Crystal ball, please: When will the Mariners' offensive futility end?

The English language cannot extend itself any further to describe the Mariners' offensive futility. For more than three years, we've ravaged dictionaries and emaciated literary wit explaining why this toothless baseball team has no bite.

It is, seemingly, a condition with no remedy. Just when we think the problem has reached maximum atrociousness, the floor falls lower and lower, a hellishly constant descent. In our frustration, in our fatigue, we're left to use meathead methods to discuss the Mariners.

Like, sophomoric humor: The Mariners couldn't score if they took a harlot on a date.

Or, one-syllable grunts: Ugh.

When will the torment end?

That's a tough question to answer when examining a team on a nine-game losing streak mostly because it ranks last in the majors in seven major hitting categories — runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, on-base-plus-slugging percentage, total hits and runs batted in. It's even tougher when considering more than half the lineup has an upside ranging from limited to zero.

The Mariners haven't had a good offense since 2007, when they scored 794 runs (4.9 per game) and hit .287 as a team. And to think, we were frustrated by how streaky that group could be.

Since 2007, the Mariners' team batting averages have gone south: .265, .258, .236 and now, .221. So has their run production: 671, 640, 513 and now, they're on pace for 517.

But that statistical projection might be optimistic; the Mariners have scored just 2.31 runs per game over the past 36 games. Keep that up, and they could stagger home scoring less than 500 runs this season. Remember that the 513 runs scored in 2010 represented the lowest total in the designated-hitter era for a major-league team that completed a full season.

It's getting easier to argue that the Mariners' run — OK, amble — over the past three seasons is the worst offensive showing in modern history. Since 2009, a span of 423 games, the Mariners have posted a .241 batting average and scored 3.44 runs per game.

Maybe the sophomoric humor is justified.

For a while, the Mariners cast the problem as a perfect storm of good players underperforming. But this has been an issue for so long that bad luck can no longer be considered a factor. So when pondering how long it will take the Mariners to fix their offense, it's important to realize that this is a major project, one that will involve significant change and time. Though one big bat could help tremendously, the solution is not as simple as throwing $150 million at free agent-to-be Prince Fielder.

Employing an approach of reasonable optimism, it looks like the fastest the Mariners could get back to offensive stability would be 2013. By offensive stability, we're talking good enough to take advantage of great pitching. Think 700-750 runs and a batting average around .260. Just good enough. Of course, the assumption is that the Mariners will continue to pitch well, which isn't a given. But let's consider it so. Under general manager Jack Zduriencik, they've stressed pitching and defense, and for the past three years, they've done a good job keeping scores low. The organization is stocked with high-end pitching talent. They should continue to prosper.

So, how does the Mariners' offense get to "good enough" by 2013? It will take a heavy dose of player development, complemented by good acquisitions in free agency and through trades.

The road map includes two musts: Dustin Ackley and Justin Smoak have to be legit. Ackley must realize his .300-hitter potential. Smoak, whose average has dipped to .227, must prove to be a power-hitting, run-producing monster. If either of those two falls short, this plan will have a huge problem.

On the player development side, the Mariners also need one of their young power-hitting prospects (Carlos Peguero, Alex Liddi, Johermyn Chavez, Rich Poythress & Co.) to realize his potential. They need to get lucky and have at least one player make it out of this cluster of prospects we've seen this season: Kyle Seager, Greg Halman, Mike Carp, Michael Saunders. And they need shortstop Nick Franklin to pan out.

If that happened, the Mariners would have five players that they raised right. They all don't have to be stars, but if they had a lineup that featured five guys that they trained to succeed with their style of play, in their spacious ballpark, it would be an incredible boost.

If that's your base, then you complete the team by making one or two smart free-agent acquisitions. The Mariners likely will have to overpay again because hitters aren't dying to come to Safeco Field, but if you overpay for the right guys, so be it. It would also behoove the Mariners to sacrifice some of the pitching surplus they've created to acquire a significant hitter.

Finally, the Mariners will need to figure out how much Ichiro has left by then and whether it's worth investing more money in him. And Franklin Gutierrez looms as a veteran that they could get more out of, if he can solve his stomach problems and stay healthy.

It's a reasonably optimistic road map. But it also means the forecast calls for another season of bad offense. The hope for next season is that they make smart moves, play above their heads and make progress. But realistically, they'll stay in this hole until at least 2013. And let's not even think about what happens if they make any missteps.

The nerves can only handle so much.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com, Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer