Was Letting Jose Guillen Go the Root of the Seattle Mariners' Problems?

Where did it all go wrong, Mariners' fans?

We had a top prospect in Adam Jones going into right field, adding some speed and much needed youth into the lineup.

We had one of the best starting rotations on paper in the league, also known as King Felix and the innings-eaters. Also joining Felix was former Cy Young candidate Erik Bedard, to take pressure off of young Hernandez as the ace of the staff.

We had one of the strongest bullpens in baseball, with All-Star J.J. Putz, and young flamethrower Brandon Morrow setting him up, along with a cast of young consistent relievers. Even Arthur Rhodes was back, trying to help the team get back to the glory days of the early 2000s.

Richie Sexon was expected to rebound from his disappointing year in 2007 and was dubbed by then manager John Mclaren as the future Comeback Player of the Year winner.

Adrian Beltre had won the Gold Glove award for his stellar defense, and he and Kenji Johjima had been steadily improving every year on offense. This year looked like Johjima could push for his first All-Star bid.

The young double-play combo of Yuniesky Betancourt and Jose Lopez had another year under their belts and they were improving in every aspect of their game.

But somewhere, something made this team greatly underachieve. It doesn't seem possible that almost every member of the Mariners' 25-man roster could simultaneously have poor years.

They have the pitching, they have just enough offense, they have stellar defense. But, they don't have one intangible thing. Leadership.

The arm of Erik Bedard is a strong tool on the field, but he is soft spoken and is no leader. Ichiro leads by example, but he won't get in your face and tell you if you are doing well or poor. Ibanez is of the same breed. Nobody will vocally inspire others and take charge of the team.

Where did that voice go from last year? It signed with the Royals.

Just like Derek Jeter, Many Ramirez, and retired ex-Mariner great Jay Buhner, Jose Guillen brought the intangibles to the 2007 Mariners. Guillen had the label of being a controversial player who was very vocal with his concerns and rubbed some of his managers the wrong way. In saying that, he came into the Mariners' clubhouse uncontested for leadership.

He would get the players' adrenaline pumping and bring a feeling of unity to the team. But now that he is gone, the quiet Mariners are being just that, quietly playing as the biggest disappointment of 2008.

My fearless prediction for 2009. The Mariner's bring in leadership, or they will suffer just as much as their 2008 counterparts.