Ichiro Leaving?

There is already speculation that Ichiro will leave the M's once his contract is up and go to a contender. And here we are just getting ready for spring training. It would be sad to see the guy go, but I'm not so sure that having a bunch of high priced guys on a crappy team going nowhere is the turnaround strategy for us. It really seems like we need to blow the team up (including the front office) and start over with some young prospects. The team is willing to spend money, so supplementing that young talent with some good high-value free agents would seem wise. Now, whether we do that or not is doubtful. But trying to compete with the rest of the division currently in our state is daunting. It already looks like it might be a rough season for us. We need to be realistic and decide whether we really have any chance with the team that is in place. Unfortunately, it just doesn't look promising. But then again, we still have to play the games and see how it works out. And to see Ichiro leave would be sad, but it may mark the beginning of a turnaround that is much overdue.