Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Japan, Taiwan, and Taijuan

Episode Date: January 31, 2020

The M's have signed two free agent pitchers, one to a Major League contract and one to a minor league deal. How will these two arms impact the team? And what's going on with yet another unsigned arm whom the Mariners were reportedly interested in? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy Friday, gang. I hope your commute isn't too awfully terrible this morning, or if you're listening to this on your lunch break, I hope you don't get food poisoning. I don't know. Anyways, I am D.C. Lunberg, and this is Locked-on Mariner's part of the Locked-on podcast network, or T-LOPPN, or Tlopin. The Mariner's have reportedly added two more arms to the mix, which we will discuss right here on this very program. But first, I need to tell you how you can get this program, as if you do. don't already know. Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher. Any podcasting app you can think of, we're probably there because we're everywhere. We are everywhere, ladies and gentlemen. Please remember to download, rate, and subscribe. And there's also Twitter. You can follow the show on Twitter at L.O. underscore Mariners, and you can follow me on Twitter as well at D.C. underscore

Lundberg. Well, as I said, the Mariners have reportedly signed two more pictures. Yesterday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reported that the Mariners have signed Wee Yin Chen to a minor league contract. The club has yet to announce this move, which is pending a physical. Chen, a native of Taiwan, spent the last four seasons with the Miami Marlins, which I believe is an independent league team. He broke into the majors in 2012 with the Baltimore Orioles, accumulating a 372 ERA in four seasons in Kandon Yards.

His tenure in Miami has been less than stellar. He only appeared in nine games in 2017 because of elbow problems, and last season he was relegated to the bullpen where he floundered, pun intended, and had a 659 ERA. Overall, he had an ERA of 510 for the fish, who released him in November with a year and $22 million left on his contract. Chen will be in the fray in spring training to land a spot in the rotation. Marco Gonzalez, Yusei Kikichi, and Kendall Graveman are locks for the first three spots,

Hmm, seems like I just said that a few days ago. Hmm, anyways. And they're also planning on Justice Sheffield for a rotation spot, although I personally wouldn't pencil him in just quite yet. Justin Dunn, Nestor Cortez, Phillips Valdez, and another new acquisition, Nick Margievichus, who we talked about on this program on Tuesday, will be in competition with Chen for the remaining rotation spots.

Despite his numbers in Miami the last couple of seasons, I like the move. Competition in spring training is always a healthy thing. This is a no-risk move. Even if he winds up not working out, you have lost virtually nothing. Honestly, I don't see him making the team, and I think he's probably going to be released before the regular season commences, but at the same time, for the reasons I just stated,

he may surprise, so why not give him a chance? The Mariners are also reportedly still interested in signing Taiwan Walker. He's had some injury problems of his own the past couple of seasons, and the Diamondbacks just gave up on him, despite the fact that he won't be 28 until mid-August. If I had to guess, and this is just speculation, so do not read anything into this. But I would surmise that the Mariners are not willing to give him a major league contract,

and that Walker will not accept a minor's deal at this time. Again, that is just a guess. But if that is the case, I can't blame the M's for not pulling the trigger. I wouldn't sign him to a major league deal either, but I would sign him to a minor's deal with an invitation to spring training. I think he still has a chance to be a solid major league starter. Again, he's only 27. And when he's been healthy, he's contributed.

He's got to prove that he can stay healthy, though. I will talk more about the pitching staff next week. In fact, I'll spend an entire episode on it. Next week, on this very program, I will dedicate one episode to talking about how each position group looks going into spring training. One episode will focus on the infield, another episode on the outfield, another on the catchers, which may be a really short episode,

and finally the pitching staff. Wait, that's only four episodes. What about the fifth? Well, on Wednesday, ladies and gentlemen, right smack dab in the middle of the week, we're bringing back the baseball trivia game show. Taylor Blake Ward of Locked on Angels will be back to defend his baseball trivia crown against two new opponents. Not only that, but the game finally has a name.

You will not want to miss a second of Locked-on Mariners next week, so subscribe to the program so you don't. There is one more new acquisition to discuss in the second half of this program, but before that takes place, time for Mariners trivia. Simple one this time. Who is the Mariners' all-time leader in complete games? Think about it, and I'll tell you who it is when we come back. If you've got a question you would like me to answer on the air

or comment on the show, send an email to Lockedon Mariners at gmail.com. It is so simple. Please include your name and hometown in the email. First name is good enough. Any and all questions are welcome as long as they're appropriate. I finally got some email questions, a lot of them coming from one particular individual. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I did get a question about pancakes. So when we do our first mailbag, we are talking pancakes right here on Locked-on Mariners.

And this episode of Locked-on Mariners will continue as soon as I figure out what I'm going to talk about next. B.C. Lundberg, back with you for the second half of Locked-on Mariners. Hopefully a little less congested than I was in the first half. I did not realize I sounded so terrible. I apologize, gang. Anyways, the trivia question. The Mariners' all-time leader in complete games. Would you believe it's Mike Moore? Yeah, Mike Moore with 56.

