Amidst a teary celebration, the Seattle Mariners end 2009 with big questions

The obvious top story from the Seattle Mariners season finale (which ended with a victory, a hugely improved 85-77 record, and an unusually long and touching celebration from the Mariners on the field) is that this game was quite possibly Ken Griffey Jr's last game ever.

He hasn't formally announced his retirement as of yet, carrying the 'weighing my options' line, but watching his slow fade of the last few years manifest in a so-so effort at the plate this season at age 39, and seeing him on the verge of tears as he came out of the game in the 8th inning after a line drive single (coincidentally, his 1st at-bat of 2009 ended with a line drive single), there's enough signs out there that this is probably it.

From a non-emotional perspective, on the heels of winning a surprising 85 of 162 games this season, it's clear that the Mariners will be looking this offseason for easy opportunities to upgrade the roster, and Junior's designated hitter role (the easiest spot to fill with a good hitter since defense isn't required) is a prime spot for improvement. The only way he could come back is if he, Mariner fans and the organization were okay with him coming off the bench as a pinch hitter and spot starter at DH. And given the condition of his knees from carrying 230 pounds of excess weight, Junior would probably have to overhaul his diet/exercise habits (which have never been the best) and shed 20-30 pounds to be in any condition to come back next year. One can hope a slimmer, healthier Junior could hit a little better, but really the team's safest bet is to let him walk and explore other options at DH.

Also, Felix Hernandez: 19 wins and 230+ innings later, he's finally become the ace everyone thought he'd be, but he was bawling similarly as well. Sure, he's an overtly emotional guy, but is it possible he has an inkling of changes as well? There's been occasional talk of the team being skittish about offering him a huge contract, and could explore trading him this offseason. In light of what other top pitchers are making, it would probably take at least 6 years and around $110-120 million to finish a deal... and that's if Felix and his agent were feeling generous. Jack Zduriencik has shown a willing to trade key pieces of the Mariners (JJ Putz, Jarrod Washburn), so the idea of a blockbuster deal centered around Felix in return for 4-5 valuable pieces is not out of the question. Never mind whether Felix will get the Cy Young... will he be back in 2010?

Also, amidst the multiple extended auditions of rookies (Michael Saunders, Mike Carp, Adam Moore, Rob Johnson) and trade acquisitions (Ryan Langerhans, Jack Hannahan, Jack Wilson, Bill Hall, Ian Snell)... the Mariners found few answers for their multiple question marks. Moore might be a useful option at catcher next season (Johnson and Kenji Johjima showed little this season). If Wilson comes back, shortstop is as good as his, and at his worst he's still an upgrade over the lackadaisically treacherous Yuniesky Betancourt.

There are certainly spots where the team has few liability concerns. Ichiro. Franklin Gutierrez in CF. A deep bullpen that, even when the faces change, the productivity remains the same. Jose Lopez, who isn't great but is reasonably productive at 2B. A slew of young pitching (Ryan Rowland-Smith, Luke French, Jason Vargas, Snell, Garrett Olson, Doug Fister) that can fill in at least a couple rotation blanks. There are, however, other issues:

- Adrian Beltre's impending free-agency departure leaves a huge void at 3B that Hannahan and Matt Tuiasosopo showed little evidence they could fill.

- Left field was already a question mark before Endy Chavez got hurt, and a carousel of outfielders (Hall, Saunders, the departed Wladimir Balentien and Langerhans) did not produce a standout candidate. Saunders was the best option out of the farm system, but he struggled this season and jury's out if he can take the next step in 2010.

- Russell Branyan was a star at 1st base this year, but if he wants a big contract off his biggest season ever, he likely won't be back. If so, does Mike Carp step up and seize the spot, or does the team make a move for an established star?

- If the Mariners don't pick up Wilson's $8+ million option, they need to find a shortstop, and there aren't any real options in the farm system.

- Ian Snell showed erratic form in his extended rotation trial, and it's not clear that he can lock down a high-end rotation spot as was hoped when he was acquired from Pittsburgh.

- Carlos Silva is owed several trucks full of money over the next two seasons and he washed himself out with terrible pitching this season. It's not clear if he'll make it back to form, let alone the rotation (even though it's clear the Mariners still have to pay him).

- Despite winning 85 games, the team was actually outscored. Per Pythageorean projections based on their runs scored versus runs allowed, the Mariners should have had a losing record. They overcame this with an exceptional defense, bullpen, and fortune in close games. The Mariners led the league in one run victories this year.

Now granted, Jack Zduriencik didn't just come into 2009 with a ton of questions, but an empty cupboard. And he managed to turn the team's fortunes around with a handful of savvy moves to upgrade the roster and turn the Mariners into a winner. But it's no surprise that a team that had so much fun playing together in 2009 wistfully hugged one another on the verge of tears and stayed on the field long after the game was over, not wanting it to end. None of them know what the future holds, and it may not be as fun as this season was for them.

It's a lot like Christmas in a troubled household: You savor the kids savoring their gifts, the food, music and good times all you can... because once everyone goes home, you clean up and everyone goes to bed... you've got to wake up and deal with reality, the money problems, the overloaded schedules, the obstacles... all over again. And for the Mariners, their reality is that it's going to take a lot of work just to maintain the level of competition they put forth this year... let alone to build on it.

Should Phillipe Aumont seriously consider a career in power relief?

The latest Mariners blogosphere firestorm? GM Jack Zduriencik indicates that top pitching prospect Phillipe Aumont was moved to the bullpen to fast-track him to the bigs as a reliever. The Mariners originally moved Aumont to the pen to start 2009 as a 'rest' move to limit his workload. Only during a conversation with Geoff Baker did Zduriencik elaborate on the move.

