Mailbag: Looking for lefty with power

12/11/2005
I know the Mariners are looking for a left-handed power bat, but why not look in-house? Wouldn't Bucky Jacobsen be a good fit as the left-handed bat they need since he is coming back from the knee surgery?-- Steve E., Yakima, Wash.
First things first: Jacobsen is a right-handed hitter, not a lefty. And the Mariners apparently don't see him as a good fit for any role on the big league club since they released him at the end of last year.
Jacobsen just didn't show enough recovery from knee surgery to get him back on the big league roster. That's why he didn't get a chance to repeat the power surge in 2004 that made him a one-time Safeco Field cult hero.
Wouldn't Erubiel Durazo be an attractive free agent to the Mariners? He's a left-handed designated hitter with some power, exactly one of the things the Mariners want.-- Evan L., Derwood, Md.
That's not a bad suggestion, but there are some big questions about Durazo that the Mariners might not feel comfortable with right now.
On one hand, Durazo is a free agent and has been an excellent left-handed hitter when healthy. He led the A's with a .321 batting average and had 22 home runs, 88 RBIs and a .396 on-base percentage in 2004.
On the other hand, he's coming off Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery that kept him out for most of the 2005 season, and he really doesn't have much value in the field other than the ability to occasionally start at first base.
The Mariners would seemingly prefer an outfielder/DH-type who can spell Raul Ibanez in left from time to time. That's not Durazo's game.
I'm a Dutch baseball fan and always Seattle has been the team for me, but with the preparation of the new season, I have a few questions. As Seattle is in search of a left-handed power batter, is a trade for Reds left fielder Adam Dunn a possibility? Furthermore, why is Kevin Millwood so underrated? Everyone is talking about A.J. Burnett as the ace (of the free agent crop), but is there any chance of Millwood becoming a Mariner?-- Remco M., The Netherlands
Good to see Holland representing in the mailbag -- always appreciated. Dunn is a name that's been thrown around in trade rumors for the last three or four years, it seems, and for good reason. A lot of teams want a guy who hits 40-plus homers every year.
The Mariners probably have sent feelers out regarding Dunn, but as general manager Bill Bavasi was saying in Dallas, trades for premier talent like that are difficult because of the organization's lack of surplus. To pull off something like that, the Mariners might have to first trade for surplus with one team, then spin that trade into a deal for a guy like Dunn.
Bavasi missed out on a few multi-step trades while in Dallas and was talking more about free agents when the club returned to Seattle.
Since the organization has said there is a need for a left-handed bat with some power, I was wondering what the possibilities were of John Olerud coming back to Seattle. He played pretty well for Boston in only a limited role. If not him, what other players are the Mariners looking at to fill that need?-- Aaron A., Madison, S.D.
"Ole," as he was known in Safeco Field, would be a nice sentimental choice to return to the Mariners, for whom he had so much success, but Olerud isn't going to be playing for anyone in 2006 unless he reverses his recent decision to retire.
Olerud, 37, was an All-Star in 1993 and 2001 and a .295 career hitter with 255 home runs and 1,230 RBIs in 2,234 games. He has played for Toronto (1989-96), the New York Mets (1997-99), Seattle (2000-04), the Yankees (2004) and Boston (2005). He won Gold Gloves in 2000, 2002 and 2003.
He hung up his spikes without any fanfare last week, not surprising for an always-unassuming, team-first guy.
Why don't the Mariners try to go after Dontrelle Willis of the Marlins? The Marlins seem to want to get rid of everything they have. Also, this would fill a huge gap in the starting rotation. So what if we have to give up a few stars in our Minor League system? The Marlins are slashing their payroll and teams are reaping the benefits. Why not us?-- Travis M., Friday Harbor, Wash.
You're right about the Marlins slashing payroll. It's no secret -- they've dealt many of their good players in the last few weeks, including Carlos Delgado, Josh Beckett, Guillermo Mota, Mike Lowell, Luis Castillo and Juan Pierre.
But those guys were veterans with huge contracts, and Willis is not. Willis turns 24 in January and made only $378,500 last year in his second full big league season. He'll likely make around $450,000 next year, and for a guy who won 22 games in 2005 and finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting, that's a pretty good bargain.
Expect the Marlins to hold on to Willis and young slugger Miguel Cabrera, who will be under the team's control for another four years and are franchise players the club can be rebuilt around.
Is Justin Leone still with the Mariners?-- Greg D., Toronto
No, he isn't. The Mariners released him in October, and the San Diego Padres picked him up as a Minor League free agent in early November. Leone, 28, played for Seattle's Triple-A club in Tacoma last year.

Source: http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/