According to online reports from Greg Johns, the Mariners have moved five players from their spring training camp today.

Hector Noesi and Danny Hultzen have been reassigned to Tacoma, while Jhonny Nunez, Taijuan Walker, and James Paxton have been sent to minor league camp.

Of the Big Four—LHPs Hultzen and Paxton and RHPs Walker and Maurer—only one will remain in the major league camp with a legitimate shot at the rotation. From Shannon Drayer’s blog post:

“So the one remaining pitcher from the group of four is Maurer and this is not a surprise. I have said for some time now that he was my pick to be the first up because he is more polished. I assumed this before I saw him in person from things I had heard, the numbers I saw and his history. He has come up through the organization. He has pitched professionally for over four years. What I have learned since I have seen him is his stuff is better than I imagined it to be. He’s not just a guy who knows how to pitch. He’s got weapons.”

As both Drayer and Johns point out, all four are expected to make their major league debuts fairly soon, and all have shown progress and varying levels of readiness this spring. With 51 players left in the Mariners camp, more cuts will follow shortly.

On Wednesday, the new TV spots for the 2013 Mariners were officially released. From Felix and his High Heat Hot Sauce to Brendan Ryan’s magical buffalo cookies (not the kind you’re thinking of), the PR team did a great job with this year’s batch of commercials.

Click the photos below to watch each video—and don’t forget to vote for your favorite!

Hottest Thing in Town
Starring: Felix Hernandez

Focused and Relaxed
Starring: Michael Morse, Michael Saunders, and Kyle Seager

Fan Mail
Starring: Dustin Ackley

One Wish
Starring: Random Mariners fan

The Lineup
Starring: Random Mariners fan and Random Mariners fan’s kids

The Wise Ol’ Buffalo
Starring: Brendan Ryan, Tom Wilhelmsen, Jesus Montero… and a buffalo

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The Mariners have settled down a bit from their spring training rampage, letting the rest of the Cactus League catch up with a four game losing streak. Today, they’ll try to repair their reputation against the Kansas City Royals, with Hisashi Iwakuma on the mound against Ervin Santana.

…a great blogger. You’ll be missed, Jeff.

Lookout Landed — Jeff Sullivan, founder of Lookout Landing and baseball blogger extraordinaire, is retiring from Baseball Nation. His entertaining, engaging coverage of the Seattle Mariners, his ability to make even the most mundane moves intriguing, and his dedication to the Mariners community will be dearly missed. You can find his current and upcoming work at FanGraphs and U.S.S. Mariner.

Spring Synopsis: Mariners to win 111 games — In yet another spring training analysis, Matthias Kullowatz separates the meaningful spring training stats from the misleading ones. Will the dinger-crushing Mariners of the Cactus League usher in the AL West-leading Mariners of the regular season? Well, that’s a little bit harder to predict.

Finding Jon Garland — Jon Garland’s return to form this spring looks promising, but is it enough to help a rotation that is already stretched thin this year? Michael Barr examines Garland’s career, his pitch offerings, and the way he might fit with the staff come Opening Day.

Kinney Likely to miss rest of Spring Training — RHP Josh Kinney will be out for several weeks with a stress reaction in his left shoulder. Although he appears confident in a quick and complete recovery, the Mariners won’t be rushing the right-handed reliever’s return anytime soon.

Mariners turned a profit of just under $5.9 million last season — 2012 marked the fourth consecutive year that the Mariners have turned a profit after a disastrous, 101-loss season in 2008. Geoff Baker breaks down the numbers, revealing why Seattle has remained so successful at filling seats while offering underwhelming performances on the field.

What have you read this week? Share it with us on Twitter or in the comments below!

Next game: @ Dodgers | March 9 | 12:05pm

Bonus baseball: The skies over Peoria Stadium emptied during the Mariners/A’s game this afternoon, absolving Hector Noesi of an equally disastrous performance: 3 hits, 3 homers, and 7 runs in 2.0 IP. Thankfully for Noesi and the rest of the squad, the game was called in the 4th inning, with Seattle facing a 12-1 deficit. Tomorrow, the M’s will make up for lost time with a 7-inning B squad game, scheduled to start at 10am vs. the Padres.

Stefen sidelined on strikeout: Stefen Romero exited today’s game with a strained left oblique after a strikeout in the 2nd inning, according to MLB.com’s Greg Johns. No word yet on how severe the injury or how long he is expected to be unavailable.

