Yep, that headline is correct. And for most of the baseball writers, we were all still a little stunned.

The first person I saw when I walked into the clubhouse was Bryan LaHair, which obviously wasn't that surprising, since I was certain he was being called up yesterday. But as soon as I got done talking to LaHair the next person I looked for was Jose Vidro, and there he was sitting in front of his locker. I'm still not sure why Vidro is still around anymore. He has little inherent value to this team.

The player who loses his spot on the roster is infielder Tug Hulett, who is practicing with the Mariners but is being optioned back to Tacoma.

LaHair hasn't officially been activated, and won't be till tomorrow. They do this just in case of a fluke injury or sickness to LaHair before the game.

Manager Jim Riggleman has said that LaHair will start his fair share of games, particularly when there's a right-hander on the mound. However, Cleveland is rolling out three lefty starters this weekend and Riggleman said LaHair will start at least one of those games for certain.

In other news, Erik Bedard and Arthur Rhodes are not at the workout as of 4:33 p.m., weather problems have delayed their flights. This is problem only because Jim Riggleman, trainer Rick Griffin and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre have no idea how Bedard's shoulder felt over the break and how much throwing he was able to do. Stottlemyre ordered each pitcher to throw at least once or twice over the break, but Riggleman admitted he had no idea if Bedard did so. Those of you hoping Bedard will be traded, you can rule out the Phillies, who just traded for Oakland's Joe Blanton. I guess that leaves the Cardinals, or some other team we haven't thought of.

Because of Bedard's unknown status - he is eligible to come of the DL on Saturday - R.A. Dickey will most likely remain in the rotation, while Miguel Batista is somehow still in the rotation. So right now, the rotation sets up with Felix Hernandez on Friday, Jarrod Washburn on Saturday, Carlos Silva on Sunday, Batista on Monday and Dickey on Tuesday.

The Mariners optioned infielder Tug Hulett to Tacoma, a move that presumably clears a roster spot for Bryan LaHair. The team's release:

MARINERS OPTION INF TUG HULETT TO AAA TACOMA

SEATTLE, Wash. – Seattle Mariners Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Lee Pelekoudas announced today that the Mariners have optioned infielder Tug Hulett to triple-A Tacoma.

Hulett, 25, was selected from Tacoma on July 10 and appeared in one game with the Mariners. He made his Major League debut on July 12 at Kansas City, going 1-for-3 as the designated hitter. In 71 games with AAA Tacoma he was hitting .302 (79x262) with 17 doubles, 9 homers and 32 RBI. Hulett was acquired by Seattle from Texas in exchange for INF Ben Broussard on Dec. 12, 2007. He is the son of former Major League infielder Tim Hulett.

ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that former Mariner Richie Sexson has reached an agreement to join the New York Yankees. He fills the Yankees' need for a right-handed batter to match up against left-handers.

Thanks to a ubiquitous clandestine informant (Yeah, I love the movie "Lean on Me") I have heard that Bryan LaHair is joining the Mariners, most likely today (Thursday).

LaHair, a native Worcester, MA, is hitting .263 with 26 doubles, 12 homers, 53 RBIs with an on-base percentage of .357 and a slugging percentage of .467.

But the real question remains, if LaHair is coming up, then who is leaving?

Has Jose Vidro finally been released? That means no more watching him bat clean-up for the Mariners, which is something that most of you clearly can't stand.

Is there a trade in the works that we haven't heard about, perhaps Raul Ibanez to the Yankees or D-Backs? According to this story, it appears that Hideki Matsui could be having season-ending knee surgery.

Has this team finally started embracing the idea of playing for the future when the present is a complete and total wash? If that's the case can we expect Wlad Balentien to be returning soon?

Who knows? I've come to realize that with this team, the logical decision isn't always the one made. But if I see LaHair today at the work-out at Safeco Field, I'll be happy at least for him. He's put in enough time with enough results to at least get a sniff of the big league life.