December 03, 2008
Mariners Sign Branyan
Russell Branyan agrees to a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. He's not likely to play much third base with Adrian Beltre still under contract, but he does provide some insurance if Beltre does not recover quickly enough from his surgery.
Branyan is a modern Rob Deer. He draws walks and his hits go a long way, but the hits don't come that often. I'm guessing he gets used mostly as a first baseman or designated hitter.
Correction: Fixed link.
I believe the press release said that the Mariners have every intention of giving Branyan the chance to be their everyday 1B. He's certainly a cheap option that might pay dividends. Seems like a good choice for a team that probably won't contend.
He's played on 7 different teams in 11 seasons - 1 team twice - never had more than 378 AB and only 1 other time time he had over 217 AB. If's the answer I don't want to know the question.
The question is, "Who can probably provide league average production for less than $2M for a team that's still rebuilding?"
If the Mariners find themselves in a situation where they need a different starting 1B/DH, Branyan is still an above-average bench player, and won't bust their budget.
Signing journeymen scrubs with 0 upside who aren't good enough to play anywhere else is a plan for giving up. Bench players on last place teams aren't really where you want veterans.
