The bench.... how will it function for Dan Wilson's team?
Last week, on our 'Refuse to Lose' podcast conversation with ESPN MLB Insider Olney, we were talking about the idea of the Seattle Mariners possibly acquiring left-handed reliever JoJo Romero from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Within that discussion, Olney said something that has been stuck in my mind ever since:
...And you know, the old saying goes, that in the postseason, what wins is bullpen and bench...
We've talked a lot about the bullpen over the course of the offseason, especially in the wake of the M's acquiring Jose Ferrer from the Washington Nationals, but we haven't spent as much time on the bench - where I'm starting to get some real questions ahead of spring training.
Of course, things can change, but for the sake of easy arguments, let's say this is what the Mariners project to look like against a right-handed pitcher.
Cal Raleigh at catcher, Josh Naylor at first and Cole Young at second. That leaves J.P. Crawford at shortstop and Ben Williamson at third (for the sake of argument, I've chosen him over Colt Emerson and Patrick Wisdom). Then, Randy Arozarena is in left field, Julio Rodriguez in center and Luke Raley in right. Dominic Canzone is the DH.
That leaves Rob Refnsyder, Victor Robles and Andrew Knizner on the bench, with one additional bench spot to go.
The situation and the questions
In this scenario, the final bench spot has to go to an infielder. There's no question about that. Refsnyder and Raley can both play first base, so the final spot has to go to an infielder that can seemingly play all three other infield positions. Sure, the M's could put Cole Young at shortstop if they really needed to, but by and large, this last roster spot has to be able to play second, third and short.
At that point, it seems like Leo Rivas is an option, as is Miles Mastrobuoni. Ryan Bliss figures to be as well, though it's unclear just how much third base or shortstop he can play.
The question? Is this sort of bench really tenable? Or, are the Mariners better off jettisoning one of the outfielders in order to get some more flexibility on the roster. For instance, if they moved on from an outfielder, could they get Wisdom's bat on the bench? Could they keep Mastrobuoni, a lefty, and another right-handed infielder?
It's certainly something to think about and watch for as we move into spring training, which begins on Feb. 12. We'll talk more about it on Friday's 'Refuse to Lose' as well.
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