Baseball: M's to cut Olerud after trade falls through

SEATTLE - It appears as though John Olerud's days in Seattle are over. The Seattle Post-Intelligence is reporting that the Seattle Mariners will move the former All-Star first baseman off their roster before Thursday's game with the Cleveland Indians.

The Mariners tried to deal Olerud to the San Francisco Giants in a swap for J.T. Snow within the last two weeks, but Olerud refused to waive the no-trade clause in his contract, according to the newspaper.

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john olerude is indeed an ex mariner, he was cut today to make room for bucky jacobson, bucky has vecome a fan favorite in AAA Tacoma, with his jay buhner shaved head and his power at the plate, john will be missed here in the northwest, he was a link to the mariners glory days and a great asset to the community....i'm afraid there will be many more dark days ahead for us mariner fans as this team rebuilds, i look for more moves in the days to come

Press Release


07/15/2004 5:43 PM ET
Mariners activate C Miguel Olivo from disabled list, select LHP George Sherrill and INF Bucky Jacobsen, designate for assignment 1B John Olerud and C Pat Borders



Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Bill Bavasi today announced the following transactions: The Mariners have recalled catcher Miguel Olivo from his rehabilitation assignment and activated him from the 15-day disabled list; Selected the contracts of left-handed pitcher George Sherrill and infielder Bucky Jacobsen from triple-A Tacoma; and Designated for assignment first baseman John Olerud and catcher Pat Borders.
Olivo, Jacobsen (#33) and Sherrill (#52) will be uniform and available for tonight's game versus the Cleveland Indians. The Mariners now have 10 days to trade, assign to the minors or release Borders and Olerud.

"John Olerud has been a very important part of the Mariners, and this community, for the last five years," Bavasi said. "Decisions like these are never easy. We are very appreciative of all that John has done for the franchise and wish him and his family nothing but the best."

Olivo, who turns 26 today, played the last two nights with short-A Everett in the Northwest League on a rehabilitation assignment. He caught for the AquaSox on Tuesday and Wednesday and was a combined 0-for-6. Olivo had a surgical procedure to remove a kidney stone on June 30 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on July 1, retroactive to June 30. Olivo, who was acquired by Seattle on June 27 from the Chicago White Sox in a five-player trade, made his Mariners debut on June 29.

Jacobsen, 28, is hitting .312 (91x292) with 22 doubles, one triple, 26 home runs and 86 RBI with the Rainiers this season. He leads the PCL in RBI and extra-base hits (49) and is second in the league in home runs and slugging percentage (.661). Jacobsen had a season high 14-game hitting streak from May 3-20, batting .411 (23x56) with 8 doubles, 6 home runs, 14 runs scored and 19 RBI.

Jacobsen was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for two consecutive weeks (June 14-20 & June 21-27) and was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for June after posting a .356 average with 13 homers and 31 RBI. Jacobsen was selected as a starter to the 2004 Triple-A All-Star Game. He won the Triple-A Home Run Derby, hitting 11 home runs in the first round and 8 in the finals.

Jacobsen is a native of Hermiston, OR. He attended Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, OR, and Lewis and Clark State College in Idaho. He began his minor league career in 1987 and has never appeared in the Majors.

Sherrill, 27, was 4-2 with 13 saves and a 2.32 ERA in 36 relief appearances with Tacoma. In 50 1/3 innings pitched, he struck out 62 batters and walked only 9. He is currently third in the PCL in saves. Sherrill had a season-high 10 2/3 scoreless innings streak (7 appearances) from April 24-May 15. He was named to the Triple-A All-Star game, played yesterday in Pawtucket. Sherrill spent four seasons playing in the Independent Leagues before signing as a non-drafted free agent on July 2, 2003.

Olerud, 35, appeared in 77 games with the Mariners this season, hitting .248 (64x258) with 13 doubles, 5 home runs and 22 RBI. Olerud was just 3 for his last 19 and was hitting .200 (11x55) with runners in scoring position this season. He was originally signed by the Mariners as a free agent on Dec. 7, 1999.

Borders, 41, hit .189 in 19 games with Seattle since his call-up in May, but was hitting .318 since June 11 (7x22) with two doubles, a home run, five runs scored, three RBI and a stolen base. He hit .233 (14x60) with two doubles, two home runs and four RBI with the Rainiers this season. Borders is in his 22nd season in pro baseball and has appeared in the Majors with Toronto, Kansas City, Houston, St. Louis, California, Chicago (AL), Cleveland and Seattle. He's played in four post-seasons (1989, 1991, 1992, 1993) and was the World Series MVP in 1992

Olerud was having a better season than some of their players, why cut him and not somebody else????

i believe that what is going on is that they are giving up on this season, i think that the 9 game losing streak leading up to the all star game was the straw that broke the camels back, attendance isdown 144,000 from last year and most of the tickets that have been sold were sold before the season began, they have some kids in the minors that they want to take a look at and have dedided that now is the time, why not get them the experiance in what has become a lost season, hopefully they will be productive next year, it not only is that they are losing it is the way they are losing, mental errors, poor defense, no offense, and lousy pitching, the whole team has gone to pot together at one time, i saw a chart today and this is the most games a mariner team has been below 500 since 1978, that includes some pretty horrid teams in the 80's and early 90's, this years team has lost all sense of direction, they go into a game thinking they are going to lose, and they are finding ways to do it.....these guys are better ball players than what they are showing this year, what i am suprised at is that manager bob melvin has managed to so far keep his job

on the day john olerud was released by the mariners he had bought tickets for 150 disabled kids, he was part of the pregame ceromonies, on the field one more time, this time in street clothes, he is one class guy, i sure hope another team picks him up