FanHouse Chad Cordero

FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners of 2008 provided a case study in why overachieving isn't always a good thing. The team won 88 games in 2007, which could be looked at in one of two ways. You could say the team was close to contending and should go all in for a run at the postseason, or you could look at their expected record and say that the team outperformed expectations and shouldn't do anything drastic.

Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.

Meet the...
Team who someone predicted would win the World Series last year. Seriously. When you stop laughing, you can check out the link (he's the top one listed -- though when you see his other atrocious picks you won't be surprised). Was I any better? Glad you asked. I actually took Mr. Downey to task before Opening Day. You can check the rest of my stuff if you wish, as there were some misses in there.

Anyway, it's safe to say expectations are a slight bit lower heading into '08.

I got my start in this industry at a now-defunct site called The Talented Mr. Roto. The namesake for the site, Matthew Berry, now does his thing over at ESPN. One hard and fast rule he always lived by -- and I'm sure he still does -- was this mantra: Never pay for saves.

It's just as simple as it sounds. If you play in an auction league, let everyone else bid on Francisco Rodriguez. Your money can be better spent elsewhere. If you draft, just find your relievers in the last few rounds. I'm not as hardcore into the theory, but it certainly has merit.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are showing a bit of interest in right-handed reliever Chad Cordero. According to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, the 'Backs will watch Cordero throw sometime this week and may decide to sign him to a cheap deal. He's coming off surgery for a torn labrum -- which he had July 8 -- so conventional wisdom states that he won't likely be effective until sometime in the middle of the season.

Considering the Diamondbacks have a stable of guys who can close, but none who really stands out as a top-of-the-line closer, I think this would be a great gamble. They likely won't have to pony up much of an offer at this point, and can do so in the form of a one-year contract.

If Cordero returns to form by August, they will have a very solid closer. He put together a truly dominant season in 2005 as a 23 year-old, accruing 47 saves with a 1.82 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. In the following two seasons he was good, but not great. Still, he saved 66 games in two years for a terrible Nationals team, compiling ERAs in the low 3s each time.

At age 27, his career is far from over. Again, this has the potential to be a significant bargain.

Nationals GM Jim Bowden announced on the radio yesterday that he would not tender an offer to Chad Cordero this winter, meaning the injured closer will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

It's not a surprising decision -- in fact, Cordero admits he saw it coming -- but it's a little surprising that Bowden decided to announce to the news over AM radio waves before extending his player the courtesy of a simple phone call. From Chico Harlan of the Washington Post:

"My dad called me," Cordero said, explaining how he received the news. "He had received a phone call from a friend who heard on the radio. My dad got the call, and then he called me and told me. That's how I found out. Bowden never once made contact with myself or my agent before he announced it on the radio."

Part of the reason that Cordero is so upset is because he just underwent shoulder surgery two weeks ago -- he's barely had anytime to recover before hearing that his team plans to kick him to the curb. Granted, Bowden later revealed in an email to MLB.com that he hopes to re-sign Cordero this winter to a contract with "a low base salary with incentives," but how would Cordero know that? Again, a quick phone call five minutes before going on the air avoids all of his awkwardness.

Chad Cordero hasn't pitched in a game since mid April, but when he was orginally placed on the disabled list the hope was that he'd be back sometime in June.

That obviously didn't happen, and following an examination yesterday, Cordero shouldn't plan on returning anytime before 2009. Doctors discovered a torn labrum in his right shoulder yesterday, an injury the Nationals now think Cordero probably had the entire time. He'll undergo surgery soon and his rehab will extend into next season.

The last-place Nationals need all the help they can get, but honestly, Jon Rauch has been more than adequate as a replacement closer. Rauch has saved 16 of 21 games while posting an excellent 2.55 ERA (0.92 WHIP) and 8.29 K/9 -- Cordero hasn't posted numbers over a full season that strong since 2005.

In fact, considering Cordero is arbitration-eligible this winter and set to be a free agent in 2010, I wouldn't be entirely surpised if the team actually cut ties with him this winter, not when they have a cheaper, healthier and (most importantly) better option in Rauch.

In a move that's been coming for some time, the Washington Nationals announced that Chad Cordero is headed to the disabled list. He's got a tear in the muscle below his right shoulder which probably explains why he was unable to dial up his fastball since coming off the DL earlier this month. It also explains why he left last night's game with the Braves after just 13 pitches.