Catch the Mariners on TV: The next televised spring training game won’t air until March 17, but you can watch the Mariners 2013 commercials as soon as next Wednesday. If Kevin Martinez’s tweet is any indication, things are going to get a little wild this year.

Opening Day update: Guess who’s coming to town…

The Mariners’ 2013 25-man roster is far from finalized, but the media is already starting to buzz with possible starters for the season. Here’s the latest:

• Yesterday, Larry Stone revealed the 16 players he believes are locked into starting positions come April. Those who fall into the “probable, but not guaranteed” category are denoted with asterisks.

Catchers: Jesus Montero, Kelly Shoppach*

First basemen: Justin Smoak, Kendrys Morales

Second baseman: Dustin Ackley

Shortstop: Brendan Ryan

Third baseman: Kyle Seager

Utility infielder: Robert Andino

Outfielders: Michael Morse, Michael Saunders, Franklin Gutierrez, Raul Ibanez

Starting rotation: Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, Joe Saunders

Bullpen: Tom Wilhelmsen, Charlie Furbush, Oliver Perez*, Josh Kinney*

• As for the Big Four, they are still four question marks in the rotation. Stone thinks that Taijuan Walker is the furthest from claiming a spot, while Danny Hultzen has shown the most promise so far. Currently, Hultzen is sidelined with a minor hip strain, but is expected to bounce back within the week.
• Shannon Drayer reports that Michael Morse may see more time in right field than originally expected: “Despite saying that Morse would play mostly left this winter Wedge has had him in mostly right. He has been about what I think most of us expected out there.”
• Wedge has also been tinkering with the leadoff spot, slotting Franklin Gutierrez at the top of the lineup three times this week. “We have been messing around with him up top a bit and we will see how it plays out,” Wedge told Drayer on Saturday.

Your 2013 Cactus League Mariners currently lead the league with a 10-1 record, 24 home runs, and a 10-game winning streak. While winning spring ball games may be meaningless in the grand scheme of things, it sure feels a lot better than losing them.

A model student, Zunino absorbs all aspects of game — Tracy Ringolsby looks at the curiosity that propelled Mike Zunino’s career, from tee ball to the minor leagues, and the unique, challenging relationship he shares with his father and pro scout, Greg Zunino.

Cactus League Game 9, Dodgers at Mariners — Don’t be fooled by the title. This is really a story of the heartfelt legacy future sabermetricians will be able to hand down to their grandchildren one day.

Great numbers in spring don’t always translate (but sometimes they do) — Larry Stone examines the patterns of Cactus League performances over the past decade or so. Some, like Ichiro and Edgar, could carry their hot starts in Arizona to the considerably chillier Northwest terrain. Others, usually those who weren’t great to begin with, couldn’t.

Your Not Obligatory Mariners Spring Training Reminder — Jeff Sullivan is back to pull us down to earth again. Despite his optimistic, half-mocking game recap titles like “Mariners Beat Crap Out Of Idiot Rangers” and “Knock Knock. Who’s There? A Mariners Victory,” Jeff reminds us that this club is still mired in spring training baseball. This is the fun of spring training baseball. You just can’t get too carried away and expect 24 home runs in a week and a half to translate to a stunning regular season run.

What have you read this week? Share it with us on Twitter or in the comments below!

In just three hours, the Mariners will kick off their exclusive single-game ticket presale for the 2013 season. If you signed up for Mariners Mail, you’ll be able to purchase tickets for the next two days before they’re released to the general public on March 16.

Whether you’re looking to purchase tickets this week or willing to wait for some StubHub steals, here’s your guide to the hottest series and promotions of the upcoming season.

Opening Day: vs. Astros | April 8 | 7:05pm

Interleague series:
vs. Padres | May 27-28
vs. Pirates | June 25-26
vs. Cubs | June 28-30
vs. Brewers | August 9-11

Special promotions and events:
Beard Hat Night (and yes, this is as awesome as it sounds) | vs. Angels | April 26
Tom Wilhelmsen Train Engine Nights | vs. A’s | May 11
Felix Hernandez “Perfect Game” Bobblehead Night | vs. Rangers | May 25
Fireworks Night | vs. Cubs | June 28
Dustin Ackley Gnome Night | vs. Angels | June 13
Fireworks Night | vs. Brewers | August 9
Ken Griffey Jr. “Mariners Hall of Fame” Bobblehead Night | vs. Brewers | August 10
Oktoberfest | vs. Royals | September 24
Fan Appreciation Night | vs. A’s | September 27

Dynamic pricing is back for the 2013 Mariners season, with some games offering prices as low as $5 per seat. Opening Day ticket prices start at $15. For a full list of ticket prices and available seating, check out Mariners.com.

