Oakland envy in Seattle

Frustration of a lost season in Seattle produces this column from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer asking why the Mariners can't be more like division rival Oakland.

The Mariners will spend $117 million on payroll this year against Oakland's $48 million. The A's are in second place in the AL West with a 51-44 record produced by a roster full of little-known players. By contrast, Seattle's 21-games-under-.500 record is the product of some huge free-agent signings (third baseman Adrian Beltre and first baseman Richie Season in the fall of 2004, starter Jarrod Washburn and catcher Kenji Johjima a year later, and starter Carlos Silva this past offseason) and a headline-making deal (getting starter Erik Bedard for top outfield prospect Adam Jones, All-Star reliever George Sherrill and three minor leaguers in February).

While Seattle did overpay for players in terms of the overall outcome, there's no reason for the Mariners to build a business model based on the A's. It's not like Oakland's put itself in a place to win championships. The A's have played in the postseason during the Billy Beane era, but they've never been close to reaching the World Series. Ultimately that's the goal, not just being competitive. Oakland is playing its game of sell high and buy low because that's what they're forced to do with a ballpark that is outdated and a lukewarm fan base. The fact that the A's are good at it means little in the way of what Seattle should do. Yes, the Mariners need to be smarter with their acquisitions and sales, but going Oakland is not a problem-solver for everyone.