On a free agent market where big names like Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, Ben Sheets and Derek Lowe remain available, William Paul Bloomquist has no illusions about his status.

“Teams are waiting to see how the bigger dogs shake out,” Bloomquist said. “I’ve had some interest shown, teams have called and talked, but no one has made an offer.”

For a 31-year-old utility player whose career has been made as much on his intensity as his talent, Bloomquist’s first run a free agency has been trying. The Seattle Mariners are among the teams that have spoken to his agent, Scott Boras.

And they’re among the teams that has not made an offer.

“I’m not known for my patience,” Bloomquist said. “I’d love to know where I’m going to be, what I’ll be doing. This is all new to me. After all the years spent with Seattle, I don’t know if I’ll go to spring training in Florida or Arizona, whether I’ll play on the west coast or the east.”

Having watched the Mariners and new general manager Jack Zduriencik from his home in Arizona, Bloomquist suspects he has played his last game as a home-grown Mariner.

“I’m not expecting to go back to Seattle. It doesn’t look like the route they’re going,” the Port Orchard product said. “I’m not holding my breath. It’s business. I enjoyed my time in Seattle and who knows, I could wind up there.

“You come to grips that guys in my situation don’t sick with one team their whole career. I did pretty good job sticking for six years in one spot.”

Last season, like most others with the Mariners, Bloomquist played six different positions. He batted .279 in 71 games, and stole 14 bases in 17 attempts. In his career, Bloomquist has played eight positions, batted .263 and stolen 71 bases in 87 attempts – many of them coming off the bench as a pinch runner.

“I know I’ll be playing somewhere,” Bloomquist said. “I try not to get anxious. A week away in the mountains helped. Then I took my family on vacation and we got away from everything.

“But when I work out, it creeps back in. I can’ help but think about it then.”

Here's a longer story from the Bloomquist interview.