Orange County Register

The Angels’ division rivals in Seattle signed Russell Branyan to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million.

Branyan is a strong, patient hitter who can play all four corners and rip off some mighty hot streaks — sort of the homeless man’s Adam Dunn. But this isn’t a deal that should worry Angels fans. Branyan never stays healthy and effective for long, and he hasn’t topped 250 at-bats since 2002.

We’ll have to wait and see whether the Mariners make further signings, but this may indicate they’re going to go limp in 2009 and rebuild. Branyan is a nice role player, but the Mariners need at least 100 extra runs of offense this year, and that’s without factoring in the likely loss of Raul Ibanez. Again, Branyan can be a useful piece to a good team. But the Mariners don’t need the poor man’s Dunn; they need Dunn. And then some.

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