Seattle Mariners: November mailbag – Face of the franchise and more
By Ed Stein
Do you think the Mariners pitching will suffer after Mike Zunino’s trade?
Jordan Cordano – The pitching staff could take a little bit of a hit depending on who is on the staff next season. But losing Mike Zunino for his defense may be ok if the Mariners can add a catcher that hits .50 points higher in batting average and at least plays 3/4th the defense.
There are a plethora of free agent catchers with experience that can fill the void. Many were calling for the Mariners to get rid of Zunino last season and now that he is gone fans are fully concerned. I think a few hits and stolen bases along with some diving catches by Mallex Smith will help the fans quickly forget Mike Z.
Jaymin Bernhardt – I don’t think that the pitching staff will suffer too much after the Mike Zunino trade. Yes, Zunino was one hell of a catcher but David Freitas showed some signs of being a solid catcher himself. I believe he also is a better hitter too.
Matt Barry – I don’t think the Mariners staff will suffer much without Mike Zunino. I think the M’s need another pitcher or two to improve the staff. Maybe the Mariners can find a veteran catcher to plug in and be a good signal caller and receiver. I just don’t see Zunino being that big of a loss.
Ed Stein – Early on yes they will miss Zunino because he had a good handle on the pitching staff. Should the M’s go with a veteran it may take him into May or so to get the same feel. By the end of the season, no one will notice.
Herb Nightingale – This is hard to say because at this point we have no idea who Dipoto is thinking of bringing in, whether by free agency or trade. A veteran catcher who might not even be as good as Zunino will help out the pitching staff. Actually, the pitchers need to have confidence in their pitches no matter who is catching.
More importantly, can he block the plate and throw out runners? Another thing is calling the pitches. Let the pitchers throw their top two pitches, most of the time, with and an occasional third pitch. New pitching coach Paul Davis may be more important than the catcher; communication between the coach, pitcher, and catcher is the key.
Next. What Zunino trade means for the M’s. dark
Some questions may be modified or changed due to similarities.