While the early word is that Cordero doesn't need surgery, two trips to the disabled list with shoulder woes in short order have to concern the team. Not only is Cordero their closer and top reliever but he's a pretty good trade chip for the Nats to try and chip in later this season as they continue building their team for the future. Injury concerns will make that more difficult, thus costing the team both of Cordero's potential benefits this season.

Jon Rauch should serve as the team's closer in Cordero's stead. He's done an excellent job as a set-up man over the past two seasons and has five saves already this year so if the rest of the bullpen does their part, the Nats won't see a tremendous drop-off in the role. Even if they do, it won't do anything to solve the biggest problem in our nation's capital. No cheap joke about Congress here, I'm talking about their anemic offensive output.

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Erstwhile closer Chad Cordero, who has had troubling velocity issues all spring, could be bound for the disabled list. Cordero entered tonight's game against the Braves in the ninth inning and in a non-save situation, but had to leave early with what he and manager Manny Acta are calling a "strained right latissimus." The training staff discussed a possible DL trip with Cordero after tonight's game. "If I go, hopefully it's just a 15-day trip," said the pitcher.

Cordero, who threw a fastball in the low-90s in past seasons, has struggled to get it even to the mid-80s, and he topped out at 85 mph tonight on the stadium gun. Acta insists he and his staff haven't found much wrong mechanically with Cordero, but he admitted after the game "I really don't like what I see."

The reliever is scheduled to take an MRI tomorrow, and while the initial tests the training staff did on his shoulder indicated it was still strong, it's possible he is, as Acta put it, "compensating a little bit." One thing seems likely: a problem with Cordero's shoulder that just hasn't been found yet. Overcompensation and resulting injuries in other parts of a pitcher's body are a hallmark of shoulder or elbow trouble.

This is a tough spot for the Nationals. Cordero is effective when healthy, and he insists nothing is wrong with his shoulder now (the tests even back this up). But something clearly is wrong. If a team can't find anything physically wrong with a player, and the player says he's fine, but all other evidence indicates he isn't, what exactly are they supposed to do?

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

With nearly a month of the baseball season in the books, the Washington Nationals pretty much are what we thought they would be -- a bad team (9-17) wallowing in the cellar of the National League East. Just why they are struggling so much is more of a surprise.

The starting pitching has actually been very strong. Odalis Perez, John Lannan and Tuesday night's starter Tim Redding all have ERAs under 4.00. The offense, despite battle-tested pros like Ryan Zimmerman and Nick Johnson and young hitters with upside like Lastings Milledge, is really scuffling. Cristian Guzman is the only regular hitting over .300. Milledge is the only other player hitting over .255. Ouch.

That's especially hurt the Nationals in the power department. They have 14 home runs as a team, the second fewest in the NL. They rank 14th in the league in doubles (44) and 15th in slugging percentage (.334). And unlike last year, it doesn't appear they can blame the ballpark. Nationals Park seems to play a lot more neutral than RFK, which was a definite pitcher's park.

Manager Manny Acta, one of the more statistically-inclined skippers in the league, isn't worrying too much yet. "The power numbers will come," said Acta before tonight's game with the Braves. "The only reason [the middle-of-the-order hitters] don't have five, six, seven homers is because of the batting averages.

When you've got arm problems, and you're scheduled to meet with Dr. James Andrews, chances are there's surgery in your future. Chad Cordero, whose fastball velocity dropped to the 70's recently met with Andrews with the world expecting the worst. Instead, Cordero becomes one of the few people to leave Andrews' office without a surgery date.

Renowned orthopedist James Andrews diagnosed Cordero with rotator cuff tendinitis and weakness. Cordero will not need surgery or have to go on the disabled list. Instead, he will continue pitching for the Nationals and strengthening his shoulder by following a new exercise plan devised by one of Andrews' assistants.

Washington general manager Jim Bowden hopes the new plan helps Cordero return his velocity to around 91 mph, as opposed to the 87 mph and below Cordero has been throwing this season.

"He goes out there and pitches, and, whether he's throwing 78-80 or 85-87, he's getting them out," Bowden said. "That part is encouraging. Now that he has a specific new program to build the strength up, hopefully the velocity will come sooner rather than later."

Translated: "We're 6-16. Our relievers are in the bottom third of the league in ERA. Wayne Krivsky got fired and his Reds were better than 6-16. So please, Chad, do your exercises and get well soon."