THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Saturday, August 22, 2015

Earlier this week, when asked about his job status, Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said he doesn't pay attention to the rumors of him being let go following the season.

For him, that might be a good thing.

Fans, meanwhile, might wonder if he's paying attention to his team on the field.

DURING HIS time in Seattle, he's done some good things.

Jack was the guy that convinced Robinson Cano to leave the New York Yankees to come to Seattle. He was also the one that decided to give Felix Hernandez a long-term deal, though if he opted not to, might be watching Felix keep his team from the postseason at least twice a year somewhere else.

He's drafted guys like James Paxton and Mike Zunino, who have had their moments, mixed in with struggles with injuries (Paxton) and hitting the ball (Zunino).

Then again, there's the bad things that Zduriencik has done that has made it seem like a forgone conclusion that he's out.

Bringing in Michael Morse, and Fernando Rodney - who hasn't been the same pitcher as the guy that led the American League in saves last year - and letting a guy like Chris Young, who filled in nicely in starts last year, just walk away to the Kansas City Royals.

Don't forget the addition of Corey Hart, who Zduriencik felt might be able to recapture some of his magic from his days with the Milwaukee Brewers.

When the team signed Nelson Cruz during the offseason, this was supposed to be the move that put the team and Zduriencik over that hill and end a playoff drought.

It doesn't appear that this will be the year.

Say what you want about him, but the signing of Cruz didn't have anything to do with Zduriencik, but more about the influence of guys like Cano and Hernandez being able to convince guys to come to Seattle because they might be close enough to contend.

MAYBE IT hasn't just been on Zduriencik entirely, since he's not the guy that is playing the games. He's just the guy that found the players.

Seattle has already fired its hitting coach this year, traded its most consistent reliever (Mark Lowe) and turned last weekend's series with the Boston Red Sox into something that might have been more suited for a slow-pitch softball game.

If the Mariners were going to fire Zduriencik, they probably should had done it a few weeks ago when Detroit's general manager Dave Dombrowski stepped down.

Who knows what Dombrowski might have been able to do to save Seattle's season this year. The Mariners didn't make a ton of moves at the trade deadline, outside of sending Dustin Ackley to the Yankees for a couple minor league players.

If they wanted to win now, then a few more moves might have been made, but instead, they stood pat.

AT THIS point, it seems like a playoff run is very unlikely this year for the Mariners.

They just haven't been able to put together a winning streak long enough to compete with those teams that have run away and hid from them by playing somewhat consistent.

Blowing up the front office, getting rid of Zduriencik and manager Lloyd McClendon at the end of the season might seem like the most logical thing to do at this point.

Then again, if they've kept them around this long, why not give them another year to figure it out?

But Zduriencik might want to keep a better eye on things in the near future.

Just because that window remains open doesn't mean that someone else can't slam it shut.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.