Reports in the Japanese media insist a deal for the 22-year-old right-handed pitcher, Junichi Tazawa, has been agreed to with the Boston Red Sox – disappointing but not devastating news to the Seattle Mariners.

From the beginning, the Japanese pitcher had made it clear the Red Sox were favored, in large part because of the success of Daisuke Matsuzaka. Interest from the Mariners, Tigers, Braves and Rangers didn’t change his mind.

In fact, the reports indicate the highest offer came from Texas – five years and $7 million total, but Tazawa apparently has accepted a three-year, $6 million contract and is expected to begin the ’09 season in the Boston minor league system.

The Mariners interest was understandable, as was their reluctance to break the bank to get Tazawa.

Yes, he reportedly has a 97 mph fastball, but yes, he’s also 5-foot-7 and about 175 pounds, and has never faced professional hitters – not even in Japan.

He would have been a nice pickup, but Seattle wasn’t about to hop into a bidding war.

As December creeps upon us, the Seattle Mariners can cobble together a pretty solid starting rotation, most of an infield – who’s on first? – and come up with more than enough catching.

What they can’t do is find an outfield that offers any kind of hope.

If you had to begin play today, there’d be Ichiro in right field, Jeremy Reed in center and Wladimir Balentien in left.

Uh-oh.

Reed is a fourth outfielder, a good-glove singles hitter.

Balentien is a prospect who became a suspect in a 243 at-bat audition. By the end of the season, he was lost at the plate, absolutely hopeless against off-speed stuff.

Ichiro? Pencil him in for, oh, 225 hits next season.

That leaves the team two viable outfielders short, and there’s not much in the minors that’s close.

Mike Morse is no longer being used in the outfield as the team tries to make him a first baseman in winter ball. Willie Bloomquist, a speedy option, doesn’t appear high on the Mariners re-sign list.

Mike Wilson is intriguing, especially after hitting 27 home runs, but that was in AA ball. And Greg Halman has power (29 home runs) and speed (31 stolen bases), but he spent 2008 in A ball.

Both will likely be in camp with the Mariners his spring, and each will get the chance to make the huge jump to the big leagues. Expecting either to do so isn’t overly realistic.

When the winter meetings begin next month, the Mariners will be pursuing any reasonable trade discussions, with an eye on acquiring a viable outfielder. They don’t want to sign a Brad Wilkerson-type free agent – they’re not looking for one-year help.

If they have to push one of their kids too fast, they may try.

They’d rather find solutions through trade, and they’re open to suggestions.

Got any?

It just seems quiet on the baseball front. Look around hard enough, there’s always tidbits.

Here are a few of interest.

- Raul Ibanez remains high on the list of at least three playoff-caliber teams, with the Cubs, Phillies and Mets each talking to his agent this week. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik talked to Ibanez’s agent, but was returning the call, not making an offer.

That’s two things working against Ibanez coming back. First, he wants to win. Second, he doesn’t want to be a DH, so a National League team has even more appeal.

- Former Mariners catcher Rene Rivera signed a minor league deal with the Mets, and will go to spring training with them as the No. 4 catcher.

- One of the many Seattle hitting coaches of the last five years – the Mariners have had six – Don Baylor was hired by the Colorado Rockies as their batting coach. Baylor once managed the Rockies.

Chris Widger, the catcher drafted by the Mariners in 1992, retired in 2006 after playing with six big-league teams – including Seattle – and winning a ring as a member of the ’05 White Sox.

This week, the 37-year-old Widger was inducted into the South Jersey Hall of Fame.

-Using a Thanksgiving theme, one east coast columnist wrote about the ‘turkeys’ in this years free-agent market. He began with a question – Who will be this years Carlos Silva?

Ouch.

Being a certified medical miracle can make you a grateful man, and on this Thanksgiving, there’s a lot I’m thankful for – a wife that’s still the love of my life, a daughter that makes me smile and a couple of cats that make me laugh.

Good friends and great surgeons saved my life this year. The baseball in Seattle wasn’t great, but mediocre big-league baseball is still pretty damned good.

So here’s a thank you to the game and the characters who inhabit it. And a couple of baseball quotes to make you smile.

“The trouble with baseball is that it’s not played the year round.”
- Gaylord Perry

“Baseball is like church. Many attend, but few understand.”
- Wes Westrum

“When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon, he and all the space scientists were puzzled by an unidentifiable white object. I knew exactly what it was. That was a home run hit off me in 1937 by Jimmy Foxx.”
– Lefty Gomez

“If it comes down to taking care of my mother in her old age and taking care of my centerfielder in his young age, I hope she understands.
- Jeff Smulyan on Ken Griffey Jr.

“Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?”
- Jim Bouton

“I've come to the conclusion that the two most important things in life are good friends and a good bullpen. “
~Bob Lemon

“The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love.”
~Bryant Gumbel,

Norm Charlton was as big a part of the Seattle Mariners ’95 season as anyone, a walk-on closer who showed up in mid-July that year after Philadelphia had released him.

It wasn’t just his left arm that made an impact.

“Norm gave us a little swagger,” Jay Buhner said.

Now 45, Charlton has seen the best of times and the worst of times in franchise history. He’s been a closer, worked with young pitchers in the Seattle minor league system and, last year, was the Mariners bullpen coach.

Over the years, getting to know him off the field was a delight, and no small surprise. When he spent his off-seasons at a ranch south of San Antonio, he hand-fed his prize Texas longhorns and adopted a javalina that would sleep on a chaise lounge on his patio.

When he worked out in the winter, it was often with a local high school team, and he spent at least as much time working with those players as he did on himself.

Charlton is a fiercely loyal friend and teammate, the kind of man who said what he felt even if it wasn’t the party line. He was good with the media, good with the fans.

When I wound up in the hospital for a month early last year, a lot of people in baseball called, and it helped get me through a tough time.

One evening just before spring training, Charlton walked into my hospital room. Just to chat.

When a good man is let go by a team – and all the Mariners coaches from 2008 were good men – it’s always bittersweet. It’s also baseball.

Charlton got a great deal out of the game in his career and doesn't need to work, but baseball got a lot back with him in it.

Baseball needs more Norm Charltons. Here’s hoping he’s not out long.

In Cincinnati, agent Brian Goldberg has been calling GMs and fielding a few in return, and said this week that Ken Griffey Jr. is open to playing anywhere.

The news there, he acknowledged, is that Melissa Griffey and family told Junior to go where he could play the most and perhaps win a ring.

According to Goldberg, the Griffeys don’t want to limit the teams he might play for by geography.

For Mariners fans who watched Junior demand a trade and leave Seattle to play closer to home – he lives in Florida – that news is painfully ironic.

Now Junior, a free agent at age 39, is willing to return to the Mariners.

Though he batted just .249 last season with 18 home runs, he’s since undergone surgery on an ailing knee that was drained three times in 2008. That may not correct slowing bat speed, but it could well boost his power totals.

Goldberg said he h as been in touch with nine teams, six of them in the National League.

The Mariners are one of three American League teams Goldberg contacted, and the response was … um … polite. A rebuilding team with an eye on ’09 and well beyond, the Mariners and new GM Jack Zduriencik understandably don’t have Grifffey – or any other elder statesman of the game – high on their priority list.

That doesn’t mean Junior isn’t coming back. It means the Mariners won’t be the first team to make him an offer. Or the second.

If Griffey remains on the market and the Mariners sort things out, it’s possible a reunion could take place, but it’s a longshot at best.

It won’t come down to money – Griffey isn’t looking for the highest contract. Rather, it will be a matter of what other teams want him. whether they have the chance to win and what role Junior would be allowed to play.

At the moment, Griffey is a distant option for the Mariners, just as Seattle is a fallback position for him. Still, he’s willing to play where his career started, and the team hasn’t ruled him out.

It’s a delicate dance neither side wants to make too much out of – and both parties want to continue for now.

When new GM Jack Zduriencik and first-time manager Don Wakamatsu open spring training in 2 ½ months, it will be with a completely revamped coaching staff.

None of the coaches from the 101-loss season of a year ago have been asked to return, and Wakamatsu and Zduriencik are interviewing candidates this week to succeed them.

Of the 2008 staff, Jim Riggleman, Sam Perlozzo and Eddie Rodriguez accepted jobs with other organizations. Four coaches – Lee Elia, Mel Stottlemyre, Norm Charlton and Jose Castro – had hoped to return.

Wakamatsu and Zduriencik decided to put together their own coaching staff, instead, and Wakamatsu will likely announce that staff some time next week.

As we said here four days ago, Oakland hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo, one of Wakmatsu’s closest friends, is a strong candidate here – as a bench coach. The Mariners asked for and got permission from the Athletics to interview Van Burkleo soon after Wakamatsu was hired.
In Elia and Charlton, the Mariners have broken with their past, deciding not to bring back two men who’d been part of the organization, off and on, since Lou Piniella’s early years with the franchise.

Elia was a coach and Charlton the closer in 1995, when the Mariners won the first division title in franchise history.

Wakamatsu and Zduriencik hope to make a little history of their own, and they’ll try with a completely new-look approach beginning in February

Perhaps it's a little mundane and not really too newsworthy, but hey, what do you expect on a Monday after a weekend of football? But new Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu will wear the No. 22 on his uniform.

If you remember, Wakamatsu was holding up a No. 16 Mariners jersey at his press conference. Well, that's because it was the number he wore as bench coach for the Oakland A's last season.

