Can M’s win with Winn? Nothing’s certain

PEORIA, Ariz. – Randy Winn is trying to keep it simple this spring, focusing only on what he can control – which isn’t much.

Where he plays when the 2005 season begins, or which major league team he plays with, is out of his hands. He could be the opening day left fielder for the Seattle Mariners. He could be their opening day center fielder. And, Winn knows, he could be wearing another uniform before the season begins.

“The only control I have is to get ready to play baseball,” Winn said Friday. “Everything else is in someone else’s hands. “When you’re the subject of trade rumors, you can’t not know about them. Friends hear about it and call to ask. Your family hears about it. Now, does it bother you? That’s a different issue.

“You have to be realistic. I knew I could be traded this off-season. I’ve been through that before. I know it’s still possible I’ll be traded this spring.”

Winn has chosen not to worry the topic to death, talking about it only when someone asks. There are teams that covet Winn’s speed and ability to play center field.

One of them remains the Mariners.

It would be tough to find a Seattle left fielder over the past 15 years who has been more consistent in a two-year span than Winn. For more than a decade, the Mariners all but held open auditions for a left fielder.

In Winn, they have a player who – in two seasons – has batted .290 with 25 home runs, 156 RBI and 44 stolen bases. They also have a team player popular in the clubhouse who wouldn’t complain if you made him buy his own uniform.

“I’ve been happy in Seattle. I love the team, the city, the staff and players here,” Winn said. “Last year wasn’t fun for anyone, but this year the expectations are back - for all of us.

“I always want to play better. Last year, I played OK. I didn’t hit great right-handed. I can do better. My defense could have been better. I could have stolen more bases.”

This spring, for the first time in his career, where Winn plays depends not upon how well he plays but on whether rookie Jeremy Reed makes the team.

If Reed does, it will be as a center fielder, and Winn will shift to left full time. If Reed doesn’t make the team, Winn moves to center and Seattle uses someone else in left.

“I’m rooting for Jeremy,” Winn said. “If he plays well, he’ll help us win.

“I don’t care where I play in the outfield. I’ve played left field, I’ve played center field. The goal is to be in the lineup every day. All I ask is a day notice before going from one to the other, so I can take fly balls and see them come off the bat from a different angle.”

A switch-hitter since 1996 - two years before he made his major league debut - Winn has a .284 career batting average and has hit better than that in each of the last three seasons.

Acquired from Tampa when Seattle let Lou Piniella go to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before the 2003 season, Winn has often batted second behind leadoff hitter Ichiro Suzuki.

Winn’s patience at the plate helps Ichiro in running situations. Having Ichiro on base has helped Winn see more fastballs. Last year, he turned them into a career-high 14 home runs and 81 RBI.

“The home runs? When I first got to the big leagues, I’d only been switch-hitting for two years – I couldn’t even pull the ball,” Winn said. “I’ve become a better left-handed hitter. I’ve learned a lot. You still won’t see me hitting home runs against knuckleball pitchers – I need somebody to supply some of the power.”

Winn expects more from himself and the team in 2005, but he knows that if Seattle has the chance to acquire a missing piece in trade this spring, he could be the odd man out.

“Ichiro’s not going anywhere and Raul (Ibanez) just signed a multiyear contract last winter,” Winn said. “I don’t feel unloved here. I understand the situation.

“I told my wife after the season last year that we’d be hearing rumors and we did. I doubt they’ll stop any time soon.”

Winn will go about his business until told to do otherwise, and he wants to be part of the Mariners – especially after 2004.

“No one has fun when you’re losing, no matter how well you play,” Winn said. “I think we can contend this season. Whether we do or don’t remains to be seen, but I think we can. We’ve got some new players. We’ve got some guys who can bounce back from a year ago. We’ve got pitchers who’ve gotten healthy again.

“I know this. We’re going to score more runs, and that’s always more fun.”