Locked on Sports: Memo to M's Gillick: Move Soriano into rotation

Don't misunderstand. I am not saying this is a no-brainer that must be done. Rather, if I had access to the pregame meetings between Bob Melvin, Bryan Price and Pat Gillick, I would make the argument the Mariners should try Soriano in the starting rotation.

Such a move would be all about the playoffs, where games are most often won when one pitcher sticks it to the other team. What Bartolo Colon and Mike Mussina have done to the Mariners in past years is the best example. Soriano may be capable of doing the same.

Trying Soriano in the starting rotation would be the poker equivalent of shooting for the moon, without nearly the downside. If it works, you win big. It very well may be the move that allows Seattle to have a World Championship parade in October.

Soriano has been unreal. He has struck out 25 of the past 44 outs he has recorded. He has allowed just one run in 24 2/3 innings and has struck out 48 in 36 1/3 innings. Furthermore, his strikeout of Nomar Garciaparra on Sunday was the equivalent of Bo Jackson bowling over Brian Bosworth ... pure unabashed power.

I can hear Melvin: Why mess with what is working? Because if Soriano can carry that type of performance to a starting role, it is like hitting the lottery.

Starting Soriano is not a new idea. He started 11 games in Tacoma this year, so it wouldn't take long for his arm to be able to give six innings.

Whether his pitching style is adaptable is a legitimate concern. Coming out of the 'pen, he is all power. The fear is he would struggle the second time through the lineup. On the other hand, when he was pitching in Tacoma, his focus was on developing a change-up and all reports were very positive.

It is a different approach for a pitcher to think about six innings rather than two hitters. Though three times in the past month when Soriano has been stretched out, his supremacy has carried over. Against Texas, he went four innings, allowing no runs and two hits. In 2 2/3 innings against the Royals, he allowed one hit. Most recently, he allowed one hit in three innings against Toronto.

Gillick would wonder why he needs Soriano in the rotation. Greatness, Pat, greatness. Short relief guys are key to a successful club, but they don't have nearly the same effect on the outcome of a game as the starting pitcher.

Price would want to know what this does to his bullpen. Not much, and this may be the best reason to try it. The worst-case scenario for such an experiment is almost nothing. Gambling in the midst of a pennant race is tough to stomach. But I don't see where this experiment could cost the Mariners a bunch of games.

The Mariners' bullpen is one big redundancy. Soriano, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Armando Benitez and Shigetoshi Hasegawa all can fill a similar role, whether it is closing or set-up. Why do you need four of them?

With Hasegawa as the closer, if Soriano went into the rotation, Sasaki or Benitez could pick up the right-handed set-up role. At some point you have to use that $15 million combo. As fabulous as Soriano has been, the track records of Benitez and Sasaki show they would get the job done.

All year long we have heard that relievers must know their roles. In the bullpen's current state, that doesn't exist. Moving Soriano to the rotation would actually solidify and clarify those roles. Julio Mateo, who has been equally fabulous, would be the long reliever, the $15 million combo would take the righties, Arthur Rhodes the short-relief lefties and Hasegawa would close.

If Melvin, Price and Gillick haven't kicked me out of the office yet, the next question would be who you bump from the rotation. This one is easy. In the playoffs, Ryan Franklin will be working out of the bullpen in long relief. Therefore, why not get him ready for the role in the final 30 days of the season?

The last issue would be what it would do to Soriano. Very little, I would contest. He has been shuffled between starting and relief all season, moving between Seattle and Tacoma. He hasn't seemed to have been bothered, why would it affect him now?

Finally, as they were kicking me out of the office, I would bring out my last gasp. If Gillick had gotten the deal done to trade Freddy Garcia to Boston, wouldn't Soriano have been moved into the rotation? Wasn't one of the reasons Benitez was acquired was because of "other shuffling that may take place on the pitching staff?"

Soriano in the starting rotation isn't a foreign concept.

Therefore, why not try? Why not shoot for greatness and see if you have it?

David Locke hosts "Locked on Sports" from 7-10 p.m. weeknights on Sports Radio 950 KJR-AM. His column appears Wednesdays in the P-I. You can e-mail him at Davidlocke@clearchannel.com.

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