As expected, Mike Morse did not make the 25-man roster. However, somewhat surprisingly he cleared waivers and was then outrighted to Triple A Tacoma, meaning he'll join Jeff Clement on the Rainiers. Not a bad squad shaping up for the Rainiers.

Because he's been outrighted, Morse is off the 40-man roster and considered a minor league player.

I'm a little surprised that Morse cleared waivers because of his versatility and his offensive potential, but really he didn't hit enough or play enough infield this spring to draw enough interest. It's too bad because I really thought he had made a major step forward last spring. But the fluke shoulder injury really kind of messed it all up.

Rule 5 selection Jose Lugo, a left-handed reliever, did not make the 25-man roster and was returned to the Minnesota Twins.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today that the team has outrighted INF/OF Mike Morse to Triple-A Tacoma and returned Rule 5 selection LHP Jose Lugo to the Minnesota Twins.

These transactions leave the Mariners 40-man roster at 37 players. The Mariners now have 35 players in Major League spring training, including LHP Cesar Jimenez (15-day DL) and LHP Ryan Feierabend (60-day DL).

Morse, 27, batted .275 (14x51) with three doubles, one home run and seven RBI in 22 Cactus League games. Morse has appeared in 107 games with the Mariners over the last four seasons, batting .300 (90x300) with three home runs and 37 RBI. He spent nearly the entire 2008 season on the disabled list after having left shoulder reconstruction surgery.

Lugo, 24 (turns 25 April 10), appeared in 11 spring games, going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA (2 ER, 7.1 IP). He was acquired by Seattle from Kansas City for cash considerations on Dec. 11, 2008. He was selected earlier that day by the Royals in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft from the Minnesota Twins.

Per MLB rules, players chosen in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft must remain in the Major Leagues for the entire 2009 season. If the ML team wishes to option a player back to the minors, the club must first offer him back to his original team for $25,000 (half of the $50,000 claiming fee).

The moves continue and the portrait of the opening day 25-man roster grows clearer.

The Mariners sent pitchers Garrett Olson and Randy Messenger to the minors and put left-hander Cesar Jimenez on the 15-day disabled list.

They sent Chris Shelton to the minors and gave catcher Jason Phillips a choice - be released or become the bullpen catcher.

"Guess which I chose?" asked Phillips, the veteran who will now catch in the bullpen this season.

"He's almost like adding a coach, with his experience," manager Don Wakamatsu said.
Putting Jimenez on the DL with biceps tendinitis gives the team a little time to make decisions. He's out of minor league options, and before too long he's either on the roster or placed on waivers, where another team might grab him.

All this means that final spot in the bullpen - at least for now - comes down to Chris Jakubauskas or Jesus Delgado.

Delgado is out of options. Jakubauskas isn't.

The Mariners roster is all but set, as are most big-league rosters, but the final decision on the 24th or 25th man always comes down to more than who played well in camp.

In the Seattle bullpen, for instance, that final spot could go to any of handful of pitchers – Cesar Jimenez, Garrett Olson, Jesus Delgado, Chris Jakubauskas among them.

Clearly, Jakubauskas has pitched well enough to make the team. That doesn’t mean he will. Just as Miguel Batista probably stays because of his $9 million contract, the Mariners face losing Jimenez and Delgado, who are out of minor league options.

Do you risk an arm that intrigues you for a guy who’s had a great camp? The simplest answer is ‘yes,’ but that’s not always the baseball answer.

GM Jack Zduriencik plucked Delgado off waivers this spring, and his plus-fastball is intriguing. If you keep him, Jakubauskas goes to the minors and can be brought up later.

Similarly, the team may want to keep Jimenez for the same reason.