It turns out the organization met with Aumont roughly a week ago to hash out this plan after top team officials did an evaluation of where things stood with a lot of the minor-league prospects. In Aumont's case, it was decided that his becoming a reliever might be the best thing for him and the organization.

"Nothing is carved in stone," Zduriencik said. "This is an experiment we're doing to see if we can get him to the big leagues quicker."

And, of course, in a role he could be better suited for.

'You look at his size," Zduriencik said, "he's a big, aggressive kid. He was throwing 97 mph at the WBC and we think he has a chance of duplicating that at the big-league level. We think he has a chance to be one of the big bullpen arms in this game."

So... let's say this wasn't just innocuous commentary from the GM in an informal, friendly chat with a beat reporter. Let's say Jack Zduriencik is absolutely serious about converting Phillipe Aumont into a power reliever. What would lead him to take a top starting prospect and put him in the bullpen?

It probably began with the WBC. Phillipe Aumont won a spot on Team Canada, then had his now infamous relief appearance against Team USA, where he loaded the bases before mowing down, in order, David Wright, Kevin Youkilis and Curis Granderson.

This is a 19 year old kid with less than 100 innings of pro experience at any level, and not a single pitch above A ball... putting down three of the top American players at their respective positions. Sure, Granderson's a speedy, powerful hack machine with the patience of a t-ball player and striking him out isn't exactly a rare feat. But Wright is one of the league's best hitters and few in MLB are better than Youkilis at working a count. These are not guys that get easily overwhelmed by any pitcher, and yet Aumont calmly worked out of a bases loaded, no out jam (that he had worked himself into) by systematically mowing all three of them down.

Now, imagine you're the new GM of the Seattle Mariners, and basically all you know about this kid is that the team drafted him with their 1st pick in 2007. You see him mix a 97 mph fastball with a swerving breaking ball and the imposing angle his 6 foot 7 frame provides opposing batters. You see him mow down three of MLB's best American hitters after loading the bases.

You realize how far Aumont is from bringing that brilliance to a rotation. He's a pure project who came out of Quebec with little real instruction and little real experience. This kid has yet to pitch more than a few starts in a row, let alone start for an entire season, and in those starts he took baby step, 70-80 pitch outings that went 3-5 innings. The team, in fact, shut him down in midseason for no other reason than to rest him after what was easily the biggest workload he's ever faced. And that was only half a season of A ball, not even making full 90-100 pitch starts!

You realize that he is a long way from being even a regular pro starter at any level, let alone in MLB, let alone becoming a reliable 30-32 start, 180-200 inning workhorse with 3-4 plus pitches. As the Mariners have found out the hard way time and time again, a lot can happen to a pitching prospect between his first pro pitch and the bigs.

Many don't get there: many get hurt and wash out of baseball well short of the majors. Many wear down from the workload and wash out of baseball. Many get derailed as they struggle with higher AA and AAA level competition and can't adjust... or tinker with their delivery and suddenly lose a consistent feel for their stuff. Phillipe Aumont is 2-3 pitches, the development of the necessary endurance to throw 100-120 pitches every 5 days for six months and a lot of learning away from being an MLB starter, let alone a top MLB starter.

Meanwhile, you're Jack Zduriencik and you see what he can do now over 20-30 pitches. You realize that relievers only need one or two out pitches to succeed in MLB, due to their limited exposure to hitters, coming in fresh and at max energy and the ability to use a pitcher situationally. Aumont mowed down three good MLB hitters, so you know he CAN get MLB hitters out. You know he can work under pressure, because he loaded the bases with nobody out before locking down and getting out of the jam.

You realize that Phillipe Aumont, his imposing size and his blazing stuff are a long, long, long way from helping you as a starter, if he ever can... but he's not too far away from helping you as a reliever.

Yes, you already permaconverted Brandon Morrow to relief. You already have a closer. You drafted a reliever last year. Building a bullpen is easy because decent relievers are a dime a dozen.

But you're not permanently shoehorning Phillipe Aumont. You're taking an existing plan, to start him in the bullpen in 2009, and seeing if he can fast-track to the majors from there. Maybe he doesn't. Maybe over a larger sample, whether 10-20 appearances or two seasons, he struggles as AA and AAA hitters take advantage of his shaky control or his predictable arsenal. Even minor league hitters see swerving sliders and 95-98 mph heaters on a regular enough basis that the decent ones aren't helpless against it.

If Aumont can't break through, then you can say screw fast-tracking him, and work him back into a starting role as long as upside remains. Hell, as we saw the Mariners do with Morrow, even if Aumont reaches the bigs and pitches lights out from the pen... if Aumont learns a 3rd pitch and learns how to pitch wisely, you can develop him as a starter anyway. You can learn a lot from pitching to big league hitters who punish far more of your mistakes than a Cal Leaguer would.

Phillipe Aumont is 20 years old. He's got plenty of time to show you what he can do and can't do. Even if you decide right now to pen him and try to fast-track him to the bigs, as he grows and gives you more information to work with, and as the composition of the team changes (which it usually does on a dramatic scale every season), you can change your plans as needed.

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Of course, all this assumes Zduriencik was dead serious about Aumont's long term potential role in the pen. Maybe Geoff Baker quoted what was more or less a passing thought in a friendly chat between a GM and a beat reporter the day before Opening Day.

Maybe Jack Zduriencik will actually do what every baseball fan does when the season starts: Wait and see. Aumont will start working out of the pen in AA West Tennessee. What happens next is anyone's guess.