Mariners have long-term decision to make on Adrian Beltre
Posted by admin on June 29th, 2009
When free agent Adrian Beltre signed a five-year, $64 million deal with Seattle in December 2004, it signaled a radical change in the Mariners’ philosophy. The team and then-general manager Bill Bavasi were giving a signal to Seattle that they were going to be players in the marketplace.
The Mariners spent another $50 million on Richie Sexson that winter, telling fans they understood they no longer could merely open the gates at Safeco Field and expect 35,000 grateful patrons to pour through the turnstiles. They had lost 99 games in 2004. Lou Piniella was gone. His successor, Bob Melvin, had been fired. GM Pat Gillick was history. A new approach was needed. The Mariners expected Beltre to be part of a power surge. After all, he hit a big-league-high 48 home runs with the Dodgers in 2004. He was fourth in the National League in batting average (.334), fourth in RBI (121) and fourth in slugging percentage (.629). He was only 24, and his future was so bright, it was blinding.
Click here to read the full article – By Steve Kelley of Seattle Times
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