Rickie Weeks Signs with Mariners - $2 Mil plus incentives

[Bombers]

@JimBowden_ESPN: According to a club source the #Mariners have agreed to terms with Rickie Weeks on 1yr Major League deal at approx $2m w/ $2m inc..LF/RF/2B

 

Thanks for the time Rickie and good luck with the Mariners. Hope they can win a pennant

[owbc]

Nice to have Rickie in Seattle. I look forward to watching him play this year...at DH I'm assuming???

[DoubleSwitch]

Good luck to him, he was always one of my favorite Brewers, who I felt took a bit more heat than he deserved over the years.

 

The way he bounced back in the second half of 2012 after playing so poorly the first few months was amazing and had me convinced he was going to be a star again. Plus he handled getting put on the short side of a platoon last year very well.

 

It kinda feels like the end of an era.

[TooLiveBrew]

Nice to have Rickie in Seattle. I look forward to watching him play this year...at DH I'm assuming???

Yeah, I'd assume DHing v lefties, & giving Cano days off v LHPs

[pete]

They gave a boatload of money to Nelson Cruz. I'd guess he was the DH. I didn't follow the link but at MLBTR they talked about him playing OF corners.

[pacopete4]

Maybe he's spent the offseason fielding fly balls so he could become more versatile. Good luck to him. Wish he would've stayed healthier.

[pete]

Reading a Mariners blog discussion of the signing, there's a lot of venom for Dustin Ackley, a former #2 pick in the draft and Baseball America #11 prospect. This could be Twilight Zone, Shakespeare or Disney.

[DocLuna7]

Good luck to Rickie. With him and Yo both leaving this offseason it really does seem like the end of an era.

[fondybrewfan]

Well apparently they are going to have Weeks play in the OF in addition to DH and 2B. All I can say is good look with that. He was a terrible defender at his natural position; I can't imagine one spring training in the OF will make him even an average OF. He isn't exactly a burner anymore either. Good luck to Rickie; Jack Z sure likes his ex-brewer reclamation projects.

[JohnBriggs12]

Nice to have Rickie in Seattle. I look forward to watching him play this year...at DH I'm assuming???

Yeah, I'd assume DHing v lefties, & giving Cano days off v LHPs

 

Cano doesn't take many days off and why would he considering he's making $24 million? He certainly doesn't sit vs. lefties. I'd bet Weeks doesn't make 10 starts at 2B almost all of which would be on days when Cano is DH'ing.

[Invader3K]

Well apparently they are going to have Weeks play in the OF in addition to DH and 2B. All I can say is good look with that. He was a terrible defender at his natural position; I can't imagine one spring training in the OF will make him even an average OF. He isn't exactly a burner anymore either. Good luck to Rickie; Jack Z sure likes his ex-brewer reclamation projects.

 

Didn't the Brewers ask him to play at least part time in the OF and he refused? Guess beggars can't be choosers at this point in their careers.

 

Good luck to Rickie, though. I hope he does well in Seattle.

[JohnBriggs12]

Well apparently they are going to have Weeks play in the OF in addition to DH and 2B. All I can say is good look with that. He was a terrible defender at his natural position; I can't imagine one spring training in the OF will make him even an average OF. He isn't exactly a burner anymore either. Good luck to Rickie; Jack Z sure likes his ex-brewer reclamation projects.

 

Didn't the Brewers ask him to play at least part time in the OF and he refused? Guess beggars can't be choosers at this point in their careers.

 

Good luck to Rickie, though. I hope he does well in Seattle.

 

 

Yeah the Brewers pay him $11 million and he refuses to play the OF. Now he's fine playing the OF for $2 million because otherwise he wouldn't have a job period. That says all you need to know about Rickie Weeks. Good riddance.

[tmwiese55]

Yea I'm not sure Seattle seems like a good fit at all. Maybe the Jack Z connection did it though. Why not go somewhere to have a chance at starting, like Toronto. They're also expecting to compete for the division this year too. Seemed like the best fit to me but there's probably some similar teams. Maybe SF too.

[brewmann04]

I am a bit surprised that they plan to use him in the OF. I thought he was not crazy about playing the OF

[Warning Track Power]

Good luck to Rickie. With him and Yo both leaving this offseason it really does seem like the end of an era.

Amazing how of the Baby Brewers of Hart, Fielder, Weeks, Braun, Hardy, 2 of them may be done as regulars (Hart & Weeks), 2 of them may be shells of their previous selves due to injury (Braun & Fielder) and 1 of them just keeps plugging along (Hardy). The funny thing is that they really aren't that "old" with Hart, Weeks and Hardy turning 33 this year, Braun 32 and Fielder 31.

[JohnBriggs12]

I am a bit surprised that they plan to use him in the OF. I thought he was not crazy about playing the OF

 

Nobody wanted him as a 2B and Seattle needed better production out of its OF. They also needed a RH bat in a heavy lefty hitting lineup. As long as he was getting paid, Weeks wouldn't play where he wasn't comfortable. Now that he's got to scrounge around for a job period, he's open to playing anywhere.

[Baldkin]

I am a bit surprised that they plan to use him in the OF. I thought he was not crazy about playing the OF

 

Nobody wanted him as a 2B and Seattle needed better production out of its OF. They also needed a RH bat in a heavy lefty hitting lineup. As long as he was getting paid, Weeks wouldn't play where he wasn't comfortable. Now that he's got to scrounge around for a job period, he's open to playing anywhere.

 

The guy who refused to steal Khris Davis' job in LF when Davis was in a slump because the wonderful hitting coaches told him to stop taking pitches and swing at everything. What a horrible money stealing awful person.

[monty57]

The guy who refused to steal Khris Davis' job

 

By that logic, he stole Junior Spivy's job and Scooter Gennett stole his job. This is the majors, the best player plays, and if you're not performing, someone will "steal" your job.

 

I think Weeks didn't want to risk looking foolish in the OF, because he thought he'd find a job as a 2B this offseason. When no one offered him a 2B-only gig, and knowing he can't play SS or 3B, he was forced to either retire or accept that he has to play some OF if he wants to play at all.

[markedman5]

A "utility player" who has only played 1 position in his life.....interesting......http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2015/2/12/8026801/mariners-rickie-weeks-infield

[torts]

so he's okay with playing in the OF in seattle, but not in Milwaukee?

[yfinn6]

so he's okay with playing in the OF in seattle, but not in Milwaukee?

 

He had a bit more leverage to say 'No' in Milwaukee to playing OF as he was already under contract; it just meant he might not see as many at-bats (he didn't).

 

He has/had little-to-no leverage this offseason as he was a FA; I'm sure he was a bit more receptive to playing OF as it would likely lead to getting paid in 2015.

[dacbrewers]

When he found out he wouldn't be getting a paycheck at 2nd base, he jumped at the chance to play OF for $2 mil.

[pete]

More reading Mariners blogs, I forgot that Billy Hall was traded there, so Z tries Hart, Hall and Weeks. Seems incomplete without Prince.

[ewitkows]

He was also asked to switch position mid season. I think if we would have asked him in the off season he would have at least tried. There's a huge difference switching in the off season/spring training instead of in June

[pete]

Is there a written source that supports the idea that he was never asked to do any OF work till mid-season?