Management thinks the season is over for the Seattle Mariners

According to the USS Mariner, Seattle has officially given up on the season.

When the Mariners decided to recall Guillermo Quiroz from Double-A to backup Rob Johnson, passing over Jamie Burke, it signaled that a decision on the direction of the 2009 season has been made. Quoting Baker:

In what he termed “a difficult call to make” Wakamatsu had a phone conversation with Burke earlier today and told him the team is looking to go in a younger direction for now.

When the manager is telling the veteran players in the organization that playing time decisions are being based on age, rather than expected performance, it signals that the team has shifted the priority from winning this year to winning in the future. Given where they stand in the division (seven games out of first place, ~7% chance of making the playoffs), it’s the right call. It’s time to pull the plug on the 2009 season, and make moves that reflect the reality that the franchise is putting 2010 ahead of 2009.

What does that mean for fans? Well look for some of the current roster guys to be expendable, namely Bedard and Washburn. The USS Mariner also brought up the interesting point that they'll probably wait until Beltre gets on a hot streak and then try a move him to another team. Although the way he's hitting, that could be a long time from now.

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2009 Seattle Mariners!