Next game: @ Rangers | March 1 | 12:05pm

Projected starters: James Paxton and Brandon Maurer.

The King is alive: Felix isn’t scheduled to appear in a spring training game until next week, but he’s keeping busy at camp in the meantime. So far, he’s tossed several 10-minute bullpens, and held his first session against live hitters yesterday afternoon. According to Greg Johns’ report, Jack Zduriencik and Eric Wedge like what they’ve been seeing.

Cactus League MVPs: Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan, who both sat out of the first few games recuperating from surgeries, have returned to the Mariners’ lineup this week. Ackley is 1-for-5 with a triple, while Brendan has a home run to his name, as well as a single in 4 PA. Gotta love spring training stats, right?

(Speaking of meaningless numbers, it may be worth pointing out that the Mariners are sporting a 6-1 record so far.)

Party like it’s Opening Day: Bud Selig and the baseball-powers-that-be favored Mariners fans this year, scheduling their opening game on a Monday evening. If you don’t already have plans to host your own party, sit on the couch and tweet, or catch the action at a local sports bar, the Mariners may have a suitable alternative in mind:

Two weeks into spring training, expectations are running high. Vinnie Catricala is cautiously hoping for a successful season, Anthony Vasquez is making a miraculous return to baseball, and Jesus Montero thinks he’s grasped the concept of running.

Mariners’ Vasquez just happy to be here after surviving life-threatening brain issue — Geoff Baker chronicles the extraordinary struggles of LHP Anthony Vasquez, who reached the brink of death while preparing for the 2013 season.

Jesus Montero Almost Knows How To Run — This is, sadly, exactly what it sounds like.

Corner Men — While prospects and journeymen battle for a spot on the Mariners’ 25-man roster, Mike Curto examines the likely candidates for the Tacoma Rainiers’ 2013 lineup. This time, he sheds some light on potential corner infielders, including Mike Jacobs, Alex Liddi, Vinnie Catricala, Rich Poythress, Nate Tenbrink, and Stefen Romero.

SEA Mariners Infield: Depth Chart Discussions — The team at FanGraphs is doing a phenomenal job of making early depth projections for the 2013 Mariners. Most recently, J.P. Breen tackled the M’s infield, but you can find discussions of the outfield, rotation, and bullpen here as well.

Vinnie Catricala tries to get back on fast track — After a lousy 2012, Vinnie Catricala is out to prove that he is, in fact, a better defender than a small cup of milk. Larry Stone gives us the full scoop on Vinnie’s return, with some heartfelt quotes to boot.

What have you read this week? Share it with us on Twitter or in the comments below!

So far, Eric Wedge remains tight-lipped on the Mariners’ 25-man roster. Of course, he has no reason to be throwing names out there just yet: we’re barely three weeks into spring training, and much remains to be seen, tested, and proven before Opening Day. From the Mariners’ beat, a few guesstimations:

• After Thursday’s morning workout, Geoff Baker wrote the following:

“On the outfield side of things, it was interesting to see one group that consisted of Michael Morse and Jason Bay in left field, Franklin Gutierrez in center and Michael Saunders and Raul Ibanez in right. [...] It’s entirely possible those five guys could be your Opening Day outfield for this team, at those respective positions.”

• From Larry Stone, a promising comment on Vinnie Catricala and Stefen Romero’s progress:

“Manager Eric Wedge said earlier this week that he likes the versatility shown by both Catricala and Romero, because it will give them more avenues to the big leagues.”

• MLB.com’s Corey Brock spoke positively of Jason Bay’s showing in Saturday’s game:

“Jason Bay bolstered his hopes of making Seattle’s Opening Day roster with a two-run home run in the first inning on Saturday as the Mariners topped the Padres, 8-6, at the Peoria Sports Complex.”

Greg Johns added to the postgame story later:

“As for his chances of making the Mariners, he [Bay] appears to be in a battle with Ibanez and Casper Wells for the final outfield berths, but says he’s not concerned with that at the moment.”