Time to Trade Ichiro?
Let's say the Mariners, either before the trading deadline or during the off-season, decide to blow their roster up. Who's untouchable? Felix Hernandez and Brandon Morrow for sure. Yuniesky Betancourt? Probably. Ichiro for sure, too, right? Right?
Wrong.
With apologies to Edgar Martinez and Bruce Bochte, Ichiro is the greatest M's hitter of all time. And with apologies to Ken Griffey Jr., he's drawn more fans to the park than any other Mariner -- ever. He is a superstar on the field and off, a one-man cash register whose native countrymen hang on his every check swing.
What Ichiro isn't is the type of team leader who can speechify his teammates out of a season-long slump, which is the sort of jolt the M's need right now -- or, rather, needed a month ago. He's also 34 years old, and is locked into a long-term deal that pays him upwards of $17 million per year. And while he's still the M's best player, his performance this season has been subpar by his ridiculous standards, suggesting that perhaps his best years are behind him.
If Ichiro were to be placed on the trade market, he could likely command a slew of exceptional young prospects from, say, the farm system of the Red Sox, who are forever in an arms race with the Yanks and, this year (at least for now), the D-Rays too. Just to be clear: I'm not suggesting the M's trade Ichiro at all costs. What I am suggesting is that if they declare their intention to implode their current roster and start from scratch, thus ensuring that they'll waste the rest of the star outfielder's prime, they should at least open themselves up to the possibility.
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