Mariners Make a Deal for Vidro

College football is about to head into the bowl season. The NFL is heading down the home stretch. College basketball is just starting and the NBA is hitting full stride. So, let’s talk some Major League Baseball. My Opinion on Sports’ adopted team, the Seattle Mariners, has made a move both excites and baffles.

Three time All-Star Jose Vidro will become a Mariner upon the completion of team physicals by all players involved in a trade between Seattle and Washington. Seattle is giving up outfielder Chris Snelling and right-handed pitcher Emiliano Fruto in order to get Vidro in what I believe to be a good trade. Snelling has struggled with injuries throughout his career and Fruto is barely above the prospect level. He made is debut last season with a 2-2 record and 5.50 ERA.

Vidro’s lifetime .301 batting average, 115 homers and 550 RBI’s over the past ten seasons should be enough to excite Seattle fans but the question as to where he will fit into the lineup could be baffling.

Vidro played second base for the Nationals but Seattle already has an All-Star second baseman in Jose Lopez. The thought is they could move Lopez to third and let Vidro play second but where does that leave Adrian Beltre? D.H., Trade bait, who knows but I’m not really liking where this way of thinking leads.

The other option, and best in my opinion, is to make Vidro the D.H. This works well for a few reasons. First, we’ve already seen that he can hit the ball. He is more than qualified to be the designated hitter and would make the Mariners line-up even more of a force. The second reason the D.H. is where he needs to be is because he has suffered through two season’s of injuries. He missed 36 games last season and playing the D.H. could not only help him avoid injury but also lengthen his career.

The third and final reason is because the Mariners need him at D.H. Seattle acquired Ben Broussard to be the D.H. last season in a trade with Cleveland but he only hit .238 after the trade.