Japan Trip creates Unique Problems for Mariners

By Shannon Drayer

Six days from now the Mariners will get on a plane and head for Tokyo. Thirty players will board the plane, not all destined for the Opening Day roster which must be submitted to MLB on the morning of March 28. Decisions about the 25 man roster most likely will be made before the team leaves Arizona even though it will not be finalized until the team gets to Japan.

Eric Wedge has said that this is an important week for many players and I would expect we could see new roster cuts as soon as Saturday. Friday will be a busy day with the team embarking on split squad action with a good number of regulars playing against the Brewers in Tucson in the day game and the rest in Phoenix against the A's in the evening. Wedge and the coaching staff will travel to both games.

Wedge wants to take a closer look at his rotation and bullpen options.

"I have got an idea of what I think we are looking at but I still want to give everyone every opportunity here in the next couple, three days to come out and pitch," he said.

With Wedge it goes beyond just how the starter candidates pitch however.

"I think that they are all different," he said of his starter candidates. "I am a big believer that you have to weigh each one separate from the other. Knowing where they are in their career, knowing their recent history, knowing where they are at and what we are seeing right now and how it all fits together. I want to see 3 more baseball games, I am still evaluating what I saw this morning, last night, we are going to see a lot of baseball in the next two or three days."

He also has to figure out what to do with the Japan roster. The team can take five extra players but once they set the Opening Day roster, despite the fact that they will return to the States and play five more exhibition games, they cannot make changes without making official roster moves.

Then there is the question of how to handle the starting pitching.

"It is a tricky roster for us," Wedge said. "You may not take a starter, you may not take two starters depending on what we decide do and then you can fill out those spots with other players for other areas of your team."

Again, those other players would have to be optioned or designated if they were sent down to make room for the starters when needed. Why might Wedge want extra players?

"The two exhibition games are what are tricky because the last thing you want to do is come into the two real games short," he said. "You want to make sure everyone is ready and available."

If this were a typical year and the Mariners were playing their final two exhibition games in say, Las Vegas and San Francisco, they would usually take about 40 players and start a player who would not make the team in the final game and play the regulars in limited innings. That will be tough to do with a 30 man travel roster. They will definitely want to take a third starter should anything happen to one or two and then the next worry would be using too much bullpen in the final exhibition game. They will want a starter who can throw some innings for that game. All things to consider.

A lot will happen in the next few days as the Mariners look to put the final and travel roster puzzle together.