M's Wrap-Up | Part One: Roster renovation

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Another meaningless game looms, but Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez, bat in hand, looks as focused as ever as he paces the clubhouse.

Ibanez is anything but done with a week to go in his team's 2007 campaign. At 35, he feels physically and mentally as strong as at any point this season, and his numbers reflect it. That wasn't always the case in a roller-coaster summer for Ibanez that typified his team's experience.

He sunk to the lowest of lows in July, his body battered, hitting mechanics a mess and numbers crashing to their worst monthly totals in five years. But just as dramatically, his bat rocketed to life in August.

Such a rapid turnaround, streaking from sub-zero cold to radiator hot in a matter of days, is something the Mariners became known for throughout this bizarre season. And the ability to pull back up, to straighten the nose dive before the crash, is what Ibanez says being a major-leaguer is all about.

"The hardest part about this game is when you struggle," said Ibanez, who spent weeks on mechanical adjustments to his swing before his "overnight" rebound. "And it's how you handle that adversity, how you recover from it. That's the toughest part of playing this game."

Some will argue the Mariners, despite a winning season, never actually pulled out of crash mode before hitting the ground. Their six-month odyssey can actually be broken down as a series of individual player struggles on a team as streaky as any in the majors.

That team now faces decisions about those struggles and where the players who had them fit on next year's squad. Sorting through it all won't be easy, because as good as the Mariners looked on some occasions, they seemed downright awful on others.

The individual struggles have been well-documented.

While Ibanez salvaged his season with a third campaign of at least 100 runs batted in, first baseman Richie Sexson could not. He lingered around the .200 "Mendoza Line" all season and didn't come close to his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBI.

Second baseman Jose Lopez faded fast after a strong start, his slide coinciding with the mid-June death of his brother in a motorcycle accident in Venezuela. Lopez did not attend the funeral, and there is some thought his focus lapsed in the aftermath.

Jose Vidro had just nine extra-base hits the first three months of the season. He has since managed 20, raising his on-base-plus-slugging percentage from .698 before the All-Star break to .883 since.

Jeff Weaver got off to the worst six-start performance of any pitcher in major-league history. He turned his season around for two months before faltering again down the stretch.

Horacio Ramirez had a terrible start as well, his ineffectiveness masked by massive run support. There were flirtations with success after a stint on the disabled list, but he ultimately crashed and burned.

The bullpen kept the team in contention until mid-August before its heavy workload and lack of experience caught up. Sean Green, Brandon Morrow and Eric O'Flaherty all experienced significant drop-offs as they soared beyond their career highs for innings and appearances.

Morrow's numbers have remained the steadiest, despite an earned-run average of 9.39 in eight September outings. He'll vie for the rotation next spring, meaning his ability to adapt to late-inning situations is now moot.

Green and O'Flaherty excelled before the team's late-August collapse, and appear destined for bullpen jobs next year. There is a feeling they will improve now that their arms have endured an entire season and experienced September pressure.

Like the relievers, Lopez is too young for anyone to give up on. But his lack of preparation and focus at times and an OPS that plummeted from .736 to .505 in the second half guarantees plenty of eyes will be on him.

Regardless, he very likely will start 2008 as one of a core of returning Mariners regulars. That includes steadily improving catcher Kenji Johjima and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, who overcame early-season throwing woes and was a more complete player.

Adrian Beltre has become a mainstay at third base, hit 25 home runs for a second straight year and is closing in on his second 100-RBI season.

Ichiro signed a five-year contract extension in July, is the team's premier defensive player in center field and a top-five candidate for American League most valuable player. He has posted a seventh straight season of at least 200 hits and 100 runs scored, and is fighting for his third batting title.

Those spots should remain intact, as will the bullpen at-large with J.J. Putz the anchor at closer, George Sherrill as the main left-hander and Mark Lowe or an imported arm possibly getting a shot as a setup man.

But in other cases, the solution is not so clear-cut.

Assuming Class AAA call-up Adam Jones lands a starting outfield job, that leaves four players — Sexson, Ibanez, Vidro and Ben Broussard — vying for two spots at first base and designated hitter. That problem gets compounded by the fact Vidro can't play more than a game or two per week in the field.

One or two of the four might have to move on. One person watching anxiously is Broussard, who endured his own struggles this year adapting to being a seldom-used part-timer.

"In a lot of ways, it was a shock," he said. "It got to the point where I was able to accept it more. I looked at it like it was temporary, and that's the way I got through it."

Broussard hit .321 with 13 home runs and an .880 OPS with the Cleveland Indians last year before a summer trade to Seattle. He hit eight more homers with the Mariners, but was already being squeezed for playing time.

"It's very frustrating because I was at a point where I felt ready to be full-time player," he said. "And then I went from there to a point where I was hardly playing at all."

There is no easy solution.

Sexson could be traded, though his .205 average and $14 million salary make that difficult without the Mariners eating plenty of money. Possible suitors could include the San Francisco Giants, in need of some bats, or another National League team.

It's unlikely the Mariners would move Ibanez after he produced yet another 100-RBI season. But if first base is occupied and Jones plays in left, his only alternative would be in a DH platoon with Vidro. But Ibanez isn't interested in a platoon role.

"The one thing I want to do is play every day," he said. "I don't get to control where, and I'll play wherever they put me. But as a player, I want to see my name in that lineup."

One alternative is to trade Vidro while his numbers are high. Vidro is owed $6 million by the Mariners in 2008, which isn't bad for a .300 hitter steady from both sides of the plate.

The problem is, Vidro can't play the field often.

Much of what happens could be impacted by what the team does with right fielder Jose Guillen, who is seeking at least a three-year deal worth more than $10 million per year.

Guillen said the Mariners' offense can compete with any in the AL West.

"They have some decisions that they have to make," he said. "Some moves that they have to make to make us better. We need to become a more consistent team. We need to win more consistently. And everybody knows this — it's no secret — pitching is the way to do it."

Weaver will likely leave as a free agent, while Ramirez might not be offered a contract. That leaves Felix Hernandez, Miguel Batista, Jarrod Washburn and possibly two rotation holes. The team has in-house candidates for those in Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith and Ryan Feierabend.

But two first-year starters would be dicey for a team planning to contend. With free agency offering little value, the Mariners might have to seek a starter via trade.

The team has horded prospects like Jones, Wladimir Balentien and Jeff Clement and seems destined to part with some. Names like Johan Santana and Brad Penny are the first on some fans' star-studded wish lists, much like a year ago with free agents Daisuke Matsuzaka, Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt, Ted Lilly and others the Mariners either failed to land or go after.

In some cases, not landing one of those names was a good thing. But while doing nothing can spare some egg on a team's face, it usually won't make a club better.

And to pull out of nose dives more quickly in 2008, the Mariners need some new parts. Ibanez would be the first to admit that things didn't get better for him by staying the same.

"In this game, the best players are the ones who can adjust when things are going wrong for them," he said. "You're always tinkering with your swing, even if it's just a tweak here or there. You're looking for something new that can work to make you better."

Words the Mariners need to live by.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com.

Read his daily blog at www.seattletimes.com/Mariners