FanHouse Jack Zduriencik

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

After a disastrous 2008 season that claimed two managers (one interim) and a general manager, the Mariners returned to respectability in 2009. General manager Jack Zduriencik placed an emphasis on bargain players -- Franklin Gutierrez, Russell Branyan, David Aardsma -- while manager don Wakamatsu stressed fundamentals. The result was the Mariners finding a way to 85 wins despite being outscored by 52 runs over the course of the season.

A major factor was how good the defense made the pitching look. Despite injury woes for Erik Bedard and the loss of Jarrod Washburn in a trade at the deadline, the Mariners had an AL-best 3.87 ERA (and it wasn't close, as the White Sox checked in at second with a 4.14). According to most advanced metrics, Seattle had the best defense in baseball thanks to Gutierrez, Ichiro, Jose Lopez and company. Of course, they'll be looking for some firepower as they move to 2010. Last season, only the Padres and Pirates crossed home plate fewer times than Seattle.

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Earlier this week it was reported that former World Series MVP and Seattle Mariners bullpen coach John Wetteland had been taken to a hospital with an undisclosed "mental issue." Some reports said it was an issue related to suicide, some where saying it was a domestic dispute that got out of hand... I've been refreshing my Twitter page for the last four days in the hopes of getting the scoop, but all I've learned so far is that Lady Gaga is "fug," Bill Belichick has no idea how to coach professional football, and that one of my friends is RT: about to eat dinner.

Regardless, the Mariners are Serious Business™ in the world of The Dugout, so I wanted to skip the facts and get straight to anonymously slandering people. Tonight's Dugout is after the jump.

SEATTLE -- Given that the Mariners have struggled mightily offensively, the signing of No. 2 pick Dustin Ackley serves as a serious momentum boost for an organization looking to escape a series of shaky moves under the Bill Bavasi tenure.

For example, Bavasi traded Adam Jones and George Sherill for Erik Bedard, and he selected Cal's Brandon Morrow over the University of Washington's Tim Lincecum in the 2006 draft. Morrow is in the minors while Lincecum is one of the top starting pitchers in the major leagues.

So the Mariners needed this. They needed to sign the best hitter in college baseball. Ackley hit .422 with 22 home runs and 73 RBI in 66 games for the University of North Carolina. Signing him went down to the final minutes, with general manager Jack Zduriencik revealing that the deal was agreed upon at 8:45 PM PT, about 15 minutes before the deadline.

According to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times, there was a trade in the works which would have been the biggest deadline deal in recent memory. It was no secret the Red Sox were interested in Adrian Gonzalez, and there were some rumors circulating that they also coveted Felix Hernandez. They ended up trading for Victor Martinez, but that was -- according to Baker -- only because a three-team blockbuster deal was vetoed by Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik.

The proposed deal? The Red Sox would have received King Felix by bringing in the Padres as a third team. The Mariners would have received Gonzalez, Clay Buchholz and two other prospects from the Red Sox. The Padres would have gotten back upwards of four top-notch prospects along with Brandon Morrow.

The Tigers' biggest need seemed to be a bat, what with their offense ranking 10th in the American League in runs scored. Instead, they traded Friday for lefty Jarrod Washburn, who had been third in the AL in ERA for the Mariners.

A team source said Detroit is still seeking offensive help, although there has yet to be a match with Baltimore for Luke Scott. But there aren't as many impact bats available at the trade deadline, so the front office began exploring bolstering its rotation instead. Justin Verlander, Edwin Jackson and Rick Porcello have been very good, but Armando Galarraga had struggled and Luke French was filling the fifth spot.

MLB Power Rankings: Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.

The second half of the season is in full swing and lo and behold if capitalism hasn't reared it's ugly head once again. Billy Beane was spun off Matt Holliday (as expected of course) and the eleventy billion dollar payroll machine that is the New York Yankees are in first place in the AL East. (Of course, that can't explain why the Mets are horrible but that's a whole other thing.)

Will the Yankees' surge be enough to propel them into the critically important No. 1 slot of the FanHouse MLB Power Rankings? Find out after the jump.

The Seattle Mariners, trying to shore up their defense and acquire young talent at the same time, dealt enigmatic shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to the Kansas City Royals for two minor leaguers. Betancourt, once considered a staple at short for Seattle, played his way out of the favor of management with his impatient hitting, defensive lapses and lackadaisical play.

He was placed on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring and was expected to return to the big club this weekend, but he was unexpectedly removed from the starting lineup Thursday for Triple-A Tacoma, leading to trade speculation. Betancourt batted .250 with two homers, 22 RBI and a putrid .278 on-base percentage, the primary reason why he was shipped out of Seattle.

NEW YORK – An interesting coincidence Tuesday night that Brandon Morrow got to pitch against Joba Chamberlain at Yankee Stadium.

Both were taken within the first 41 picks of the 2006 draft.

Both made it to the majors as a reliever.

Both have undergone an awkward relief-to-starting midseason transition while staying in the majors: Chamberlain last year with the Yankees and Morrow this year with the Mariners.

Even after the transition we've been left wondering, are they better off in the rotation or the bullpen?

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

When Willy Aybar's home run Thursday in Cleveland was upheld by a video review, it marked the sixth time in six days umpires made use of baseball's instant-replay rule.

So the natural question to ask Jimmie Lee Solomon, Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, is why the flurry of trips to the secret chamber to watch replays? Are the umps more willing to consult the tape than in the past?

"These things come in bunches," Solomon told FanHouse.

OAKLAND -- You know all about Russell Branyan.

Big power. Lots of strikeouts. Bench player.

At age 33, on his eighth team, Branyan is finally getting the chance to shed that last label. The Mariners signed Branyan over the winter and gave him the first crack at being their everyday first baseman. So far he hasn't disappointed.