At the time, most Mariner observers were thrilled with the trade of

Published 7:00 am Friday, September 25, 2009

At the time, most Mariner observers were thrilled with the trade of Jeff Clement and Rony Cedeno to Pittsburgh in exchange for Jack Wilson and Ian Snell. Wilson was a rock-solid shortstop who would instantly stabilize a position that had been the Mariners’ Achilles heel, or so the logic went. Well, the logic’s been proven wrong, at least thus far: Wilson has been disappointing since his arrival in Seattle, batting .224 and proving a little too fragile to be counted on when it comes time to fill out the lineup card (he’s missed the last eight games with a foot injury, for instance). Whether Wilson returns next year is entirely up to the Mariners, who hold an $8.4 million club option with a $600,000 buyout if they let Wilson walk. With no suitable replacements to be found anywhere in the M’s system (Josh Wilson has filled in admirably, but he’s a journeyman at best), let’s look at the pros and cons of whether or not to pick up Jack Wilson’s option.The case against Wilson: He’s suffered through one of the worst offensive spells of his career since coming to Seattle, and has been injured quite often to boot. While he’s a .268 career hitter, almost all of that has been accomplished against the weaker pitching of the National League. He’s also on the wrong side of 30 (he’ll be 32 when next season begins), and $8.4 million isn’t chump change.The case for Wilson: He’s a fine defensive shortstop with a good-guy image that fits perfectly with the M’s new clubhouse culture. Those nagging injuries may have a great deal to do with his .224 Seattle average, and he’s been around long enough that he should be able to better adjust to AL pitching next year when he’s healthier. And while $8.4 million isn’t chump change, it’s a relatively affordable price tag for a productive veteran shortstop, and the M’s are only on the hook for one more year should Wilson continue to be ineffective.The verdict: Pick up the option. Give Wilson one more year to prove that his time spent in blue and white this year was a fluke bout with underachievement. As insurance, sign the ancient-yet-still-productive ex-Mariner Omar Vizquel to a cheap, one-year deal similar to the one he signed with Texas this past off-season. Vizquel just bought a $2.3 million crib in Sammamish, so we’re guessing that unless he retires at season’s end, the Mariners might be high on his list for a farewell tour.