Oh Those Poor Fans

The blogosphere was buzzing today due to the continued stupidity from the Seattle Mariners. After asking way too much at the trade deadline and failing to complete a deal to send #4/5 starter (at best) Jarrod Washburn and his $10+ MM salary to the Yankees, the M's got another chance. The Minnisota Twins claimed Washburn on waivers, and then reportedly offered Seattle 26 year-old pitcher Boof Bonser for him. Bonser is younger (and so may get better while Washburn will only got worse), cheaper (he's making the minimum), under team control longer (four more years), and - even ignoring all that - already a better pitcher: a 4.33 tRA for Bonser and a 5.16 tRA for Washburn. As dumb as it is for Minnisota to actually offer anything beyond salary relief (which, in and of itself, isn't the best decision) to Seattle, it's so very many times dumber for Seattle to say no. As a commenter on USSMariner put it:

"If the M’s turned down Bonser, they are dumber than a box of hammers. A box of really, really dumb hammers."

[Edit: It seems that Bonser was never on the table, though Washburn himself reacted in an amusing manner to the rumors. Washburn said: “If that was the case, how much more do you think you’re going to get? A young guy with a great arm who’s cheap.” That's good stuff; it's better player valuation than the M's front-office does. Still, the M's should have just cut the salary - Washburn isn't worth what he'll be paid, and it's pretty easy to find a pitcher to replace him.]