Honestly, that is not who I would have guessed, but I don't need to guess because I looked up the answer. In any case, back to transaction news. About an hour and 15 minutes after the Chen signing was reported by Greg Johns of MLB.com, this very same Greg Johns reported on MLB.com, that the Mariners have also signed reliever Yoshihisa Hirono to a major league contract. Hirono will earn a base salary of $1.6 million, with another post. possible $950,000 in incentives. And if my math is correct, I believe that's a total possible value of $4 trillion.

There's also a clause where he will receive $250,000 if he's traded, which spikes to $250 million if he's traded to the Orioles. Anyways, Hedano pitched the previous two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had a pretty solid 2018 season where he had a 244 ERA at a 1.0.8. 85 whip. Those numbers went up in 2019 where his ERA was 475 and his whip was 1.377. He gave up over two more hits per nine innings last season, which accounts almost entirely for the increase in numbers. Prior to his stint in Arizona, he pitched 11 seasons for the Orix Buffaloes, the last eight of those out of the bullpen. He had a 310 ERA in Japan along with a 1.159 whip and a Kato

a walk ratio of 388. Hidano will most likely settle into the back end of the bullpen in Seattle and has a chance to be the team's closer. I think this is a good move, especially if he can put up numbers more akin to his 2018 season than his 2019 season,

and I'm also happy that the Mariners signed somebody who's older than I am, but that's a subject for another day. The bullpen was a mess last season. That's not a secret. I think they used something like 3,200 pitchers. I'm happy to see them addressing the situation, even if it's just stopgap solutions while the younger guys develop in the minors.

Earlier in the offseason, the Mariners signed former cub reliever Carl Edwards Jr., or as I like to call him Carl's Jr. I do love me a famous star. I am also interested to see how the broadcasters are going to pronounce Hirono's name. I've got to do an expo on Japanese name pronunciation at one point on the show because I cannot think of a single sportscaster that does not screw up Japanese names. any sport. Honestly, curling commentators are the worst at it. It's really frustrating because it's really not that hard. If you've been listening to the show or the other programs available here on the Locked On podcast network, see that transition gang, I'm sure you've heard all

the great advertisers working with Locked On to reach sports fans. But you might not know that Locked On Mariners is a great way for your local business to reach passionate M's fans just like you. Unlike any other podcast, Locked On your local company the unique ability to reach local podcast listeners. Not just any podcast listener, a locked on podcast listener. If your company wants to connect with Mariner fans and a predominantly male audience that is well educated with a disposable income, then let's put your company right here on this locked on podcast. Local fans love to support local businesses, so text the word advertising to 3377.

or visit locked on podcasts.com and let us know who you are. We'll get our team to help you achieve locked on advertising success. Once again, text the word advertising to 33777 or visit locked on podcasts.com slash advertising. We do look forward to hearing from you. I'm going to touch on a couple other local sports items before I wrap up the program, the first of which being the Seattle's New York.

NHL team, there was kind of a report on Wednesday, I believe it was, that it was decided that the team is going to be called the Seattle Cracken. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. Honestly, it kind of makes me think of Quentin McCracken who played for the Mariners and was not very good. Mostly with the Rockies, he was decent then.

Anyways, he was involved in a 724-6-8 double play. Why am I talking about Quentin McCracken? In any case, I don't think that would be the best team name for the hockey team. I personally am in favor of the sock eyes. I just think that sounds really cool. It's a nice local touch, although I think the totems would be equally cool, and that touches on Seattle's professional hockey passed, as it were.

And there is no reason why that team could not work with local Native American groups to come up with something that's going to honor not only Seattle's professional hockey past, but also the tribes native to the area. I live in Spokane, and our minor league baseball, baseball team here is the Spokane Indians. The team and the Spokane tribe worked together in 2006, I want to say, to rebrand the team kind of and give them new logos and a new image that would not only honor the history of baseball in Spokane, but also the Spokane tribe and the Spokane people.

They came up with an alternate logo in the Spokane tribe's native language, Salish, which is super cool. and if they are indeed going to be the Seattle totems, I think it would be magnificent to see something like that. I have felt for years that Seattle would make a wonderful NHL city considering how international the population is, and I hope that you guys prove me right. I want to see Seattle support an NHL team.

I think you guys are going to do a very, very good job. The other local sports thing I want to touch on is a week from tomorrow, February 8, is the inaugural game for Seattle's new XFL franchise, the Seattle Dragons. I have to admit, I am not the biggest football fan of the world anymore, although I may check out a few games, especially considering that Jim Zorn's going to be the head coach,

if the games are even carried over here. Remember, I do not live in Seattle, I live in Spokane. But I hope they are, and I hope the team does well. Gang, I think that's going to do it for this edition of Locked-on Mariners. Remember, next week's a big one. show on the infield, one show on the outfield, one show on the catchers, one show on the pitchers, and the return of the baseball trivia game show. Will Taylor Blake Ward remain undefeated? Tune in to find out next week on Locked on Mariner's. Remember to download,

subscribe, and rate Locked on Mariner's on Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, any other podcasting app your brainhead can think of were everywhere. Also, ask your smart device to play Locked on Mariner's podcast and it will do it. That's how smart these devices are. Also remember, we are on the Twitter sphere as it were. At L.O. underscore Maritors for the show and at DC underscore Lundberg for me. Thank you for listening, ladies and gentlemen, and have a great weekend.