Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik keeps focus forward, not on rumors

Much sounded familiar in a 15-minute meeting with Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik and Mariners beat reporters Thursday.

The Mariners are taking a look at some of their young players and evaluating for the future. Changes would come with some players but it was too soon to talk about it. Players had plenty to prove in the final 40 or so games of the season and everyone still had a job to do. All true, but not the conversation I think anyone was expecting, and all were certainly not hoping to have in August.

Despite the disappointment and the speculation swirling that changes could be made, Zduriencik keeps his focus forward.

“My job is to do my job every day,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything that is not in the best interest of this organization. I’m going to do my job every day, that I think is going to help us short-term, long-term. The job that you have to do as a general manager is to continue to do what you think is right.”

We saw this with the trade deadline moves. No Hail Mary or fleecing of the farm system to bring in another bat or ace arm. No standing pat, for that matter either. The top arm in the bullpen, Mark Lowe, was traded for three pieces that Zduriencik believed could help in the near future. An experienced piece of an already somewhat thin rotation, J.A. Happ, was moved for a younger starter not quite ready for the big leagues.

It was business as usual despite the rumors about his job status, which are now flying fast and furious. Names are being mentioned by those outside the organization, with Chicago White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams and former Padres and Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers being mentioned as possibilities in reports by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale just today. Zduriencik has been there before. This is not the first time speculation about his job has come up in the national media.

“Quite frankly I don’t pay a lot of attention to it,” he said. “If you were engrossed in what people are saying or what somebody thinks what is going on when they don’t have all the information, that can sidetrack you. It can affect your way of thinking. as a result. I’ve got eyes, I can see what is going on here. I know what has not worked and what should be working and isn’t. For me to focus on any outside distractions that are unrelated to what I know, there’s nothing I can do about that.”

Zduriencik has talked about underperformance with different parts of the team throughout the season. In some instances, that’s baseball. In others, such as the bullpen’s failures, a closer look will need to be taken. There are plenty of areas of concern for Zduriencik. One area that isn’t is the manager.

“I think Lloyd (McClendon) is a good manager,” he said. “I think what has happened with Lloyd is we have had underperforming players. In a nutshell, that ties your hands.”

Zduriencik believes that McClendon did everything he could to get an underperforming offense going in the first half. In the second half, he acknowledges he hasn’t always have good options to go to in the bullpen with games on the line.

“A lot of that is related to the fact that we have had some real dandies by the starting staff. That stresses the bullpen,” said Zduriencik. “There have been times out there that Lloyd hasn’t had pieces available because they have been used the day before or two days before. It all starts with pitching. If your pitching keeps you in ballgames, your bullpen is better. You’re a genius when you have got five starters throwing real well and you have a lockdown bullpen. When that doesn’t happen it’s easy to point a finger to say he didn’t do this or that.

“There’s a responsibility for everything and everybody. But at the end of the day when players don’t perform to the level you think they can or should, and there’s weaknesses here or there because of a lack of performance, it stresses everyone. Everybody looks bad.”

It’s been a season-long battle. The offense that looked improved on paper didn’t put up the expected numbers in the first half despite the addition and efforts of Nelson Cruz. In the second half the pitching staff faltered. “If not this, then that” seems to be the theme of the season.

With his approach being to always look forward, answers need to be found as to the whys this year, what they have in place, and what will come next. While acknowledging that some changes will be made and some answers still need to be found with personnel in key positions, Zduriencik believes in the core group he has put together.

“There’s a pretty good nucleus here,” he said. “Two-three-four (Kyle Seager, Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano), the strides Taijuan (Walker) has made are good. (Mike) Montgomery has had some good spurts for us. The fact that you are going to have (James) Paxton back and hopefully we get to see him at the the end of the year, we’ll see.

“I think there is good young still nucleus of pitching. Carson (Smith) has done a good job for us learning. He’s had his bumps, ups and downs, but still very talented. When you start to piece it together there’s things we need to do going forward but I do think there are some really solid pieces here.”

For now, there is a season to finish.

“I try to be very encouraging to the staff, I try to be very encouraging to the players – ‘We’re in your corner,’ ” said Zduriencik. “Because, they know. They know when they are not performing. What would anything negative from me accomplish? It’s a tough business, a tough job. These guys have enough pressure on them every day, they don’t need to be looking at a general manager who is panicking. I understand the ups and down. We’re living the ups and downs first hand. Its not an easy pill to take, but in the same sense we have got games to play and guys have to perform.”

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