Maybe the Mariners have found their short-term replacement for Richie Sexson in former Pirates 1B/OF Craig Wilson, who they've apparently traded for a player to be named later, according to the Associated Press.

Wilson is hitting .230 with 10 homers and 27 RBI at Triple A Indianapolis.

Are those numbers better than Bryan LaHair's?

No. LaHair is hitting .256 with 12 homers and 49 RBI, .353 OBP, .461 SLG. I don't know what LaHair has done not to at least get a token call up. Maybe he's not an every day first baseman, but I'd rather see him there than Sexson or Vidro or Cairo or Wilson at this point.

Wilson played regularly in 2004, hitting .264 with 29 home runs and 82 RBI in 155 games, but posting a franchise-record 169 strikeouts in 561 at-bats.

On a plus note, he led the Major Leagues at being hit by pitches in 2002 (21) and 2004 (30).
Wilson tied the Major League single-season record for pinch-hit home runs with seven in 2001

Um, I really have nothing to say about this other than Wilson is probably just a body to fill in. He'd have to be added to the 40-man roster to make the Mariners.

Richie Sexson, who hit 105 home runs in 3 ½ seasons with Seattle – but batted just .218 this season – has taken his last swing as a Mariner.

Released by the team Thursday, Sexson will become a free agent on Monday, and even the team that let him go believes he’ll play again.

“This isn’t the end of his career, he’s got baseball left in him,” manager Jim Riggleman said. “We just couldn’t find the key to open that door for him.”

At age 33, that likely is true – and Sexson has drawn tentative interest from the Angels and Dodgers, among other teams.

Releasing Sexson was something the team had discussed for weeks, but the final decision came after Wednesday’s game, which Sexson didn’t start.

“Richie wasn’t going to play regularly, and I saw his body language on the bench, he was a little perturbed,” Riggleman said. “That was reason enough to do this. We can’t have negativity on the club. I think the players would agree – Richie needed a change of scenary.

A career .261 hitter with 305 home runs, Sexson was batting .218 this year in 252 at-bats, with 11 home runs and 30 RBI. In his time in Seattle, he hit .251 with 105 home runs and 321 RBI.

His best season as a Mariner was his first – 2005 – when he batted .263 with 39 home runs and 121 RBI.

On the day the team released Sexson, they also placed left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard, then brought up two players from Tacoma – infielder Tug Hullet and left-handed reliever Jared Wells.

Wells’ time in the majors could be short. It’s likely he’ll return to the Rainiers Friday, when the Mariners need a roster spot for Felix Hernandez, who will come off the disabled list and start against Kansas City.

The Mariners announced a few roster moves this morning in advance of their game against Oakland. The team releases:

MARINERS RELEASE FIRST BASEMAN RICHIE SEXSON

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Seattle Mariners Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Lee Pelekoudas announced today that the Mariners have released first baseman Richie Sexson.

“We felt that at this time it was in the best interest of the ballclub, and in Richie’s best interest, to make this move” Pelekoudas said.

The Mariners have not yet announced a corresponding move. Sexson, 33, was hitting .218 (55x272) with 8 doubles, 11 HR and 30 RBI in 74 games with Seattle this season.

Sexson was signed as a free agent by Seattle on Dec. 15, 2004, agreeing to a four-year contract. Sexson had over 30 doubles, over 30 homers and over 100 RBI in each of his first two seasons in Seattle. In his Mariners career, Sexson was a .244 hitter (447x1835) with 105 doubles, 105 home runs and 321 RBI in 509 games. His 105 home runs are ninth on the Mariners all-time list.

In his Major League career, Sexson is a .261 hitter with 259 doubles, 17 triples, 305 home runs and 937 RBI.

MARINERS RECALL RHP JARED WELLS, SELECT INF TUG HULETT FROM AAA TACOMA

Place Left-Handed Pitcher Erik Bedard on 15-day Disabled List, Retroactive to July 5.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Seattle Mariners Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Lee Pelekoudas announced today that the Mariners have recalled right-handed pitcher Jared Wells, and selected

the contract of infielder Tug Hulett from Triple-A Tacoma.

The Mariners also announced today that they have placed left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to July 5, with stiffness in his left shoulder. Bedard will be eligible on July 20.

Bedard, who has not pitched since tossing 5.0 innings on July 4, was not scheduled to pitch until after the All-Star Break.

“We felt placing Bedard on the disabled list gave us some extra flexibility over the next week,” Pelekoudas said. “It doesn’t change when he would next pitch, and it allows Jim (Riggleman) to have an extra arm in the bullpen.”

Wells, 26, was acquired by Seattle from San Diego in exchange for RHP Cha Seung Baek on May 21 of this season. Wells was 0-2, 4.41 with 6 saves in 16 relief appearances with the Rainiers since joining the club after the trade.

Wells has allowed just 2 earned runs in his last 8 games (8.0 IP). He made his Major League debut with the Padres this year, appearing in two games and not recording a decision. Wells had nine saves with AAA Portland, allowing 19 hits in 20.0 innings pitched while compiling a 1-1 mark.

In 2007, he spent the full season with Portland. After beginning the season in the starting rotation, he moved to the bullpen fulltime on June 8. Beginning June 8, he was 2-1 with 9 saves and a 2.93 ERA (14 ER / 43.0 IP) in 37 games. Wells did not allow a home run in 43.0 relief innings. He did not allow a run in his final 15 outings (Aug. 6-Sept. 3) converting seven consecutive save opportunities over that span.

Hulett, 25, was acquired by Seattle from Texas in exchange for INF Ben Broussard on Dec. 12, 2007. When he appears in a game, he will be making his Major League debut. He is the son of former Major League infielder Tim Hulett. In 71 games with AAA Tacoma he was hitting .302 (79x262) with 17 doubles, 9 homers and 32 RBI.