However, Wakamatsu decided to wear 22, which was the number he wore during his playing day at ASU (below)

Forget Richie Sexson, Erik Bedard, Bill Bavasi and Jose Vidro – the most disappointing season by a Seattle Mariner last season had to belong to Carlos Silva.

The right-handed free agent took a four-year, $48 million deal, and was signed not as an ace or even as a No. 2 pitcher. What the team wanted, and over spent for, was an innings-eating middle of the rotation starter who could serve as an example to ace Felix Hernandez.

Silva showed up overweight and then ate himself through the worst season of his career – 4-15 with a 6.46 earned run average. After the All-Star break, he made only eight starts.

Minor injuries, including back problems, sidelined him.

Silva was ‘El Buffalo’ in spring training. By the end of the year, the coaching staff was calling him ‘The Rhino.’ It wasn’t with affection.

One year into their contract, however, the Mariners sent Silva home to Minnesota this winter with a nutrition guide, a workout regimen and an order: get in shape. That means losing weight and building muscle.

Anyone who’s tried that knows it’s not easy, but Silva is a professional athlete, and owes the Mariners and their fans enough to make the effort.

When the team tries to turn it around in 2009, it would be much easier if they did so with a trimmer, healthy Silva. If the man whose sinker deserted him last year finds it again, one huge problem goes away.

If he shows up too heavy, the Mariners may move him to the bullpen – they have younger, better options – but that would not make them a better team.

If Silva is to have any value, it’s in the rotation.

And, should the man show up in shape and pitch well, who knows? He might either carry his weight or give Seattle the chance to trade him.

A few things worth catching up on:

- The most sought after free agent hitter on the market this winter, in terms of how many teams are in pursuit, is 37-year-old Raul Ibanez. ESPN has listed 10 teams, including Seattle, that have strong interest.

- Don Wakamatsu has been mum on candidates for his coaching staff, but one of the intriguing names he’s been linked to is former Athletics and Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson.

Before the Mariners press conference ended, there were reports out of the Bay area that Oakland hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo had been offered the same jo in Seattle.

- When Wakamatsu was hired, some folks reported Joey Cora had been the choice of some in the Mariners front office. Not true, and not close. No one involved in the interviews had Cora in his top five.

- Although GM Jack Zduriencik hasn’t shown the slightest inclination to pursue high-priced free agents, it hasn’t stopped the Mariners from being lumped into rumors. Whether it’s Jim Edmonds, Derek Lowe or Ben Sheets, whenever writers list all the teams with interest, the last one mentioned is Seattle.

They're not crying poverty or looking for a bailout, but the Seattle Mariners are reporting financial losses for 2008 - the first time since moving into Safeco Field that the team hasn't made money.

No, the Mariners ownership isn't complaining, just preparing it's audited numbers for release next year.

You can read a Business Journal story here, talking about the Mariners and other teams and the current economy in sports.

Greetings from a windy, cold and rainy Pullman, Washington, the site of the 101st Apple Cup, or as people have been referring it over here (mostly me) the Crapple Cup.

Anyway, we'll get some more linkage posts up in the near future, but I wanted to post something from Kansas City Star columnist Joe Posnanski.

I know we've posted stuff on here from him here before and we will again. Personally, I think he's one of the best general sports columnists in the business today. You can check out his columns from the Star HERE and he is also writing weekly for Sports Illustrated.

But Posnanski is also writing a personal blog, which you check out HERE. I check it frequently.

Anyway, this latest post discusses baseball statistics, specifically the batting average, home runs and RBIs. And basically he talks about why they are flawed.

This isn't new thinking. As a baseball fan, you'd have to be living under a rock if you haven't heard about the work of Bill James or the Society for American Baseball Research. These guys have worked diligently on finding better statistical measures for player production from hitting to pitching to defense along with overall team consistency and production. Many local blogs like the USS Mariner and Lookout Landing have embraced this thinking for a long time.

Major League Baseball writers? Maybe not as much. Why? Well, as Posnanski points out, most writers are of a certain age and they were brought up with the traditional baseball stats like batting average or ERA as the be all and end all. He is, or at least was, one of them. But if you read his post, you will see that his thinking has changed with the times.

Anyway, thinking sabermetrically and different statistical analysis is something that cannot be ignored. Many teams are employing people to do this kind of work. James does some work for the Red Sox. One of the main knocks against Bill Bavasi was apparent lack of use of these numbers. Though he later said he did have Mat Olkin doing that work for him. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has already said he is putting together a "statistics department" in the organization.

So anyway after the lengthy lead-in for this post, please feel free to click HERE and read it and do so with an open mind. It's pretty good stuff.

The retooling of the Seattle Mariners continued as the team added four minor leaguers to its 40-man roster, took two others off and lost left-handed reliever Eric O’Flaherty on waivers to the Atlanta Braves

Right-handed pitchers Stephen Kahn, Marwin Vegas and Gabby Hernandez and outfielder Greg Halman were added to the Mariners roster, and right-handers Luis Munoz and Tracy Thorpe cleared waivers and were reassigned to the minors.

In O’Flaherty, the team lost a 23-year-old who lost most of the 2008 season to a back injury after pitching for the Mariners much of 2007. Last year, he was hit hard in 6 2/3 April innings with Seattle, was sent down and never returned to the big leagues.

A team re-evaluating its minor league talent, the Mariners are deciding who to protect from next month’s Rule V minor league draft and, clearly, felt O’Flaherty was not a part of their future.

A few months after the 1965 season, Sandy Koufax was visiting with Dr. Robert Kerlan in his office, talking about the pitchers ailing left elbow.

“If it were you, how much longer would you pitch?” Koufax said he asked Kerlan.

“If it were me, one more year,” Kerlan said.

Koufax – 29 years old at the time – nodded.

On his way out of the office, Koufax ran into the Dodgers general manager, Buzzie Bavasi, who was waiting for Kerlan because the two men were going to play bridge later that evening.

“Next year will be my last,” Koufax told Bavasi.

And Bavasi, stunned, found Kerlan and asked “What the hell did you tell Sandy?”

All three men laughed when they'd retell that story, and it comes to mind today because Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina has announced his retirement, and becomes the first man since Koufax to retire after a 20-win season.

That tells you how rare it is for a pitcher, whatever his reason, to willingly leave while on top.

For Mussina, the act is especially notable – he retires 30 wins short of 300 career victrories.

This is an age where great pitchers gut their reputations by sticking around too long for a payday or a milestone, and yes, Randy Johnson does come to mind.

Mussina leaves with class, and it’s telling that the last man to go out in similar fashion was Koufax – 33 years ago.

This is not a political blog and isn’t about to become one, not when some of us - we won’t name names here - hadn’t voted in a presidential election since 1972.

And baseball, a sport that produces passion and angst on a daily basis almost year-round these days, isn’t quite as important as what goes on in the real world.

Still, it’s fascinating to look at the parallels between new administrations in Washington and Seattle.

Barrack Obama had the audacity to campaign on a platform anchored by change and hope – the kinds of things we cynics long for but have a difficult time expecting from a President.

And the Mariners, with their hires of general manager Jack Zduriencik and now manager Don Wakamatsu, are asking frustrated, angry, doubting fans to believe tangible change is at hand.

We sometimes have trouble believing anything we love – this nation or a baseball team – can be remade. We fight the human desire to believe what is said about the future, in part because of what we have seen in the past.

In a country so thoroughly divided politically, this election offers an opportunity to doubt the President-elect or to put aside our cynicism, let drop our suspicion, and wish him Godspeed.

Why not believe that men of integrity and passion with a willingness to change the way things are can accomplish something like greatness?

Whether we’re talking about this team or this nation, genuine hope is a commodity worth embracing.

Mr. Obama, Godspeed.

Mr. Zduriencik, good luck.

Don Wakamatsu became the 14th fulltime manager in Seattle Mariners history and the first Asian-Amerian ever to hold such a job.

Once it was made official, both he and new general manager Jack Zduriencik talked about 'page one' of a new era for Seattle baseball.

"I can't change anything about last season," Wakamatsu said, "but I promise this team and it's players will be accountable for what we do."

Zduriencik, who has all but rebuilt the Mariners front office, from scouting to player development, promised now to begin work on Wakamatsu's coaching staff and team.

"Don wasn't here last year, nor was I," Zduriencik said. "We're starting fresh, and we're going to get him the kind of players we want this team to have, now and in the future."

For a longer story on Wakamatsu's hiring, here's a link.

And if you want to hear the press conference in it's entirety, here's that link.

It won't surprise anyone who reads, watches television or listens to the radio, but the Seattle Mariners will introduce Don Wakamatsu as their new manager this afternoon.

At 45, the son of a Japanese father and Irish mother will be named the 14th fulltime manager in franchise history.

And the sixth since 2002.

For those who might have missed it, here's a marvelous John McGrath column on Wakamatsu.

Not much will be asked of Wakamatsu as a first-time big-league manager - only to win with a team that just lost 101 games, unite a clubhouse filled with small cliques and bring back stability to a team that hasn't had it since Lou Piniella.

His first job will be assembling a coaching staff, and along the way conferring with GM Jack Zduriencik on what players to keep and which ones on the free agent market to pursue.

It's been a busy off-season for Seattle already, hiring a new GM and now a new manager.

It's only mid-November, but the Mariners recognize reality. When it comes to repairing what's broken, they're just getting started.

