The real test of Zduriencik: Pitching

When Jack Zduriencik took the GM job in Seattle, he told the press he’d made freedom of action to rebuild the roster a condition of employment with ownership. Pitching is where he’ll have to make his stand. The reason is Chris Jakubauskas, a non-roster invitee who has been stellar in three starts the Spring. In 16.2 innings pitched, Jakubauskus has tossed for a 2.16 average and allowed only 12 hits. He does let batters put wood on the ball, having only seven strikeouts in those innings, but works consistently to get outs. It’s the kind of competence that stands out after Seattle pitching gave up an average of 5.09 runs per game last year.

Two of Seattle’s presumed starters, by contrast, are a study in the kind of overpaid contract fat Zduriencik has promised to cut. Jarrod Washburn’s given up 20 hits and seven earned runs in his 13 innings (a 4.85 ERA compared with his 2008 4.69 mark) and the misleadingly resurgent Carlos Silva, who had pitched well in early WBC games before he imploded in Saturday’s Venezuela-Korea semi-final, giving up seven runs on six hits in one-and-a-third inning. Those two guys will make $18.10 million in 2009—Washburn: $9.85 million and; Silva: $8.25 million. Both these guys are going the wrong way.

Jakubauskas would make league-minimum salary as a 29-year-old rookie. If Zduriencik has his independence, he must consider seriously going with Jakubauskas as his fifth starter. The only reason this kid is a “long shot” after this performance is that he doesn’t have millions of dollars in salary after his name on the roster.

It’s time to deal Washburn and, if he returns from the WBC pitching poorly, Silva (we can hope, I suppose, that he’s better than one bad inning). Maybe Zduriencik could package one of these guys and Clement to pick up a single lower-A sleeper prospect. Or send them to the Rainiers in Triple-A to work off their salaries without costing Seattle games.

In other news, good to see that I am not the only one predicting Rob Johnson will make the Opening Day roster. Jim Street lays out his projected roster and says former first-round pick C Jeff Clement will be Tacoma-bound. He also sees Brandon Morrow starting the season on the DL (making more room for Jakubauskas).

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