like FIggins or the like, and be garbage for the next 10 years...

wanna know why the Yanks have been so good throughout history?

BECAUSE THEY HAD THE BEST PLAYERS, and they played as a TEAM... every time the M's have a super star that slips a little, they trade him for no bodies, that NEVER work out...

name 1 player that has worked out on trades... but, you cant, because nothing has worked since 2001, they have been a joke, and will continue to be a joke, because of stupidity like this...

the majority of the players on the 95 and 01 teams were here already, and that was when we had some of the best in the league ie Buhner, Griffey, Martines, Cameron, ect...

then, we trade players like Randy Johnson, and he goes on to win the WS in the same year that we won 116 games, so once again, its back to stupidity by the teams in Seattle, the Mariners arent the only team to do stupid sh!t either... the Sonics had Pippen, and traded him for Polenice, howd that one work out?

Red hook proving he's an idiot in all fields

prove me wrong, until then, dont say a damn word...

the M's have been around since the late 70s and have 2 good seasons, and you say they are doing OK?


seriously?

i know Griffey was drafted, straight out of HS... and the other players (our best players EVER) that you are using, that i said, really dont have a place here, because they were all on the team TOGETHER, at one time, and had success...

name some players that we traded, that we got other players for, that made the M's a winning team, since 1977, with the exception of the 95 and 01 (which the Yankees beat us in the ALCS)... matter of fact, name ONE player....

there isnt any, because 95,97, and01 are the only winning seasons that they have had, and i dont mean winning by being over 500, i mean winning like DOING something, which clearly, they havent... you can have .999 win ratio, and it dont mean sh!t if you dont get to the playoffs, therefore, you arent a winning team... a winning team, wins PENNANTS, not just games...

the M's are a joke, and now, hve likely lost alot of fanbase because of their stupidity... just making it that much easier to be sold...

oh yeah, there was the 2000 season too, which they lost to, wait for it, the Yankees in the ALCS as well... other than that, they have been crap, because they cant make a team...because they trade all their good players for garbage players...

salmo, what i dont like, is that a player comes to this team, plays his A$$ off for them, getting 10 AS appearences, and they sh!t on him...

they offered him an extension, but he declined it... thats probably because Chone "jackass" Figgins gets paid more than he does, and hasnt done SH!T here... id be pissed too...

like it or not, baseball and all sports revolve around money, if you dont pay it, they players will go elsewhere (A Rod ring a bell?), and with a company such as Nintendo (a billion dollar company) owning the team, one would think that money isnt an issue...

you cant build a team around a bunch of bull crap, which is what the M's are trying to accomplish... good players are good for a reason, they were always good, there isnt a ton of players that started in the Minors and became superstars, it doesnt work that way...

Seattle screws their fans, players, and teams all the time... and quite frankly, im getting sick of it...

All you have is opinions RedHook, not facts. Ichiro asked for a trade.

This is good for the M's ... and it amounts to "benching" an underperforming player in a face-saving way. He's barely a replacement value player at this point, he's (at least previous to 2012) been a PITA about where he bats, and where he plays in the field. And he's provided zero leadership for the team.

REDHOOK:
Signing A-Rod would have been dumb at the numbers Texas paid, so don't try to tell me letting him go was bad business OR baseball decision because it's not.

The M's have spent MORE than enough $$ to be competitive. NO it's not Yankees money, but it's not their CHEAPNESS that has killed them. It's primarily their insistence on overpaying for NL + Right Handed offensive players under Bavasi...

Secondarily, if you want to point out dumb things, it was the Bedard trade (Bavasi). THAT is dumb, but you're pointing at all the wrong things of course...

Laughably (and provably) misinformed is "thats probably because Chone "jackass" Figgins gets paid more than he does". The fact? Ichro makes $18M this year, Figgins $9m.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUwSxqnRW-8

I have always rooted for Ichiro like I did for Edgar. Not because they were the greatest ballplayers (though they were very good in their prime) but because they were even better people.