Don Wakamatsu, who spent his adult life in professional baseball, has been hired as the next manager of the Seattle Mariners.

Wakamatsu, 45, began as one of seven candidates last week, then made general manager Jack Zduriencik's short list.

On Tuesday, however, Wakamatsu - an Oakland bench coach last season - was told he had the job.

For the quick Wikipedia biography, click here.

General manager Jack Zduriencik, whose background in scouting helped get him his job, put another scout in place with the Seattle Mariners.

Mike Cadahia 54, comes aboard as an amateur scouting specialist, and will leap immediately into evaluating players who might be selected in June - when teh Mariners have the second pick in the naion.

For the last six years, Cadahia scouted for the Florida Marlins, and back in 1999 worked in the Seattle front office as the scouting director for Latin America.

Cadahia left Seattle shoftly after new-GM Pat Gillick's arrival to work for the Blue Jays.

What happens when you try to operate a managerial search under a cone of media silence - as Mariners GM Bill Bavasi did - is rumors pop up in the media.

So what happens if, like new GM Jack Zduriencik, you're open through the process?

KING-5 aired a story saying Oakland bench coach Don Wakamatsu was not only the frontrunner, but that his hiring was only awaiting the approval of Japanese ownership.

It's hard to say who seemed more surprised this morning - the Mariners or Wakamatsu.

The team said nothing had changed since late Monday, when Zduriencik said he hadn't told anyone - including the new manager - who the new manager was, yet.

And Wakamatsu was home in Texas, waiting on pins and needles for some word out of Seattle.

So what's the truth?

Bottom line: Of the seven candidates, Wakamatsu is high on Zduriencik's final list and could be the next manager.

But he's not, yet.

And at least two other candidates are high on that list, too.

General manager Jack Zduriencik pushed his decision on hiring a new manager for the Seattle Mariners forward at least another 24 hours, and for the simplest of reasons – he didn’t want any surprises.

“There have been people in the past who have run into snafus after the fact,” Zduriencik said. “I talked to my staff today, I’m making more calls to people who have asked me to call them back to talk about these guys.

“I’m not sure I’ll tell whoever it is that he’s the manager in the next 24 hours, but it will be soon. At this stage, what I want is all my I’s dotted and all my T’s crossed to be sure there isn’t a surprise that I should have known about.”

Like whar?

Well, Toronto hired manager Tim Johnson in part because of his service in Vietnam – which he talked about to inspire players – only to learn too late that Johnson had never been there.

And in Arizona, the Diamondbacks hired Wally Backman as their next manager in November of 2004, then fired him four days later after reading about Backman’s legal and financial problems in the New York Times.

Oops.

So Zduriencik will be a bit more patient, do his due diligence, and have a manager for you by Wednesday or Thursday.

For parts of three seasons, Ben Davis was a catcher for the Seattle Mariners, building a reputation as a player who looked great in uniform but rarely did much.

He'd come to Seattle from San Diego, part of a trade that Lou Piniella and Kevin Towers drew up on a cocktail napkin one night.

The Padres, Mariners, White Sox, Yankees and Orioles all had Davis at one point, but he hasn't played in the majors since '04.

The Cincinnati Reds have now signed Davis - as a pitcher.

At 31, he's going to try something different, and the Reds are willing to assign Davis to Class AA this spring.

And here's the kicker: His pitching coach there will be ex-Mariner Chris Bosio.

It's hard to hold out much hope for Davis as a pitcher, but this much is certain.

Until he's released again, he'll look spectacular in uniform.

General manager Jack Zduriencik continued making his mark on the Seattle Mariners front office, promoting one man, hiring another and reassigning a third.

Zduriencik promoted Pedro Grifol, the team coordinator of minor league instruction, to the director of minor league operations.

To replace Grifol’s spot, Zduriencik hired Tim Tolman, 52, who spent the last two seasons as the Washington Nationals third base coach.

Greg Hunter, the Mariners director of minor league development the past two years – and in his 12th season with the team – has been reassigned within the organization, if he chooses to accept.

In the weeks since taking over, Zduriencik has now fired the vice president of scouting, Bob Fontaine, reassigned Benny Looper, the vice president of player personnel and reassigned Hunter.

Looper left the team and was immediately hired as the assistant general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Seattle Mariners search for a new manager has been the focus of attention of fans and media over the last 10 days, but general manager Jack Zduriencik and his scouting staff have been busy elsewhere, too.

While not as sexy as pursuing C.C. Sabathia or a major trade, Zduriencik’s staff has been going over the list of 561 minor-league free agents – most of them Triple-A players – that includes 22 of their own.

The goal is straightforward: improve the Mariners minor league system and, if possible, pick up players who might have a role on the big-league team at some point.

Given the teams needs at first base and the outfield at every level, there's good reason to scan the possibilities.

Every team has a list of minor league free agents, and the Mariners staff has huddled to compare notes from last season.

If you want to look at the full list – all 561 players – here’s a link to the most complete list at Baseball America.

And if you’re wondering, as the Mariners are, who they might lose through minor league free agency, here’s the list of the Seattle playes now eligible:
RHP: Travis Chick, Jon Huber, Roman Martinez , Scott Shoemaker, Jorge Sosa.

LHP: Jason Kershner, Ryan Ketchner, Nelson Payano.

C: Fleming Baez, Fernando, Encarnacion,Gabe Johnson, Luis Oliveros, Jose Yepez.

1B: Geraldo Valentin.

2B: Kevin Howard.

3B: Lou Lucca.

SS: Mark Kiger.

OF: Victor Diaz, Shawn Garrett, Noah Hall, Jon Nelson, Craig Wilson.

General manager Jack Zduriencik's mind is made up on who the next manager of the Seattle Mariners will be - and the only one who could change that is, well, Jack Zduriencik.

“I’ve established a pecking order.” Zduriencik said. “I’m not sure anything will change my mind, but I reserve the right to back away, let the dust settle and think about it a bit longer, then make my decisions.

"I'll sleep on it, think about it tomorrow, make a few calls. We could have an announcement Tuesday."

The new manager of the team, he said, will come from the original list of seven candidates interviewed last week - Arizona coach Chip Hale, Boston coaches DeMarlo Hale and Brad Mills, St Louis coach Jose Oquendo, White Sox coach Joey Cora, Portland Beavers manager Randy Ready and Oakland coach Don Wakamatsu.

There will be no experienced candidates added, no need for a second face-to-face interview.

That’s because Zduriencik spent the weekend talking to all those candidates one more time by telephone, and then talking to baseball sources who knew them.

“We’re pretty close to making a decision,” Zduriencik said.

And will it be his decision, or will he have to run the hire past tam CEO Howard Lincoln and president Chuck Armstrong?

“They’ve told me it’s my call,” he said.

“After the interviews, I said I wanted to take a step back, collect my thoughts and proceed from there. Now, I think it’s probably time to take a step forward.”

General manager Jack Zduriencik has spent his weekend on the telephone, talking to those in the game whose opinions he trusts – and to five of the seven candidates interviewed last week for the job of the next Seattle Mariners manager.

“I’ve got two more guys on that list I haven’t been able to reach yet, and until I do there’s not much I want to say,” Zduriencik said. “But we’re pretty close to making a decision.

“After the interviews, I said I wanted to take a step back, collect my thoughts and proceed from there. Now, I think it’s probably time to take a step forward.”

In his conversations with five of those seven candidates, Zduriencik has told each it’s about time he hired someone. He’s given each a second-chance telephone interview, and whether he needs go hear more than that from any of them remains to be seen.

Zduriencik seems, however, to be close to naming a new manager – and may not need new candidates or even second face-to-face interviews.

Those candidates include Arizona coach Chip Hale, Boston coaches DeMarlo Hale and Brad Mills, St Louis coach Jose Oquendo, White Sox coach Joey Cora, Portland
Beavers manager Randy Ready and Oakland coach Don Wakamatsu.

By tomorrow, that list could be narrowed to one.

A day after he talked about adding a candidate or two to his list of possibilities for managing the Seattle Mariners, GM Jack Zduriencik said that was now ‘unlikely’ – and opened the possibility that a decision could come as early as Sunday.

“There may be second interviews for a guy or two we talked to this week, but. I may be satisfied through the weekend and the conversations I’ll have by telephone with all of them,” Zduriencik said.

“I vetted them all before the interviews began and was happy with the seven guys we brought in. I’m going to call each of them in the next couple of days, and my discussions with these gentlemen will determine what I do next.”

What Zduriencik hopes to do today and Sunday is give each candidate a chance to talk about their interview – and about what they’ve thought about since.”

“We’ve had our interview, and none of them were short ones, no one came in for an hour or two,” he said. “But once they`re removed from the process, it’s natural to have more thoughts, to have things you wish you’d said.

“I want to give each of them the chance to talk to me again.”

That means calls to Arizona’s Chip Hale, Boston coaches DeMarlo Hale and Brad Mills and DeMarloHale, Athletics bench coach Don Wakamatsu, Portland Beavers manager Randy Ready, Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo and White Sox bench coach Joey Cora.

Has Zduriencik shortened that list in his mind?

“Is there a pecking order right now? There is some form of a pecking ordr,” he said. “But I’ll do my due diligence with all of them. I owe them that.”

He will also make calls to others in the game to talk about the two or three top candidates as he pares the list down.

And then?

