by Ken Rosenthal

The Mariners' push for Bedard appears headed toward the final stages, and the team on Thursday signed free-agent outfielder Brad Wilkerson to a one-year, $3 million contract. Still, the M's might not improve enough to overtake the Angels in the American League West.

In fact, the Mariners' inclusion of outfielder Adam Jones and left-handed reliever George Sherrill in their trade with the Orioles would create two new issues — a weaker outfield defense with Wilkerson on one corner and Raul Ibanez on the other, and a weaker bullpen due to the absence of Sherrill, one of the game's top left-handed specialists.

Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi, fighting for his job, intended to add two starting pitchers this off-season, and by golly it looks like he's going to do it. But the respective prices — four or five players for two years of Bedard, $48 million for four years of free-agent right-hander Carlos Silva — could haunt the franchise.

At least Bavasi identified the right problem — the Mariners ranked 12th in the AL in rotation ERA last season, ahead of only the Rays and Rangers. Their top three starters — right-handers Felix Hernandez and Miguel Batista and lefty Jarrod Washburn — combined for a respectable 40-33 record and 4.18 ERA. Their other starters, though, were a nightmare, going 19-12 with a 6.76 ERA.

Bedard would benefit from a move to pitcher-friendly Safeco Field, as well as from getting out of the AL East, even though he pitched well in five starts against the Red Sox and Yankees last season. However, he is neither as accomplished nor as durable as Santana, averaging 164 innings over the past four seasons, 189 in the past two.

If Hernandez continues to emerge under new pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre at age 22, the M's could be onto something. Silva should be fairly predictable — 190 innings, 10 to 14 wins, 4.00 to 4.50 in ERA. Batista and Washburn, thanks to the two new additions, would be properly slotted at the back of their rotation.

Yet, even if everything went right, the Mariners' rotation still would not be as imposing as the Angels' starting five — John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Jon Garland, Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders/Ervin Santana. The M's bullpen likely would be bolstered by the season-long presence of right-hander Brandon Morrow, provided he stays healthy. But the removal of Sherrill, who held opponents to a .179 batting average and .258 on-base percentage last season, would be a blow.

The outfield defense at spacious Safeco also would be a concern — Ichiro, without Jones and Jose Guillen, might get worn down trying to cover for Ibanez and Wilkerson. And while shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and third baseman Adrian Beltre form perhaps the game's best left-side defense, the M's overall aren't a good defensive team. They ranked 27th in the majors in defensive efficiency last season, a statistic that measures the percentage of balls in play that are converted into outs.

Offensively, the Mariners were mediocre, ranking seventh in runs, seventh in on-base percentage, seventh in slugging. Those rankings, however, offer too flattering a portrayal. The M's are a free-swinging lot, and their impatience prevents them from wearing down opposing starters. They ranked last in the majors in pitches per plate appearance last season. Betancourt, Kenji Johjima and Jose Lopez were in the bottom 10 in the AL.

One more thing about the M's: They are one streaky bunch.

On Aug. 24 last season, the Mariners were a season-high 20 games over .500, one game behind the Angels. They then went into a 2-15 free-fall that left them 9.5 games out, effectively ending their chances of reaching the postseason. Their 88-74 record included runs of 16-5, 15-4, 19-7 and 13-6. In their other games, they were 25-52.

Perhaps the Mariners will be more stable with John McLaren entering his first full season as manager. Perhaps McLaren's new staff — which includes not just Stottlemyre, but also former managers Jim Riggleman and Sam Perlozzo — will help the team mature. Hitting coach Jeff Pentland is the only holdover from Mike Hargrove's old staff, a staff that was not highly regarded.

Mission accomplished? Not exactly. On paper, the addition of Bedard seemingly would elevate the Mariners to a legitimate postseason contender. In reality, they still would have much to prove.