I wish him luck.

correct JG, but that was after he was offered a BS extension...

he asked for a trade to a "contending team", which the M's clearly are not, and the Yankees clearly are...

aaaannnd, that is because, the M's are stupid, suck, and dont care to be a team like the Yankees, with the expection of the couple years, the last 25 years proves that... i dont blame him for being upset, i would be too, after all he did for the"team" they couldnt help him out... one player isnt a "team"...

the facts are, the M's dont care about winning, well, atleast the owners and other higher ups... if they did, they would have done something by now...

and no, im not a Yankees fan, although i do like the greats like Ford, Mantle, Ruth, Gherig, Jackson, Rizzuto, Dimaggio, Goose, Berra, and the likes...

you extend Ichiro to let him finish out his career that he busted his a$$ for that team... its out of RESPECT.. although, respect has no buisness in sports, or money, so its moot...

they will not be better, the Yankees will be better, watch... not like they need to be better than the number 1 team (record wise) in baseball... this just makes them that much better, and it will show...

like i said, we have 1 good player (Hernandez)... 1 player doesnt make a team...

This thread is killing me. RH- first you argue that you keep Ichiro out of respect, then in the same post say respect has no business in sports. Did you just start this thread because you ran out of beer, lose your camera or did your xbox break? It has to be something, because no one (besides a woman) can be this ignorant to how a sports team conducts business.

you clearly didnt read that correctly, try again...


salmo, the problem is, those 4-5 young kids wont do SH!T here, history has proven that...

and i dont even like baseball, a team with a 80 million dollar a year payout, will not compete with a team that pays 150+ million, again, its being proven, time, and time, and time again.. but the M's keep trying...... and failing...

how much did the Braves pay out with Justice and Maddux , Glavine, Smoltz, Gant, Jones, and the likes? they may have been a low paying team, but im not sure... and if they are, they are the only one... but, all those players are greats.... and played as a team... that was built as a team... take Justice away, and they wouldnt have done what they did...

All I know is, football starts in a few weeks............then I'll care even less about baseball, if that's even possible.

Well the 2011 World Series Champion had a payroll of less than 110 million so I guess they compete with those teams with 150 million plus. Also the Texas Rangers last year had a payroll of less than 100 million (they did pretty well against those 150 million plus teams).
Money doesn't always convert to wins in baseball, the team with the second highest payroll in baseball is last place in their division.

good point Dan...

like i said, i dont even like baseball anymore, because the M's have screwed off for the last decade... but tonight, im watching, atleast the first couple at bats and such for Ichiro, because i respect him as a player...

funny thing, the Yanks line up was shown...

3 former Mariners, on the best team in baseball.... wonder who the smart one is....

Oh god... I can't wait to here red hook talk out of his [Bleeeeep!] about football...

And all 3 of them will platoon, so yes they may have a chance at the ring but then again they are making starting player money for part time work. Who is smarter? The answer is easy if you actually understand business.

you arent getting what im saying....

did any of those teams let their best player go?

the Yankees generally always spend the most, although, not every year theres a few they havent been the top... because they want the BEST players... their 27 titles and 40 pennants shows that...

i said i dont like baseball, not that i dont follow it...

its hear smartass...

see its this type stuff that pisses me off.. i try to express an opinion, about something i dont like, and people start with names, piss me off, and act like im the one doing it... you all are entitled to your opinions, and i dont say anything to you about it...


salmo, with the exception of you calling me a "moron fan", you have been interesting to talk to about baseball...

i still dont agree with this trade tho, he WAS the M's, now the M's have noone.... except Felix, and believe, he will be dealt with his 19.7 million dollar salary if he wants out... its what the M's do best, screw the fans, get rid of their best players, and settle for farm league no bodies...

but you still feel the need to pretend you know what you are talking about?

lol strong retard pls go

Well I will agree the Yankees got a lot of titles/pennants but that is not just because of their payroll. SInce Free agency began the Yankees have got 7 titles. So if money was every thing they should have more in the last 43 years. They have had the highest payroll since 99 and only have 3 titles in that span.

what?


what was the payroll of the 1956 Yankees, you know, one of the years they won the WS...

or howbout the RUth era, from 1915,16,and 18 with the Red Sox, then the Yankees of 23,27,28 and 32?

they have ALWAYS had the best players... some, are the best to ever step foot on the field... more than any other team probably... i wont say deffinately, because i could be wrong, but im probably not...

