Management has dropped the ball

Friday: There is a classified ad I expect to see soon, either up on Craigslist or the local Seattle newspapers.

Yep, what I’m expecting should read something like this:

Wanted, veteran leftfielder. At least 100 games experience at the position in the major leagues a must. Speed, power optional but highly recommended. Must be able to track a fly ball, hit a cutoff man and hit successfully at a better than .250 average. Salary negotiable but applicants willing to work at a discount will be considered first. Full benefits package, including paid sick leave. Equal opportunity employer (see previous employees who have held position). Contact: Seattle Mariners, Safeco Field, corner of Dave and Edgar.

Isn’t it about time the M’s are in the market for a real leftfielder? Heck, for just about any outfielders. You think James Jones might have had a shot at Brock Holt’s line-drive double last night? Maybe not – Lloyd McClendon didn’t think so, but he’s prejudiced; he’s the one who put Rickie Weeks in left field in the top of the ninth – but Jones may have cut it off and held Holt to a single. And I’m darn sure Jones, or any other number of Mariner farmhands, would have caught Mookie Betts’ fly ball, even if very few could have thrown Holt out at the plate.

But it isn’t just (Thursday’s) ninth inning, though Weeks’ adventures highlight a problem. The M’s have pinned their championship hopes on a team that features Dustin Ackley in left field. That hasn’t worked out. So now they are trying Brad Miller there. A lifelong shortstop asked to learn a new position at the major league level. And, hopefully, in the heat of a pennant race. That’s not a recipe for success. Let’s face it, Ackley isn’t cutting it. He’s so discombobulated at the plate he’s less of a threat than Brendan Ryan was a few years ago (OK, that’s too harsh – but it’s close). And Ackley is even worse when there are runners in scoring position, when his anxiety to deliver a season-changing hit has him jumping at the ball, pulling pitches he should spray all over the field.

Jay Buhner is probably right. If – or when – the Mariners part ways with Ackley, he very well could blossom somewhere else, where the pressure to live up to the hype doesn’t exist. But he’s not going to do it here. And Weeks isn’t the answer.

Maybe Miller is, at least offensively. He’s a good hitter who was just an OK shortstop. Now he’s a good hitter who is probably going to be less than OK in left field.

Meanwhile, you’ve installed Chris Taylor, a decent fielder but a Ryan-type hitter, at short. The trade-off doesn’t seem to have a strong enough upside. It’s time to change direction in leftfield, either trade for someone who can improve the offense at the position or dip into your system for a guy, if there is one, who can catch a fly ball. Move Miller back to short and live with the defense. If not, you may see another classified ad soon. It will be advertising for a new general manager.