“It’s unlikely I’ll add more candidates – but I’ll leave it open a little,” he said. “I should know what direction we’re going in by Sunday afternoon.”

Randy Johnson is leaving the Arizona Diamondbacks and - as was the case with the Mariners, Astros and Yankees - he won't be missed.

That's stunning for a guy with Hall of Fame numbers like his 295 career wins.

In Arizona this season, however, Johnson berated his bullpen and young defense. After making a September start, the 'Big Unit' declined to make the rest of the road trip with the team.

When it became obvious he wasn't going to win No. 300 last year, he simply stopped caring - and stopped talking to most teammates.

That's what they're saying in Arizona, and among those saying it is columnist Dan Bickley, and you can read his thoughts here.

When Johnson wins his 300th, and he will, he will do it at the end of a magnificent pitching career - one that should have included friends throughout the game.

It won't, because he alienated managers, coaches and teammates with his self-absorbtion.

Once a clubhouse comedian and gentle eccentric, Johnson is now a dark, selfish, bitter man.

What you get every fifth day might be rock-solid. The tragedy of Johnson's legacy is that his teams got nothing in the four days between starts.

The Magnificient Seven candidates on GM Jack Zduriencik’s list to become the next manager of the Seattle Marines have completed their first round of interviews – and now they may morph into the Great Eight or Noble Nine.

Simply put, Zduriencik said he may add a couple of candidates to that first list, and might bring them in as soon as this weekend for interviews.

“We’re close to the end, in terms of candidates. There may be one, two more guys we bring in,” Zduriencik said. “We might call a couple of guys back for second round. I think it’s possible we’ll have guy in place by next weekend.”

The first list included Boson coaches Brad Mills and DeMarlo Hale, Arizona third base coach Chip Hale, Athleetics bench coach Don Wakamatsu, Portland Beavers manager Randy Ready, Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo and White Sox bench coach Joey Cora.

It’s way too early to pick a winner in this horse race – but why should that stop anyone from wildly speculating?

An early guess: Chip Hale.

An early exit: Joey Cora.

A week from now, we should know for real. Zduriencik, meanwhile, likes all his candidates.

“These guys have worked for this, earned the right to get this opportunity. They all have qualities that are going to be pluses. They were direct, and proud of where they’ve come from and where they’re going to be,” Zduriencik said.

Asked specifically what he was looking for in a manager, Zduriencik embellished a bit on what he’s said over the past week.

“I was looking for a fresh face, someone that could embrace this organization and someone that has a background that brings consistency, a presence, a demeanor – someone the community and the players can embrace,” Zduriencik said. “All the things I’ve been saying – leaders, winners, someone who understands his role and see the big picture and cares about players and wants to win.

“That’s the criteria.”

None of the seven men interviewed has ever managed in he big leagues. Their numbers will surely be cut for Round Two.

“Say, hypothetically, we’d narrowed it down to three guys. Sometimes that third guy deserves a second interview to make his case, to show that he’s No 1,” Zduriencik said. “If we have second interviews, bring a couple of guys, my preference would be to spend a day with each. They need to be fresh, I need to be fresh.”

Sam Perlozzo isn't waiting around to see if he still has a job with the Seattle Mariners. Perlozzo, who coached the infielders for the Mariners and was also third base coach for the Mariners, accepted a job with the Phillies on their coaching staff. What exactly his title is, hasn't been determined, but he will also work with the infielders.

Hmm, let's see, sit around to see if you can work for the 100-loss Mariners and have to work with Yuni Betancourt and Jose Lopez, OR take basically the same job for the World Champion Phillies and work with Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

Tough choice. Tough choice.

Here's the AP Story...

PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Former Baltimore Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo joined the Philadelphia Phillies’ coaching staff on Thursday.

Perlozzo wasn’t immediately assigned a specific position. The World Series champion Phillies are seeking a third-base coach and bench coach for manager Charlie Manuel.

Steve Smith wasn’t retained as third-base coach and Jimy Williams chose not to return as bench coach.

Perlozzo, who will handle infield instruction, spent last season as Seattle’s third-base coach after 12 years with Baltimore as third-base coach (1996-2000), bench coach (2001-2005) and manager (2005-07).

Perlozzo also coached third base for the Mariners (1993-95), Cincinnati (1990-92) and the New York Mets (1987-89).

“I’ve known Sammy for a long time and I couldn’t be happier to add someone with his experience to our coaching staff,” Manuel said.

Alright, here's the scenario, I'm having computer issues (I know you've heard that one before) so if this post ends abruptly and without reason it's because I took a Louisville Slugger to my News Tribune Dell Laptop. It might be more frustrating than I-5 traffic on a Friday.

I didn't post anything from last night's conference call because, well, I had to leave it early because my dog "Yellow Dog" thought it would be a good idea to start barking in the middle of it.

Anyway, one thing that Larry conveyed in his story today, is that this process is far from over. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik hinted said that some candidates might be back for a second round of interviews. And really, I wouldn't be surprised if he brings in another candidate or two outside of this list of seven he's released. He admitted that he's still receiving calls about potential managers, and I don't really think he's going to close himself off to just this group when another possibility could be out there.

He's being very thoughtful in this decision, so just limiting himself to these seven candidates would seem illogical.

OK, let's get to DeMarlo Hale, third base coach of the Boston Red Sox.

On the fact that none of the candidates have any big league managerial experience?
That's just a decision and a direction that they are looking at right now. I'm not surprised. I think that it's very nice for them to be open to many different types of candidates.

On his experience of being in Boston the last three years making him prepared to become a major league manager ...
I think it helps. Having the success that has been there in Boston, no doubt it helps, you understand the commitment and the sacrifice that it takes and the challenges ahead to win. It helps. But I also think that in this situation they want to hear your ideals. They don't want to hear the Red Sox ideals.

On competing with fellow Red Sox coach Brad Mills for the job ...
I respect Brad Mills a lot. He's a good baseball man. I think he is a very good candidate warranted of this position. There is nothing but respect for Brad Mills. I have shared some things there being on Francona's staff. We've talked baseball and among other things we've become friends. It's not weird at all.

On what he picked as a coach for Boston in comparison to his time managing in the minors ..
There's more emphasis on winning, the minor leagues are more development. I've learned from all places I've been. You learned a commitment that it takes. You see the challenges and you take what is important from you and you hope to apply it and put it into position.

On his impression of the Mariners ...
They've always played us good. So there's talent on this team. They've got some arms out there, they've got some position players that have the tools. They have the pieces to be a solid championship type club. Do you add pieces? Yes. You try to formulate a team so that you can get a certain type of production in certain places. You look at this park and it's pretty big. The defensive side of it, you definitely need someone who can cover ground in centerfield.

As you move forward, you start to look at your needs and what you need to compete. I can't sit here and give you everything that's going to take place because I don't. But you want pieces, and this team has pieces and you try to add to those pieces and move forward to make a very good team.

Considering it’s mid-November and hasn’t stopped raining in weeks, it’s not a bad time to think about spring training in Arizona, where this morning it’s 82 degrees and dry.

The Seattle Mariners aren’t sure yet when they’ll open camp – probably around Valentine’s Day – or who will manage or coach the team when it reports to Peoria, Ariz. But this will be one Cactus League season unlike any other once it begins.

For one thing, there are a couple of new teams, the Dodgers and Indians, in the mix. For another, the Mariners exhibition-game scheduled begins Feb. 25 and doesn’t end until April 4, in part so players taking part in the World Baseball Classic can do so, return to their teams and get into shape for the regular season.

Spring training is where players aren’t yet crabby (their stats don’t count), managers are more likely to sign autographs (the losses don’t count) and everyone seems to actually be enjoying themselves.

Or mostly.

It’s hard to forget the day in Peoria Stadium when a swarm of bees overwhelmed Mariners outfielder Scott Podsednik and fans beyond the left field wall. The bees eventually moved on.

Or the time Eddie Guardado came flying out of a dugout because he’d encountered a snake there. Turned out to be the non-poisonous variety, but Eddie hated snakes.

Going way back, Ken Griffey Jr. would sit and talk to fans through a fence between rounds of batting practice, Mike Blowers – never a morning person – would yell ‘Good morning!’ to the small crowd of fans who gathered each day to watch workouts.

In short, it’s as relaxed a time as there is between players and fans. And, did we mention, it’s usually warm. And dry.

Right now, it can’t come soon enough.

The Seattle Mariners moved two right-handed pitchers from their 40-man roster to the minor leagues – and lost two players, left-hander Jake Woods and infielder Yung Chi Chen in player transactions.

Pitchers Jared Wells and Joe Woerman accepted assignments to the minors, but Woods did not and became a free agent.

And Chen, a 25-year-old with a history of injuries, was claimed off waivers by Oakland.

The moves left the Mariners 40-man roster at 36, giving general manager Jack Zduriencik room to maneuver in the coming weeks.

Chen played in 69 games fofr Tacoma last season before knee sidelined him. Woods, 27, was acquired off waivers in in 2005 and went 7-4 with a 4.61 earned run average in 56 appearances with Seattle.

Wells, 27, came to the Mariners last May in the Cha Seung Baek trade to the Padres, and led the Pacific Coast League with 20 saves. In six appearances with Seattle, he pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed six runs.

Woerman, 25, started 21 games last year, splitting time between Class AA and Class AAA. Combined, he went 3-11 with a 6.69 earned run average.

None of the four were expected to challenge for a job in spring training.