They have the highest payroll because they pay high for Free Agents. So since Free agency started in 1969 I can't tell you what they paid for Ruth but I would assume it was the same as the Red Sox were paying him since he was traded. Damn are you really this dumb or do you do this on purpose to just screw with people.

did you ever think that maybe i like to talk about things to further learn, and discuss things for entertainment, knowledge, and just to BS?

no

because you people are too focused on your desicion that im stupid, to even hold a conversation with someone about something...


since you cant have a normal conversation, MODS, delete this thread please...

for the record, i believe Ruth got more money with the Yankees, if i remember right, even the movie showed that...

ill remember to not talk about sports, politics, fishing, photography, or anything else since im so boring to talk to and dont know anything about any of it... have fun with that one...

thought the same thing and i think that he will actually do quite well for the yanks

Doesn't Swisher normally play right field? Ichiro is going to be in Left.

Funny how someone in this discussion has forgot about the importance of the farm system in Baseball.

The M's didn't trade there best player as you claim. Their best player is Felix.
It has been proven many times it is better to trade someone before they peak then to hold onto them to long. You then get maximum value in return. They held on to Ichiro to long.
What do you think they could have gotten for him two years ago before his average started to slide?

It certainly did. They still should have moved him two years ago.

my favorite thing about this website is the trick the guys and gals (ranty m ) do when they are always hitting the refresh button (f5) but their little smiley faces remain grey

I think my favorite fan is the guy who always says: the M's suck because they always trade their good players for young guys and the good players go somewhere else and produce. Guess what: that is an epidemic throughout baseball. There are Yankee prospects and established players all over baseball too.

Trying to compare the M's to the Yankees is apples and oranges. Yankee payroll is over 200 million because they have their own broadcast system, as do the Angels, the Rangers and the Red Sox. Notice how good the Braves have been since Turner sold TBS and its no longer the Braves SuperStation?

Now, to clear up a couple RH factoids: 1) The M's were forced to trade Randy Johnson as he tanked it the first have of the year. The M's wanted to extend his contract and were willing to pay but Randy decided he wanted to leave and then turned around and flamed the M's in the media. He was a great pitcher but a moody SOB who almost got himself stuffed in his locker by David Sequi one night.

Arod: turned down a 4 year contract from the M's that would have paided him an annual salary very close to the Rangers annual salary. Rangers went 7 years and bankrupted their franchise. MLB had to step in and run it while it was sold to Nolan Ryan.

Griffey, forced a trade.

Ichiro, hitting .280 and declining. Now batting 8th for the Yankees and will be a platoon player for the remainder of the year and will be a free agent at the end of the season.

As for the current state of the M's: Yes they have been bad since 2001 and there are several reasons for this. 1) The success of 2000-2002 took a serious toll on the farm system. To bring in veterans like Boone, Olerud, Maclemore and others draft picks were lost. When you sign free agents, you lose draft picks depending on the class of free agent you sign. Then Bavasi's draft picks were all wash outs except for Felix. Mix in a few free agent signings, the Bedard trade and you are where you are now: rebuilding again. Have mistakes been made? Absolutely. The fruits of the Cliff Lee trade have not been realized as of yet. The Figgins signing has been a disaster, but some have worked out too. That is baseball. There isn't a single GM in baseball with a 100% trade/FA track record. Cashman has been hosed many times too. There is a kid with the Dodgers tearing it up and the Yankees gave up on him. It happens every season all over baseball.

So what happens now: the M's would have been stupid to resign Ichiro in the off season. It doesn't make baseball sense and it would be very bad business. Ichiro isn't even the 4th best player on this team this year. Seager is better, Ackley is a better lead off hitter, Felix is way better, and the OF we aquired from Detroit will be better than Ichiro with regular playing time. It was time to go. The 2001 team got really old in 2002 and went down quick. Holding onto veteran players for respect and so they can maybe get to 3000 hits instead of moving them out when they start to decline is a recipe to end up right where we are now. See the Celtics at the end of the McCale/Bird era for a prime example.

