Everyday Eddie now Elsewhere Eddie
The Seattle Mariners have finally abandoned all hope and traded pitcher Eddie Guardardo- he of that unique and well-honed ability to deliver the timely game-winning home run to the opposing team- to the Cincinnati Reds in return for a whole lot of nothing: a minor league pitcher named Travis Chick (4-5, 4.61 ERA for AA Chattanooga) and a quiet, hushed "thanks" from Mariner fans everywhere.
Apparently Ms brass are now taking tips from the blogosphere: Dave at USS Mariner today posted his suggestions for the fixing of broken things, and among them is the suggestion to just get rid of Eddie.
Guardado had a good season in '05, posting a 2.72 ERA with 36 saves, but this season he's come apart: in 28 games, he's notched a 5.48 ERA with only five saves and eight home runs allowed. He was relegated to setup duties in May and still found a way to serve up the long ball and make the later innings interesting.
No word on whether the Ms will end up eating Eddie's salary - he is due $6.25 million this year - but they probably will. No word either on Cincinnati's justification for obtaining Guardado.
We admit it. We'll miss Eddie's insanity passion on the field: the fist pump after every strikeout, the screaming and barking, the storming around, the giving up of god-awful home runs at inopportune times, but the move officially makes poorly branded JJ Putz our closer, and for that, we are happy.