You can't say the Mariners aren't moving this managerial search along - Oakland bench coach Don Wakamatsu's interview this morning was the team's fourth in three days.

And number five - Portland Beavers manager Randy Ready - will include dinner with general manager Jack Zduriencik tonight.

Wakamatsu asked and answered questions:

"This is club a lot of smart people picked to win 90 something games last year," he said. "Tampa went from rebuilding to almost winning a World Series. This is a young, athletic team. Maybe with some instruction, some prodding, this team could win in a hurry.

"I had questions: did we want to win now, is it a rebuilding year – a lot like the questions they had for me.

"It’s important we’re on the same page. Anybody can come in and say ‘I want to win right away,’ but you have to be realistic. There’s work to be done this winter."

Wakamatsu would love to be part of it - Zduriencik already is.

It's one thing to listen to a managerial candidate talk to the local media after his job interview, often another to see what he has to say when he gets back home.

Boston coach Brad Mills talked to the Boston Globe a day after his interview with the Mariners.

"I had really prepared for an interview my whole career," Mills said. "Manager in the minor leagues 11 years, being in the major leagues for 10 years as a coach and a scout. All those experiences came to light."

Mills also talks about getting to the Boston airport at 6 a.m. Monday only to see his flight cancelled - and credits the Mariners for getting him to Seattle, anyway.

Read Mills interview, including quick thoughts on fellow candidate DeMarlo Hale, in its entirety here.

The Seattle Mariners haven’t changed their Major League roster, but new GM Jack Zduriencik’s front office team continues beating the bushes for talent – and they’ve come up with a first baseman.

Ian Michael Bladergroen, 25, is a long (6-foot-4) and lanky (195 pounds) left-handed hitter with power who played last year with the Independent League Lancaster Barnstormers, batting .260 with 15 home runs and 51 RB I in 89 games.

The Mariners signed him to a minor league contract, and he may be invited to the big-league camp.

Drafted by the Mets, traded to the Red Sox, Bladergroen has never played as many as 100 games in a season. No, the Mariners don’t view him as the answer. Yes, they do see him – like outfielder Steve Moss, signed two weeks ago – as a player who can fill a role in the minor league system while they take a look at him.

If you want a look ag Bladergroen’s career numbers, here’s the link

Ok, I figured we should separate up the posts because the last one was reaching War and Peace-type length. And even though it's my job, I can't always slog my way through an epic post.

Anyway, let's get to what Jack Zduriencik had to say about the day's worth of interviews and the overall managerial search process.

First of all, two more managerial candidates will come in on Wednesday. Don Wokamatsu will come in the morning and Randy Ready comes in the afternoon, and sometime between that Zduriencik has to go to a season ticket luncheon.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the conference call came late, when Zduriencik was asked about whether or not any names could be added to the seven-person candidate pool.

"Not at this time, although I continue to get phone calls," Zduriencik said. "I suspect that it could happen. This list wasn't all inclusive. It's a good starting point. It's a group of guys I felt comfortable with. Could someone else emerge? That's possible."

OK, so this could be taking a little longer than we thought.

As for this evening's re-scheduled interview, Zduriencik seemed upbeat.

"We made up the time," Zduriencik said. "He (Chip Hale) was scheduled to be in here much earlier. We would have gone to dinner afterwards, but we just reversed the plans. We went to dinner first. It was very relaxing and maybe it even worked to a benefit whereas he was a little more comfortable and a little more relaxed then sitting in a formal interview. We did sit around 40 minutes just talking. And we'll meet for a little while after this."

"All in all we both got a really good feel for each other and it worked out very well."

As for this morning's candidate - Joey Cora - Zduriencik also seemed pleased.

"He was impressive, a high-energy guy," Zduriencik said. "He was very well prepared and presented himself in a very positive light. I was impressed with his genuine care for this area and his experiences since he's been a player and as he's been in different roles in the minor leagues and major leagues. And how he's grown and matured and taken from his experiences and has taken a step forward to prepare himself for such a position as this."

As for Cora's association and familiarity with the Mariners having played here, Zduriencik said "it doesn't hurt" but was clear that wasn't a significant advantage over the rest.

"You'd like to have good people," Zduriencik said. "And any time anyone has a relationship with an organization, it could possibly work in their favor. that's not going to be the determining factor by any means. The fact that he does care for this area and this community is very nice to hear, but when the day's said and done, we'll make the decision under the premise the guy we hire will be the best person for this organization at this point in time."

Much has been made about Cora lobbying to get an interview and having White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and GM Kenny Williams call in reference for him. Zduriencik said he was aware of Cora before that, pointing out that Milwaukee isn't far from Chicago in terms of baseball coverage.

"My list was pretty long as you guys well know," he said. "I had a lot of names on that list. Right after I got the job, I began to get phone calls about different people and Joey was one particular guy that I got several phone calls from people not related to this organization. And when I came on board a few people mentioned his name in the office."

One thing that Zduriencik said he must do is not get caught up with the most recent candidates, when there are still some left to be interviewed.

"To be fair to every candidate, you may like candidate A, B, C and you haven't even talked to D and F yet," he said. "You have to be open-minded. This is not any different than scouting. You are out there looking for the best talent and when the day's said and done, sometimes the talent might be the first person you see and it might be the last person you see.

"I told every single candidate that I did not go into this thing with any preconceived ideas. I don't have a cookie cutter on exactly what I'm looking for. Some of these guys, as they speak and sell themselves and present themselves in a positive light, is going to help me. It's going to help me create a little bit more of what I'm looking for. I know what I want. I know what we need. And all of these guys so far have been impressive."

While Zduriencik asks the bulk of the questions in the interview, he was asked if the candidates query him about the direction the team will be taking in the next few years.

"I've been open with them," Zduriencik said. "I tell them we're a little bit open-minded to where we are headed. I present several scenarios to them and ask them how they would handle either scenario. Their responses have been very open-minded and understanding and in some case offered some suggestions that I thought were good suggestions."

Good evening, we've got a really big show for you tonight. Our special guest is Mariners managerial candidate Chip Hale.

The reason for the late-night affair is that Mr. Hale's flight out of Tucson was stuck on the tarmac for awhile and then stuck on the tarmac and delayed in Phoenix, causing him to miss his connecting flight to Seattle.

So that obviously delayed the interview process and our subsequent conference call with Hale and Jack Zduriencik.

So let's get into what Hale, who's the current third-base and infield coach for the Diamondbacks, had to say.

"It's been quite a day so far, it's been interesting," Hale said, discussing his traveling issues for the afternoon.

Hale had dinner with Zduriencik and Chuck Armstrong before the conference call and was going to meet with Zduriencik for the official interview afterward.

This is the first interview Hale has had to be a major-league manager and he understandably was excited.

"It's a great opportunity," he said. "This is a great organization. It has won and will win again and I'd love to be part of that. Just to be in the process is fantastic. It's my first interview as a manager, but also just the fact that I feel like it's a good place and would be a good fit for me."

Hale did plenty to prepare for the interview, but also had some knowledge of the organization already.

"I looked over the organization, I know this organization pretty well from managing in Triple A with Tucson, and I watched a lot of games. I'm a guy that watches a lot of games. I've seen this team play and I know the strengths and we'll fix some of the weaknesses. I talked to some of the different people that have been around this team in the past and handled some of the players on this club."

Two of those people are D-Backs manager Bob Melvin and pitching coach Bryan Price, who used to work in the same capacity for the Mariners.

"They said it's a great spot," Hale said. "Bryan was obviously here for a long time in the minor leagues and major leagues. He has nothing but great things about the city, the organization and everything about it, and the people that run it. Obviously, Bob was here and let go, but he had no hard feelings and has landed on his feet. He loves this area and he was excited for me."

Hale was asked about assessing what went wrong with the Mariners from what he had seen in his preparations.

"Bedard getting hurt was tough. To me they made a great trade, it's sort of like with the Diamondbacks. and we get Danny Haren. We gave up a lot to get him. But he's a legitimate No. 1 pitcher in the major leagues and we put him with Brandon Webb. It was supposed to be the same deal putting (Bedard) with Felix Hernandez. But (Bedard) gets hurt and things don't go right.

"I don't know the ins and outs of every problem, but I will tell you that this will be a place that has enough talent to win. The pitching and defense are there when you have Betancourt at shortstop and Beltre at third and Ichiro is one of the best players in baseball, I think it's a good situation."

One of the things I liked was something Hale said about not saying things just for the sake of getting hired, but saying things he truly believes in during the interview process.

"I have to be honest about my feelings, and what I'd do in situations, so you're really not trying to play up to anybody in this organization by saying the things they want to hear," Hale said. "You want to say the things you believe in. You are going to make this place better because I'm the manager, and not (just) try to do things that are going to make people happy."

Perhaps the biggest aspect of Hale's background that I certainly consider a huge positive was his time spent as a player in Minnesota under manager Tom Kelly.

You won't find a much more respected manager than Tom Kelly. And Hale said he learned a lot from Kelly and from the Twins organization.

"My biggest thing is play the game the right way," Hale said. "I played under Tom Kelly in Minnesota, and the one thing he preached from day one was 'respect the game,' and it could be as simple as that. If guys just buy into that fact and play the game a little better and play the game the right way, we can beat a lot of teams."