Redhook, isn't it about time for your Michael Vick is the greatest ever posts to start? Since Iceshark has sworn off his 49ers pre-training camp "the 49ers are God's team" posts across the way, I need a good chuckle or two.

you wanna bring Vick into this now?

you all trashed me on GF saying Vick was garbage, never would amount to sh!t as a QB, garbage garbage garbage...


hows that one workin out?


i thought so...

Felix may be a better "player" if you want to call it that, but hes a PITCHER, PITCHERS DONT SCORE POINTS, last i checked, points are needed to win games, and thats what the HITTERS do...

Ichiro is kinda like Barry Sanders, busted his a$$ off for how many years after being a rookie for the team and got sh!t on in the end, because the team is too stupid to build around a "great" like Ichiro is....

put 7 bullsh!t players on a team, with one good one, and you have a team with 7 bullsh!t players and one good one.... put a good player with a team, with 5 other good ones, and well, you will see what happens....

oh yeah, tommorow, another Mariner is going to pitch against us... Freddy Garcia...

the M's will likely be gone in 10 years or sooner... just like the Sonics.. because of stupid business practices..

8-8 again this year will get Vick and Andy Reid a 1 way ticket out of town, and before you start preaching the Eagles and Vicks greatness for this season, remember, they were the concensus pick to win the East last year.

Barry Sanders and Ichiro: now that's funny.

I won't claim to know baseball, but I think the Ichiro trade was long overdue, and they probably missed a chance to acquire some good, maybe even proven players by not trading him sooner. As great as he was for about 8 years, his salary has likely been among the major factors holding the team back from rebuilding more quickly. I suspect we'll see his numbers improve in New York. Why? Because that team's batting order is solid, top to bottom. There's protection all aver the place, which means all players get lots of good pitches to hit. In my opinion, a lack of protection has been the reason why so many free agent signings that seemed like no brainers have ended in failure for the M's. This would explain why so many of those players went on to have success with other teams. As soon as they put Beltre in the Rangers lineup, he started hitting like he had before he came to the M's. Conversely, when the M's acquired Justin Smoak from the Rangers, I was lukewarm on the deal, as he had only managed to hit something like .240 with the Rangers. Granted, that is a stellar average for a Mariner player, but now we are seeing what happens when you take a guy with upside and ask him to realize his potential on a team of never-will-be's. With no protection, he won't see many good pitches to hit. As his confidence fades, so does his batting average. How do you suppose a guy like that might perform for the Yankees?

Anyway, I think the Ichiro trade was good, but I was disappointed to learn that they traded him for more pitching prospects. I know, you can't have enough pitching, but they've had a top tier pitching staff for years now, and without a batting lineup that can score more than a run or two a game, some remarkable numbers have resulted in 90+ losses per year. Apparently, they may be preparing to trade Felix, as that would explain the need for still more pitching. If they trade him at the right time, they should be able to get a proven bat to help restore some confidence in their young hitters.

On another note, how the heck can a team that has the worst overall batting average in MLB be tops in their league at scoring runs on the road ( hope I got that stat right)? Is there more to the Safeco curse than we might have thought?

Ichiro is a 10 and 5 player which means he could veto any trade he didn't like. That is why you end up with pitching as the M's were not trading from a position of strength. You end up taking what the Yankees are willing to give you.

Last I checked, baseball doesn't function on points...Runs are the name of the game. This trade was the best for both parties, deal with it. Ichiro as a talent was fading and the M's have the need to make room for young talent and save cash for future contracts. Ichiro contributed much, and as a life long M's fan, I thank him much, but as in any business, you have to do what makes the most sense. Comparing Ichiro to Barry Sanders is f*cking retarded, in that context, Ichiro should have retired 6 years ago to become a preacher. He may get a shot at a ring soon, and he deserves such. But, the M's deserve more than he can give them at 17mil / year. If you're pissed about Ichiro, just wait until Felix, Smoak & Vargas get moved in the very near future. I believe in Z and what he is doing. Figgins will be gone sooner than later and Felix gone for youthful bats..The big 3 will be in the bigs late next year and we'll have a handful of youth and talented position guys to accompany them. I am anxious for that day ready for the next "big" Seattle star. But what do I know, I've never played ball

you are somewhat correct..

but

runs equal points, points win games.. call them what you wish, but in the end, its the same.. pitchers dont score points, unless they bat and even then, dont do jack diddly anyways... name a 300+ home run hitting pitcher, hell, name a 300+ RBI hitting pitcher... and im talking LIFETIME, not season...

