Infield or out?
PEORIA, Ariz. – Scott Spiezio doesn’t know if he has a future with the Seattle Mariners.
After struggling to his worst offensive year in the Mariners’ 99-loss season in 2004, Spiezio watched Seattle spend a combined $114 million on third baseman Adrian Beltre and first baseman Richie Sexson at positions he played last season.
Spiezio, in the second season of a $9.15 million, three-year contract, said it’s possible the Mariners could trade him this spring.
“I could be valuable to them if I do what I’ve done in the past,” Spiezio said. “It comes down to a game of roster spots and what kind of money they have to spend and who else may be interested in me.
“So there’s a lot of things they maybe don’t know yet. You could have injuries happen. You could have somebody on another team be interested in me all of a sudden. If the price is right, there could be a trade. You just never know.”
The 32-year-old Spiezio hit .215 in 112 games for the Mariners last season, starting 65 games at third and 30 at first.
The Mariners signed him as a free agent in December 2003 after he helped the Angels beat San Francisco in the 2002 World Series and set career highs in games played, doubles, triples and RBIs for the Angels in 2003.
In 2003, Spiezio had 16 home runs, 83 RBIs and hit .265 in 158 games after hitting .285 with 12 homers and 82 RBIs in 153 games in 2002.
With Seattle last season, he slipped to 10 homers and 41 RBIs.
Spiezio’s best position is first, a spot he mostly played in four seasons in Anaheim, but it’s Sexson’s position now. The Mariners gave him a $50 million contract during the off-season. They gave Beltre a $64 million contract to play third.
Spiezio, who dropped 20 pounds in the off-season, won’t ask the Mariners about their plans for him and doesn’t plan to ask for a trade. He said he knows the Mariners just might release him if he has a poor spring.
“I just want to go out and play the best I can,” he said. “If I sit there and try to figure out what the Mariners are going to do, I’ll burn myself out.”
New Mariners manager Mike Hargrove said he likes the versatility of Spiezio, who can play first, second, third, the outfield and hits from both sides of the plate.
“Going into it as we sit here today, he’d be one of our bench guys,” Hargrove said Tuesday. “But that could change. I’m not going to say he’s locked into the bench. If somebody gets injured or if he has a tremendous spring and somebody else doesn’t, then certainly we’d look at him being a regular.”
Notes
The Mariners will play an 11-inning “B” game with the San Diego Padres today in Peoria. Right-hander Gil Meche, who was 7-7 with a 5.01 ERA, is scheduled to start for Seattle and pitch one inning.