Zduriencik came up empty in high-stakes bidding at meetings
INDIANAPOLIS — The departure of Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik from the baseball winter meetings Thursday was decidedly lower key than his arrival.
Zduriencik had come here as the glad-handing rock star of GMs on Sunday, with much of the national media and 29 other teams waiting to see if he could rekindle the magic of a year ago when his winter moves helped transform an organization.
While he managed to keep the Mariners in the spotlight through much of the three-plus days here, he ultimately came away empty in bidding for prime targets.
The Mariners now must regroup and focus over the remainder of this offseason as they try to add starting pitchers and some middle-of-the-order bats to a team with glaring holes in both areas.
“We’re still going to be active,” Zduriencik said. “Like I said, with these meetings, there’s groundwork laid. A lot of discussions as you move forward. There will be some (Thursday) before the day’s over. So, where it ends up at and where it takes us remains to be seen.”
In some ways, Zduriencik is a victim of timing when it comes to the aura of disappointment about Seattle’s showing here. He did, after all, technically secure free-agent infielder Chone Figgins at these meetings, though the leaking of that deal several days earlier took some of the steam out of the announcement.
One rumor as the meetings wrapped up had the Mariners in ongoing discussions with the San Diego Padres on a trade for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Nothing appeared imminent on that front.
The Mariners also still could get in on the bidding for free-agent pitcher John Lackey and remain in the hunt for left fielder Jason Bay.
There was talk of some uneasiness by the Red Sox over locking up Bay long-term — even though they reportedly offered him $60 million over four years before the meetings began.
If the Red Sox pull back from pursuing Bay, it would dramatically impact the former Portland Beaver’s market and leave the Mariners as one of only a couple of serious bidders. Zduriencik said he has no offers on the table to anyone at this time, though that could change in the days ahead.
But as much as the Mariners were victims of timing on the lack of Figgins hype, they also came up short in attempts to land outfielder Curtis Granderson and pitcher Edwin Jackson via trade as well as free-agent pitcher Rich Harden. The Mariners also seem poised to lose out on bidding for free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre after the Red Sox agreed to trade veteran Mike Lowell — presumably to free up room to add Beltre.
Seattle did add a couple of lower-scale free agents, signing infielder Josh Wilson back to a minor-league deal Thursday and doing the same the previous day with outfielder Corey Patterson. Both have been invited to spring training and will try to earn roster spots.
“I liked it there. That’s the bottom line,” Wilson said by phone from his home in Pittsburgh. “I like the situation there and I feel it gives me my best chance to get back up there, either out of spring training or somewhere down the line during the season.”
Wilson hit .250 with three home runs in 45 games with Seattle last season, but opted to become a free agent late last month when removed from the 40-man roster.
“I wasn’t just going to accept the [minor-league] assignment without exploring what other options there were out there,” he said. “But at the end of the day, this seemed like the best fit for me and the Mariners made it worth my while.”
The Mariners also selected Double-A pitcher Kanekoa Texeira in the major-league portion of Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. Kanekoa went 9-6 with a 2.84 earned-run average and had 88 strikeouts versus 43 walks in 101⅓ innings as both a starter and reliever in the Yankees’ organization last season. Texeira would have to remain on Seattle’s 25-man roster all season or be sent back to the Yankees unless a deal is arranged.
The Mariners selected Triple-A right-hander Terrence Engles in the minor-league portion of the draft, while losing Double-A infielder Marshall Hubbard to the Mets.
When that was done, Zduriencik did a handful of interviews and shook some hands in the lobby — somewhat fewer than he had after his Sunday arrival — then headed for the airport with a winter of work ahead.
“I don’t walk out of here feeling like we’d have liked to have done a lot more,” Zduriencik said. “You want to do the things that you think are the most productive for you. Sometimes it takes a little longer than other times, so we’ll see where we end up at.”
