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 Oakland is playing its game of sell high and buy low because that's what they're forced to do with a ballpark that is outdated and a lukewarm fan base.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.

Giant mistake going for it

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders aloud if the Giants should play their youth or make a run at the playoffs.

Statistically, the Giants have hit to expectations. They rank 10th in the National League in batting average (.255), 14th in runs (382) and last in home runs (57). In fact, the Phillies' Chase Utley and Ryan Howard alone have combined for 53 homers. The Giants are one of three teams in the majors, along with Toronto and Washington, to have nobody with at least 10.

The pitching has performed below expectations, with an ERA of 4.29 that ranks 10th in the league. The rotation is full of young flame-throwers, which is why the Giants lead the league with 741 strikeouts. But they also are tied for the league lead with 388 walks.

With the Giants at or near the bottom in so many stat categories both offensively and defensively, the answer should be clear: play the youngsters. The Giants may be within striking distance in a weak NL West, but they're 15 games under .500 and just a game better than lowly Colorado. They're also behind not one but two teams in the division, meaning they'll have to play about 15 games over .500 the rest of the way if the Dodgers or the Diamondbacks split their games the rest of the way. Wait 'til next year, San Francisco. Get the kids ready for a legit chance when everyone starts as equals.

Selig swatting Nats ratings

With Washington Nationals television ratings so low, Bud Selig is exploring whether there is a mistake in the Nielsen ratings. The Nats are last in ratings of all 30 major league teams, far below the next franchise on the list.

"The ratings were so . . . abysmal, we're having our people look into it, and it's ongoing," Selig said during his annual lunch meeting with members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

However, Selig said the overall health of the Nationals' franchise is fine. "They're doing well at the gate and I think [their rebuilding plan is] on schedule. I know they'd like to win more games, but they have a plan."

No misprint, I'm guessing. Who wants to watch that team?

Blanton still bland

It seems like most people who cover this sort of thing believe the Joe Blanton trade doesn't do very much for either team. It gives the Phillies a different look at the back of the rotation, and the A's get another set of youngsters to try to turn into major leaguers. Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Enquirer takes a pretty sane approach in analyzing the Phillies side of the deal.

I think Blanton will get rocked in Philadelphia, but have more success away from home.

Far from Favre, but just like him

Brett Favre has the strangest of company in his saga of "I'm good, you know I'm good, but you're holding me back" with the Packers. Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins is peeved with his team, and it's hard to argue with him. His agent is taking the complaint to players' union.

Greg Genske has asked the players' union to investigate why Liriano remains in Rochester despite going 7-0 with a 2.73 ERA in his past nine starts.

"I think that Francisco is dominating down there," Genske said Thursday. "The club concedes that as well. We're a little frustrated he hasn't been called up."

Here's wondering how far Favre will take his beef with Green Bay.

Blanton is bland

I guess the Phillies improved by dealing with Oakland for Joe Blanton, but sometimes the best deal is the one that isn't made. I'm convinced that trading for Blanton is not a terrible move, but it doesn't offer much in the way of putting Philadelphia closer to a championship.

Blanton's numbers don't jump off the page in any way other than posting a 5-12 record for a winning team. It's hard to do that. For his career Blanton is closer to striking out a batter every other inning than he is every inning, and he owns a fairly ordinary career ERA of 4.25 and WHIP of 1.33. There's no reason to expect him to improve. This is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get starter who is capable of going six to seven innings but nothing more. Blanton is bland, and if he's better than Adam Eaton, well, that's not saying much. Almost every pitcher in MLB is better than Eaton. Blanton's also a flyball pitcher, which isn't good in a bandbox like Philadelphia.

Blanton owns a 9.00 ERA in the 5th inning this year, and a 6.23 mark in the 6th. He's considered an innings eater, but he's not very good the more innings he goes. He sounds more like a fifth starter than a difference maker, and that doesn't do much for the Phillies in October.

Oakland got a three-player haul, all of them minor leaguers in the deal. The fact that A's general manager Billy Beane acquired Adrian Cardenas, a very good second base prospect, plus two more players is enough to make this deal a positive for Oakland. It's not easy to find left-handed hitting second basemen, and Cardenas is a talented offensive player who is hitting .309 with a little pop (4 homers). Blanton is a number four starter at best, and the A's have the likes of Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill waiting for an opportunity in the minors. After a modest haul in the Haren trade Beane is getting a little extra value here.

One last note, with Harden, Blanton and Gaudin already traded and a rumor or two floating around regarding Justin Duchscherer's potential trade, the A's could end up with just one of their original five starters.