How about we start naming 300 win pitchers? Pitchers don't score runs, they prevent them. And just in case you have yet to check lately, the M's have 3 of the best young arms in any minor league system, not to mention numerous setup and relief guys.

Jack didly? Really? Are you that dumb? Where would the Redsox have been without Schilling and the bloody sock? What about Yanks and the tandem of Clemens and Petit? Hell, what about the Braves with Glavin & Smoltz? Pitchers are every bit as important as the offensive side. Balanced teams are the ones you see as consistent winners (Texas withstanding).

The point is this, the M's have arms...By many scouts and writers, the best in all of baseball. What we don't have is bats. Hence moving our current big pieces for future big pieces that we will control contractually for years to come at a fraction of the cost. It sucks to see a super star go, but as I said above, it's best for him and the Mariners. A win, win if you will.

Babe Ruth--Google it.

points = runs??? Checked the dictionary and doesn't mean the same thing. Just another ill formed opinion. Pitchers don't count because they don't score runs??

Baseball Points....wtf

Maybe RH doesn't actually understand baseball. You keep talking about hitting and winning. What is the definition of a good hitter? You keep preaching about the Yankees and how they pay for hitters, you understand that the last place team in that division (Red sox) have a better team batting average than the Yankees.
The Kansas City Royals are a 1/2 game out of last place in their division but have a better batting average than the rest of the division.
Colorado is in last place in their division but have a better batting average than the First place team.
So if hitting wins Championships why are those teams in last place? Some of it could be due to injuries (Red Sox) but most of those teams are getting poor pitching.
Just look back to the last couple of World Series Champions and their batting averages:
2011: Cardinals - 5th in the league (beat the team with the best batting average in the league in the WS).
2010: Giants - 15th in the league (beat the team with the best batting average in the league in the WS).
2009: Yankees - 2d in the league (beat the team with the best batting average in the league in the ALCS).
2008: Phillies - 22d in the league
2007: Red Sox - 3d in the league
2006: Cardinals - 15th in the league
Once again as stated over and over baseball is not all about runs (or points as you say). Look at the 2001 Diamondbacks (Beat those high priced Yankees in the World series). They only had 1 player batting over .300 with a majority of their line up in the .250 - .280 range. They had 2 solid starters and good fielders. You know that old saying "Defense wins Championships" , well a pitcher is Defense and it doesn't matter how many runs you score if your going to give up more.

I did it. I read the whole thing.

JFC, RH.

Can't stop, won't stop.

Haven't read any of the posts yet, so if I repeat what others have said, sorry...but this is how it works. Trade him now while you can get something for him, and he goes somewhere where maybe he can compete for a championship before he retires.

Wins all around.

Fish on...

Todd

It was all part of my evil master plan......

just admit it Randy, you hate me... its quite simple actually... i wont cry about it, i promise... till i try to go to sleep atleast...

Don't flatter yourself RH.


I don't care enough to hate you.....sorry

BD Pluuuueeeesseee let him back on Gamefishin

it would take a hell of alot more to flatter me than my own opinions...


seriously...

please don't ever flash anybody ever.

signed,

North America

oohhh sh!t, now your a computer genius...

heres some info for you Marsha..

i NEVER lie

I NEVER have gone onto gamefishin with a false account, ask BD, he could track my IP posting from 3 different websites, all were always the same...

I NEVER have gone on here with a false account, anyone on here can check that as well....

could I?

of course, would I? absolutely not... and my record since 2007 shows that.... i am ALWAYS myself, regardless of names, dont give a sh!T what someone on the internet thinks, and can be an a$$hole at times...

versed in running computers? absolutely... building them? getting more "learned up" every day....


once again your internet a$$upmtions, are wrong...

schooled again raunchy c, take your vitamins and go to bed.

Well thanks fer nothin' BD! Not that I blame you.

I agree with you, regardless of how anyone perceives the M's this year, Ichiro is showing his age and deserves a shot at a ring instead of fizzling out at the end of another losing season.