"I came through that system and we just did things the right way. It sounds kind of simple, but whether it was working on bunt defenses or taking infield/outfield, if we didn't do it right, we kept doing it. And the bottom line, good minor-league and major-league systems are built by drafting good players. They had tremendous scouting and Jack has a great track record of that. To build that way, and to build through the system, is the way to do it. You are going to go get your free agent here and there, but if you can build this system from the bottom up, you are going to have guys who end up being superstars at the big-league level, and you'll have guys you move for other pieces."

Finally, Hale was asked him about what he would do to prevent some of the cliques and clubhouse division that seemed prevalent with the Mariners this season.

"You have to nip it in the bud," he said. "And you have to just convince the guy that this is our club. There's certain things that the media need to know, and ... certain things certain things that needed to be handled inside."

Of course, he admitted he knew no details of what went on with the M's, but the concept wasn't something new to baseball.

"I have to know the guys well enough and push the right buttons within," he said. "I should be able to see that problem way before it hits."

Ok, we just off the conference call with Joey Cora, who interviewed for the open Mariners managerial job this morning.

No, he didn't cry.

Actually Cora admitted that he didn't think he was done talking with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik yet.

Anyway, Cora said all of the right things. One thing he mentioned was bringing back the "Mariners' way." He tried to explain, saying "there's got to be a pride in the way you play the game. How to be resilient and relentless. We don't want to worry about the other team, we want the the other teams to be worried about us."

Obviously, this season when Cora was with the White Sox as a bench coach, they probably weren't too worried about the Mariners.

"When we played the Mariners, we knew we had to worry about Ichiro and we knew we were going to see (Felix) Hernandez at least once," Cora said.

But he didn't say much after that about things they worried about with the Mariners.

"In spring training, the team looked great," Cora said of Seattle. "I don't know what happened after that. Obviously they have talented players."

But even Cora admitted that talent players aren't enough.

"It's about being a team," he said.

Cora wouldn't list any specific issues he saw, but he didn't deny they were there.

"They have some problems," he said. "If they didn't have problems I wouldn't be here."

As for working with Ozzie Guillen over the last five seasons and the things he's taken away from the experience, Cora pointed to Ozzie's relationship with his players.

"The way he communicated with the players, sometimes that gets lost in the shuffle with the way he talks to the media," Cora said. "Players want to play for him. They know he cares for real."

Cora also said he was a differing voice for Ozzie to bounce ideas and decisions off of.

"I'm the one that gives Ozzie a different perspective," Cora said. "I'm very different from him and maybe he sees the other side of the coin from me."

As for his time spent in Seattle, Cora doesn't know if it gives him as an advantage, other than the fact he knows what Seattle fans want.

"I know the town, I know what the town wants - a world series title," he said. "I don't know if that's an advantage. Seattle sports have been a little down this year with Sonics leaving and the Seahawks struggling. It was fun here when I played and we were in contention every year I played here. I know how great it can be here when things are going well."

So most of you know, Tim Lincecum has won the NL Cy Young today in what was basically his first full season in the big leagues. His numbers are ridiculous

34 games started, 18-5 record, 227 innings pitched, 265 strikeouts, just 84 walks, 2.62 ERA, 1.172 WHIP.

Here's the story from Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Apparently one voter left Lincecum completely off his ballot - Chris DeLuca, the national baseball writer for the Chicago SunTimes. So the Chronicle caught up with him to get his explanation.

This kind of cool, the Chronicle has the database that can compare Lincecum's stats to past Cy Young winners.

Of course, up here, Mariners fans only want to compare Lincecum to one person - Brandon Morrow.

Ever since the Mariners - led by Bob Fontaine - took Morrow with 5th pick of the 2006 draft over Lincecum - a Renton native and University of Washington standout. It's been fodder for debate. Lincecum was selected a few picks later at No. 10 by the Giants and the arguments, debates and comparisons began from there.

Really though it's been hard to compare the two pitchers for one main reason - they had two different roles. Lincecum was drafted as a starter, and has never strayed from that path. Morrow on other hand was drafted as a starter, but then-Mariners manager Mike Hargrove put him in the bullpen for the 2007 season. Morrow has a solid season as a reliever showing moments of brilliance as a set-up man. However, that isn't what he was drafted for.

The Mariners then decided to transition him back into starting after the 2007 season sending him to Venezuela in the offseason. But with signing of Carlos Silva and the trade for Erik Bedard, they moved Morrow back into the bullpen for the start of the 2008 season. (Excuse me, while I go vomit at that idea).

Anyway, you know the rest of the story, Morrow did a nice job of closing games for the Mariners when J.J. Putz got hurt. Eventually after Silva kept eating and getting bigger and also getting swatted around like a pinata and Bedard basically shut down in July with shoulder issues, and the season reeling into the abyss, the Mariners finally decided to begin the transition with Morrow to starting, sending him to Triple A to get stretched out to prepare for a month of starting in the big leagues.

I think everybody remembers the first start, a near no-hitter of the Yankees. But after that, Morrow struggled at times with his command of his secondary pitches and had so-so results.

Here's his stats as a starter

5 games started: 2-2 record, 28 innings pitched, 22 hits, 18 runs, 5 home runs, 19 walks and 28 strikeouts.

That's a pretty small sample size. But the 18 walks is an issue. Still, we won't know till we see Morrow for a whole season. I think the upside is there. Nobody questions his stuff, but he seems to have a good mentality and approach on the mound, and his work ethic has always been lauded.

With all that being said, Lincecum is more polished at this point in the career. And his durability - something many scouts questions because of his small stature - hasn't been an issue.

Anyway, I know Mariners fans cringe at the thought of Lincecum winning the Cy Young. And for the time being, both players, at least in Mariners fans' minds will always be linked.

So congratulations to Tim Lincecum. And good luck to Brandon Morrow

The list of seven finalists for the Seattle Mariners managerial job didn’t come together quite as smoothly as general manager Jack Zduriencik would have liked, but then nothing in baseball is as simple as it seems.

One of the candidates originally on Zduriencik’s list was Boston pitching coach John Farrell, a man whose name came up again and again as Zduriencik talked to baseball executives and scouts last week.

The problem? Farrell declined the opportunity even to interview.

Late Monday night, he issued a statement through the Red Sox:

“I have withdrawn my name for consideration by the Seattle Mariners as they search for a new manager,” Farrell said. “I wish them well as they move forward. My decision is based on family reasons and being committed to the Red Sox organization. The working relationship shared with Theo and Tito and the resources provided by John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino create a situation that is both challenging and rewarding.”

So there.

And another of the Mariners candidates – former second baseman Joey Cora – all but forced himself onto Seattle’s list with his dogged persistence.

According to sources in Chicago, where Cora has coached under Ozzie Guillen, Cora asked for and got recommendations for the job from Guillen and White Sox GM Ken Williams.

But he didn’t stop there.

One White Sox source said Cora had team owner Jerry Reinsdorf call the Mariners with a personal appeal for an interview.

The Mariners insist Cora was a viable candidate, anyway, and will interview him today.

Farrell’s withdrawl – and Cora’s full court press – aren’t all that important now that Zduriencik has his list of candidates.

It’s just a little behind the scenes action that’s always intriguing and never dull.

Ok, just got off the conference call with today's interviewee Brad Mills and Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik. Some quick notes which I'll update with a transcript from it.

Let's get to Zduriencik first ...

Right now the seven finalists appear to be the only ones. Zduriencik did say that he could add to the list of candidates if he felt the need, but said he was pretty satisfied with the group he has now.

"We'll see at the end of the process how I feel," Zduriencik said. "If it is one of these guys then it will be fine with me. This is a good group of guys. If I feel there is another person or two I need to reach out to, I'd be open to that."

The fact that none of the seven have any prior major league managerial experience before is more or less a coincidence according to Zduriencik.

"I guess you could say it's probably a coincidence because it wasn't by design," Zduriencik said. "I can tell you I've had extensive conversations prior to this process with managers that have managed once, twice and some cases three times before this. As I narrowed the list down, I was open to anybody. I think it is a coincidence that these guys haven't managed. But, they come from winning organizations, they have very good track records, they have been successful where they have been, they've either been players or coaches at the major league level. I think this group of guys through my initial conversations with them were guys that I thought were very intriguing."

One person who will not be added to the list or considered for the job is Jim Riggleman, who finished up the season last year.

"I had a conversation with Jimmy and told him he wasn't a candidate for this position," Zduriencik said. "As you know he's accepted a position with the Washington Nationals. It was a very good conversation, but he was disappointed obviously. He certainly understood. I've known him for a long time and I wish him the best."

And some of the other candidates mentioned earlier, like Willie Randolph and Ned Yost, are seemingly out of the picture.

"In terms of Willie Randolph, I haven't talked to Willie," Zduriencik said. "I did sit in on his interview with Doug Melvin so I had an opportunity, in essence, to interview Willie without interviewing him for this position."

Yost?

"I have not talked to Ned as of the last two weeks or so," Zduriencik said.

So the likelihood of Zduriencik reaching out to someone like Yost or Bobby Valentine doesn't seem likely.

"At this moment in time I don't intend to reach out to anybody else. I could, but I don't intend to," he said.

Let's get to Mills, who interviewed for about two and half hours today along with having lunch with Zduriencik.

This is the first major league managerial job he's ever interviewed for. He's been contacted about being in consideration for jobs and possibly being interviewed, but never made it into the interview process. So he admitted he was a bit "nervous" coming in.

Mills had no prior relationship with Zduriencik coming into the process.

