The Solution

First off, the likelihood of the Mariners making the playoffs this year are unlikely but I think you can salvage some of the season while actually improving for the coming years.  I do think that they could get back into it but they need to start fixing this now!  Here is what should be done to improve this team now!

#1  Fire John McLaren - have a new manager in place Friday (they have an off day tomorrow)

#2  Bring up Fierebend as soon as you can....designate Baek for assignment and trade him (possibly  for Griffey)....put Fierebend in as the 5th starter and move Batista to RH setup guy.

#3  Trade for Griffey -  It shouldn't take more than a couple of midlevel prospects (Johnson/Baek) would be fair....he has little value and alot of money owed...on top of that Cincy is ready to do this!

With this I would have the lineup of the team as follows:

CF-Ichiro, 2B-Lopez, 3B-Beltre,LF-Griffey,DH-Ibanez,1B-Sexson/Clement,C-Johjima,RF-Balentien, SS-Betancourt

This would slot guys into spots and allow them to get comfortable.  I would platoon Sexson and Clement putting them in spots to hit against guys they can be successful with.  If they were worried about Clement defensively at 1B they could DH him against righties and play Ibanez at 1B...which he has done in the past.  Bottom line is I think this would be a much more consistent lineup.

I would have the bench as follows:

Bloomquist, Burke, Vidro, and the guy not playing 1B (Clement/Sexson)

The starting rotation would be:

Felix, Bedard, Silva, Washburn, and Feirebend

The bullpen setup would be:

Putz (CL), Rhodes (LH Setup), Batista (RH Setup), Morrow (RH), Rowland Smith (LH), Lowe (Situational), Green (Situational)

I think this slots your bullpen much better....gives you more veteran guys in the back and you don't just give up if the starter falters like they do with Baek.  I am not big on Green and would prefer Dickey on the roster as a spot starter/long reliever although I think Lowe may need to go to AAA and get his command back which is all I think he is missing.

The key is to get the guys where they no what the expectations are, where they are going to be successful and just start moving forward now!  Even assuming that they can't acquire Griffey they should still move forward with a standard lineup...only difference would be moving Ibanez to 4th, Sexson to 5th, and Clement at 6th....

I'm not sold on Feirebend, but I like the overall idea.  Beating a dead horse, but I want Griffey back... If only they would stop robbing his homeruns, he might be on the team by now.  I wouldn't mind having Dickey as a starter, but as it stands now, our rotation would be looking a lot better period with some run support.  I don't know that we need to screw with that.  They could have pitched better with a lead any day of the week.  And why are we carrying 3 catchers?  Put some speed on the bench.  We are broken and need fixing.  All of the potential and none of the results, the only way to fix that is a new manager...

FIRE MCLAREN.

GO M'S

Maybe we could call up good ol' Dan Wilson or John Olerud and see if they wouldn't mind sitting in as manager for a while.

2 things I'd change, one is dont stick Batista in the pen, they need to get Washburn out of the rotation if its anybody, the guy simple cannot be a productive every 5th day pitcher, he has 1 good pitch, he would be a great LH specialists, he always hits a wall whenever he gets close to 100 pitches so this way we wouldnt have to worry about....get Johjima out of the lineup is my other thing, somehow find a way...we are carrying 3 catchers cause Clement is not a real catcher, they have never viewed him as a catching prospect, its always been DH and for some reason 1B, that has been the talk since he was signed cause he does not have the arm or athletism for MLB catcher (though I dont understand then why they have played him at C for his whole minor league career with little 1B)

I just don't see any issue with Johjima.  My reasoning behind putting Batista in the bullpen is to strengthen the back end, not as a reflection on him as a starter.  Frankly, I think he'd help us much more there than in the rotation.  I am not saying that I am sold on Feirebend, but I will say there are many pitchers who come up intially and struggle a bit, go back down to AAA and return to be solid pitchers for a long time....many guys that have been top pitchers have done this......

Bottom line, I agree, get rid of McLaren.....my reasoning is more than just losses, he has no plan, no consistency, and lost the team....