It looks as though the Oakland A's have made a trade for Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday. Several news sources are reporting the deal, but the exact terms haven't come out. Players like Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith, Huston Street and others might be reportedly a part of it.

This trade really surprises me because it seems like Oakland is about two to three years from being really good. And they're going to have to mortgage much of the future to get him. Of course, Matt Holliday only has one year left on his current contract, so Beane could be picking him up to either trade him at the deadline to a team desperate for a bat, or wait till he declares free agency next year and pick up a two first-round picks since Holliday will easily be a Type A free agent.

Holliday is the type of guy you add when you are on the cusp of being really good, like trying to go from playoffs to the World Series. The A's would be trying to go from bad to almost decent. But then again, Billy Beane seems to know what he's doing on most occasions.

Obviously the A's were offensively challenged this season so adding Holliday's bat to the lineup helps, but who's going to protect him in the lineup? Eric Chavez and his ailing back? Kurt Suzuki? Bobby Crosby?

What do you think?

Anyway let's get to some links about the trade.

Susan Slusser, the A's beat writer for the SF Chronicle has the latest, saying it is Gonzalez, Smith and Street.

Here's the most updated story from ESPN.com, they've got Brett Anderson and Ryan Sweeney as possible parts of the deal.

SI's Jon Heyman broke the news earlier this morning with this story.

Here's Yahoo Sports Tim Brown's story on the trade.

Even as general manager Jack Zduriencik begins interviewing managerial candidates, he's found the time - and the men he wants - to continue retooling the Seattle Mariners front office.

On Monday, Zduriencik named Tom McNamara Director of Amateur Scouting and Carmen Fusco Director of Pro Scouting.

He also came up with a title for Tony Blengino - Special Assistant to the GM, Baseball Operations.

Blengino and McNamara worked with Zduriencik in Milwaukee. Fusco, 55, once coached with Zduriencik in the college ranks.

The search for the next Seattle Mariners manager has begun in earnest, and there are seven names in the first round of interviews – including Joey Cora.

The others on GM Jack Zduriencik’s pared down list are Diamondbacks third base coach Chip Hale, Red Sox third base coach DeMarlo Hale, Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills, Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo, Padres minor league manager Randy Ready and Athletics bench coach Don Wakamatsu.

You can read thumbnails of the candidates right here.

The interviews will be done this week, and unless Zduriencik feels the need to expand his initial group of candidates, a decision could be made within seven-to-10 days.

The Mariners, who have had three managers – Mike Hargrove, John McLaren and Jim Riggleman – in the last 16 months, are hoping to come up with a manager and coaching staff that can establish consistency.

Coaching wasn’t the reason Seattle lost 101 games last year, but three hitting coaches and three pitching coaches over the past three seasons has produced as understandable confusion.

With his hiring of a manager, Zduriencik will begin what he calls the building of an identity for the Mariners – a challenge every bit as large as transforming the 25-man roster.

In announcing the seven candidates before interviews began, Zduriencik returned to the openess of Pat Gillick's Mariners - which became far more secretive under Bill Bavasi.

The Chicago Cubs are for sale – asking price, about $1 billion – and among those who have expressed interest is Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

One Chicago newspaper reported last week that, according to an anonymous source, other MLB owners had determined Cuban was n ot their kind of fellow and had “zero chance” of being approved.

Please.

Among the 30 big-league teams, baseball would be hard-pressed not to find horror stories for each if it looked into past owners. And Cuban? His sins in the NBA include marketing innovations, a willingness to invest in his team and – this is where it gets touchy – a heavy dose of color.

Cuban has yelled at referees and paid more than $1 million in fines.

That’s not like dancing on the dugout roof after April victories, which Mariners owner George Argyros did. Nor is it like displaying a Nazi flag in your livingroom, which Cincinatti’s Marge Schott did.

Cuban is, like his basketball team suggests, a Maverick. He has money and doesn’t mind spending it. He loves sports, which puts him a step or two ahead of a third of baseball owners.

Asked to comment on his “zero chance” of buying the Cubs, Cuban hit it out of the park.

“There's no reason to comment on anonymous comments from unsolicited sources. I mean it's ridiculous,” Cuban told the Chicago Tribune.

As an industry, baseball has been peopled by owners who ranged from bizarre to the merely odd – Seattle’s Danny Kaye, afor instance, would sit in the Mariners dugout before games eating tootsie rolls by the handful.

Cuban? The game needs more like him, not fewer.

One thing was obvious by the time the general managers meetings broke up – everyone in the American League West has a lot of work to do before opening day 2009.

The Mariners and new general manager Jack Zduriencik may have the longest road to contention after losing an AL-worst 101 games, and he is looking for help at first base, designated hitter and center field.

They don’t yet have a manager or coaching staff, haven’t made offers to free agents Raul Ibanez and Willie Bloomquist – but they have hope in a rotation that figures to include Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow and Ryan Rowland-Smith.

No matter what direction Zduriencik goes in, he won’t be the only GM neck-deep into filling holes.

The Angels ran away with the division, but free agency has cut deep into the core of their roster. A team that spent $120 million last year has seen record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez, first baseman Mark Teixiera and starting pitcher Jon Garland file for free agency – and severed its ties with outfield Garret Anderson.

F-Rod wants five years and $75 million, what Teixiera wants will dwarf that and the Angels insist they’re after free agent C.C. Sabathia.

The Rangers, as always, need pitching – and with Nolan Ryan now the team president, at least they should recognize it when they see it.

Operating last year on a $70 million payroll, the Rangers have hired a new pitching coach – Mike Maddux – have depth at catcher to trade and figure to lose only one of their big bats, outfielder Milton Bradley.

Oakland has issues at third base, where Eric Chavez played only 23 games before shoulder surgery, at first base and at DH. GM Billy Beane always seems to grab a secondary free agent bat like Mike Piazza, Mike Sweeney or Frank Thomas.

This winter, he’s eying free agent Jason Giambi, who once won the league’s Most Valuable Player award as an Athletic. With a payroll under $50 million, the A’s likely will trade former closer Huston Street – and the Mets, Indians and Tigers have interest.

Clearly, the Angels are still the best in the west, although if they lose, say, Teixiera and Rodriguez, the gap could close for other teams.

The Rangers and Athleics don’t seem to be much stronger, although Oakland’s kids could in theory come together earlier than expected.

One of Zduriencik’s main strengths is finding young talent, and the Mariners almost certainly are headed in that direction, led either by their own farm products or those they can acquire from others.

Contention in ’09 seems too much for the Mariners to pull off, but getting out of the AL West cellar? Doable.

Even in as disastrous a season as the Seattle Mariners just had, baseball found gold on a roster that lost 101 games – Gold Gloves, anyway.

To the surprise of few, Ichiro Suzuki won his eighth consecutive Gold Glove for excellence in outfield defense, and third baseman Adrian Beltre won for the second consecutive year.

General manager Jack Zduriencik left the meetings long before the official announcement, but the media friendly excutive played along with the local media when we asked for his thoughts.

“It’s great to have two Gold Glovers in our lineup and I’m happy for them,” he said – a good long time before the winners were announced.

Joking, I asked what he’d like to be quoted as saying in the event neither won, and he laughed.

“Then I congratulate the winners,” Zduriencik said.
So, congrats to Ichiro and Beltre. And thanks, Jack.

For a complete list of the winners, here's a link.

National League Gold Glove winners will be announced a bit later today, and on Thursday the American League winners will come out.

Voted upon by Major League managers and coaches - don't blame the writers for this one! - Gold Gloves are not based on statistics.

Nor, as some folks think, does it matter whether the recipients happen to use Rawlings equipment, the company that sponsors the awards.

The likeliest Mariners candidates are Adrian Beltre and Ichiro.
But why wait?

If you were in charge, who would win the AL Gold Glove awards - position by position.

Once you get to the outfield, you can choose three center fielders if you like - there's no left field, right field, center field designation.

Vote now. Vote often. Use whatever criteria you want.

Jerry Crasnick is one of those writers other writers like to read, and ESPN uses him well.

Every year, he polls general managers on a variety of questions to get a concenus, and here's a link to his latest.

Among the seven questions he asked:

Will Ken Griffey Jr. play in 2009.

Worth the read.

Before heading into another mass meeting, baseball GMs and their assistants talked about rumors in the same way fans do – all wondering which were true and where some came from.

Among those floating here this morning:

Atlanta has cooled on one-time phenom Jeff Francour – he batted .239 last season – and is mentioning him in trade talks with anyone who’ll listen. And in Oakland, where Billy Beane annually signs an almost-done verteran hitter (Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas), the Athletics are eyeing Jason Giambi, who the Yankees let go.

The Angels didn’t pick up Garret Anderson’s option, but now are hinting they may have the money to retain Mark Teixiera AND pursue C.C. Sabathia. If you’re missing any money from your 401-K, apparently it’s in Anaheim.

San Diego ace Jake Peavy, who had a no-trade clause included all American League teams, has waived it for the Angels and Yankees.

Cleveland wants a closer, and likes Oakland’s Huston Street. The Cubs need pitching but – here’s a surprise – manager Lou Piniella wants more hitting, specifically Brian Roberts and Raul Ibanez.

The White Sox, who traded for Nick Swisher a year ago, now say he’s available again.

Toronto is trying to trade 32-year-old Lyle Overbay to Seattle, and meeting with a decided lack of enthusiasm. The Mets apparently have more interest in left-handed closer Brian Fuentes than record-setting right-hander Francisco Rodriguez.

All this, and they get free breakfast in a hotel that charges $7 for a bottle of iced tea ...

The Mariners managerial search hasn’t gotten serious yet and already there’s a new rumor to talk about – and in only begins with Bobby Valentine.

GM Jack Zduriencik hasn’t interviewed anyone yet, although he may start this weekend, but the Valentine rumor is an intriguing one.

The theory behind it?

If Zduriencik doesn’t have a clear-cut first choice to manage the team, he could get some persuasion from Japanese ownership on Valentine, who has managed in Japan for years.

The Japanese media has run the idea out there, and Mariners ownership has, on occasion, invoked the privledge that comes with saving a franchise. The signing of catcher Kenji Johjima to an extension – and the decree that Ichiro can’t be traded – are examples.

Would Japanese ownership make a demand on who to hire as a manager? It never has before, but it could be a story worth watching in the next few weeks.

No, nothing of import has happened here at the St. Regis resort yet, but rumors continue to float around and the business of baseball never sleeps.

Manny Ramirez and agent Scott Boras have floated an asking price for Manny’s services that begins at $27 million a season, and no one is certain he won’t get it. To put it in perspective, Milwaukee just re-signed center fielder Mike Cameron at $10 millon for one season.

San Diego is shopping ace Jake Peavy, but in trying to get their payroll down, they’ve also hinted that shortstop Khalil Green is available. Boston is offering the services of outfielder Coco Crisp.

Raul Ibanez can’t talk contract with another team until Nov. 14, but that hasn’t stopped the Cubs and Mets from telling him they’re interested. That doesn’t bode well for the Mariners keeping him.

Detroit is willing to listen to offers for outfielder Magglio Ordonez, and among the things the Tigers want is a closer – and the name of J.J. Putz has come up.

And here’s an note of interest: Kansas City has named former Mariner Miguel Olivo as its starting catcher in 2009.

Who knows? There may be more later in the day.

One of the joys of baseball is the stories it produces – whether they’re true or not, and certainly whether they’re politically incorrect.

This morning off the main lobby at the GM meetings, this one made the rounds about legendary baseball character Rocky Bridges, and reportedly occurred when he was managing the team in Everett.

It was spring training, and Bridges showed up leaner than he’d been the previous season. Naturally, he was asked about his weight loss.

“I found a diet drink, Metrical,” Bridges said. “And I drank three or four 16- ounce glasses a day. I mixed it a little, two parts Metrical, one part Vodka.”

And the results?

“I lost 20 pounds – and my drivers license,” Bridges replied.

Outfielder Mike Wilson, who's spent seven years in the Seattle minor league system, was added to the Mariners 40-man roster for the simplest of reasons.

"He's a tremendous power guy and we lack a little power," GM Jack Zduriencik said.

Wilson, 25, hit .276 with 26 doubles, two triples, 27 home runs and 84 RBI in 119 games for Class AA West Tennessee in 2008.

After a failed attempt at switch-hitting, Wilson is now a straight right-handed hitter.

Zduriencik was a busy man Monday - among the many telephone calls he made was one to free agent Raul Ibanez.

"I think Raul has earned a call from the new general manager," Zduriencik said. "It was a conversation of respect. I told him I knew a lot about him through mutual acquaintances - and he said he'd heard a lot about me, too."

The two didn't talk contract, just talked for awhile about the direction of the team.

"It was an introduction for both of us," Zduriencik said.

Among the dozens of assistant GMs wandering the halls of the St. Regis was Bob Boone.

Boone, the father of Bret and Aaron, is a former manager and once came to spring training for Seattle - and didn't make the team.

Now, he's with the Washington Nationals.
As he walked by a handsome, manly writer he knew well, Boone asked how things were going.

"Would you like to be a managerial candidate in Seattle?" the writer asked.

"Sure, put me on the list," Boone said.

So, GM Meeting Update!!

Bob Boone is a possible candidate for the vacant Mariners managerial job.

That's how it works here....

Dateline Dana Point! GM Meeting Update!

Mariners execs Lee Pelekoudas, Jim Na and Bart Waldman are neck deep in a three-hour meeting on arbitration. New GM Jack Zduriencik - and his right-hand men, Tony Blengino and Tom McNamara – are in a suite working the telephones.

Who are they calling?

Throw a dart – they could be calling managerial candidates or talking to the 2008 coaches. They might be talking to Colorado GM Dan O’Dowd, who insisted he will be ‘aggressive’ in trying to move players like Matt Holiday and Garrett Atkins for what he needs.

They could be talking to Scott Boras, who represents most of the prime real estates on the free agent market – Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixiera and Derek Lowe, for instance.

Except the Mariners aren’t likely to drop millions on a free agent this week.

Zduriencik might be talking to his old team, the Brewers, who figure to lose C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets to free agency, leaving gaping holes in their rotation.

Jarrod Washburn, anyone? How about a nice Carlos Silva?

It’s almost a certainty nothing will happen here over the next few days. Baltimore GM Lee MacPhail reminded everyone that one year ago at these meetings, the Mariners and Orioles “sewed the seeds” of a trade that later made Erik Bedard a Mariner and George Sherrill, Adam Jones and three top prospects Orioles.

Oh, and Bill Bavasi is here with the Cincinnati contingent.

As for rumors, there’s only one floating through the lobbies here that involves Seattle – and it doesn’t even involve a player.

The Red Sox lost their public relations man when John Blake left to take the job in Texas, and Boston is now looking for his successor. Among the PR directors they want to talk to his Seattle’s Tim Hevly.

And here’s a financial update: Parking at the St. Regis is $24 for a day or $5 an hour – with no in-and-out privledges. That means you can park here at 8 a.m., pay $20 to leave for lunch, return and by 5 p.m. owe another $20 to get out of the parking garage.

Hey, one Minnesota writer complained he’d spent his per diem on two cups of coffee this morning ….

The country is going through tough economic times, but Major League baseball doesn't seem overly concerned.

The resort where the GM meetings are underway has rooms to rent from $300 to $500 a night - unless you want an ocean view or a suite.

As of this moment, the media room is set up for 60 writers and only one of us is present.

Parking is $24, coffee just a little less.

Ran into Seattle Mariners attorney and negotiator Bart Waldman - but only because he was lost in the immense maze that is this resort.

Meetings start about 9 a.m.

The media may arrive any day now.

Me? Think I'll break the bank and have a second cup of coffee.

By the way, for anyone who missed it or needs a chuckle, John McGrath's Sunday column was a tongue-in-cheek look at bringing back Junior - and a few other old Mariners.

You can read it here. And unlike anything in Dana Point, it's free.

The contracts of manager Jim Riggleman and his coaching staff expired Saturday, and none were invited back, although a new manager might still keep some of that staff intact.

In the meantime, in baseball as in the real world, any job is a good one today.

Last week, Riggleman accepted the bench coach role for the Washington Nationals. Now, first base coach Eddie Rodriguez has been named a special assistant, major league coach for the Kansas City Royals.

That leaves Lee Elia, Mel Stottlemyre, Sam Perlozzo, Jose Castro and Norm Charlton in limbo and without jobs.

Meanwhile, former Mariners are popping up around baseball.

The Los Angeles Dodgers hired Aaron Sele as a minor league pitching instructor, and the Cincinnati Reds took not one but two ex-Mariners. David Bell began his post-playing career by accepting the managerial job for Carolina, and picked his own pitching coach – Chris Bosio, who owns one of the two no-hitters in Mariners history.

And here’s a charming follow-up to the Ken Griffey Jr. blog a few days ago.

Good friend Dr. Steve Lambros, who once put a few hundred stitches in my knee, sent along a link to a short story out of Philadelphia that will remind you again what a respected figure in the game Junior has become.

It’ll only take a minute to read, but it’s well worth it, and you can find it here.

Thanks for the link, Doc.

In a move that bears the fingerprints of new GM Jack Zduriencik, the Mariners have signed center fielder Steve Moss to a minor league contact.

No, the 24-year-old Moss isn't on the major league roster, but picking him up is an indication of two things.

First, Seattle's minor league cupboard is a bit bare in center.

And second, Zduriencik has a good memory - Moss was a 2002 draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, taken right out of high school.

Last year, he batted .299 for the Long Beach Armada and was, according to his manager - ex-Mariner Steve Yeager - the best center fielder in the league.

For the price of a minor league deal, why not take a look?

The current competition for center next spring figures to be Wladimir Balentien and Jeremy Reed.

Zduriencik, obviously, wants a bit more of a choice.

You can read a bit more about Moss and his 2008 season here.

It wasn't unexpected that on the first day they could, Mariners Raul Ibanez, Willie Bloomquist and Miguel Cairo filed for free agency.

Why wait?

Now, all three can begin fielding offers, although for the next two weeks only their team of origin - Seattle - can actually offer a contract.

Ibanez and Cairo couldn't be reached Friday, and Raul's telephone mailbox was so full it couldn't accept another message.

Bloomquist, however, chatted about the process of free agency, comparing it to his high school days, waiting for scholarship offers.

You can read more about the three free agents and see what Willie had to say in a story here.

As for the Mariners, the new GM and his staff are already huddling in Southern Califonia, where the GM meetings begin on Monday.

Just who they'll pursue among their own free agents is a question Jack Zduriencik isn't yet prepared to discuss.