Next game: @ Rockies | March 16 | 1:10pm

No home run hoarders here: To date, 21 different Mariners have rung up a home run in Cactus League play. Of those 21, 12 players have logged multiple homers, with Michael Morse (5), Franklin Gutierrez (3), Carlos Peguero (3), and Justin Smoak (3) leading the pack.

Guti back under scrutiny: Franklin Gutierrez has been sidelined for six days of Cactus League games with tightness in his legs. According to Greg Johns’ report, the center fielder appears unconcerned, and believes he will be back on the field soon.

Opening (Day) acts: When April 8th rolls around, here’s one Safeco Field debut you can count on—that of Pickwick, a Seattle-bred folk band. Their first self-released record, Can’t Talk Medicine, can be heard on iTunes or at the band’s official website.

If you need even more incentive to attend the Opening Day festivities, single-game tickets will be available for purchase through Mariners.com beginning at 10am tomorrow morning.

40-man roster gets trimmed again: Four more cuts were made from Seattle’s major league camp this afternoon. Here’s the current list of players who have been sent down or reassigned so far:

Reassigned to minor league camp:

• John Hicks
• Jhonny Nunez
• Ronny Paulino
• James Paxton
• Stefen Romero
• Taijuan Walker

Sent to Triple-A:

• Alex Liddi
• Danny Hultzen
• Hector Noesi

Currently, the roster stands at 47 players.

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.

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.”

For now, Jesus Montero is the only guaranteed catcher on the Mariners’ roster.

I’ll give Jack Zduriencik this much: he certainly knows how to pull off a surprise.

Today, the Mariners announced a three-way trade with the Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals. John Jaso went to Oakland, A.J. Cole, Blake Treinen, and a PTBNL went to Washington, and Mike Morse went to Seattle.

It’s a move that, according to Twitter, left many fans scratching their heads.

In 2012, Jaso held a backup catching role, splitting time behind the plate with Miguel Olivo and Jesus Montero, and coming in as a left-handed pinch-hitter during late innings and extra-inning games. Offensively, he was the hottest lefty on the team, batting .276/.394/.456 in 108 games and 361 PA, with a .372 wOBA, 15.5% walk rate and 3.3 bWAR.

Mike Morse is a familiar name to Seattle fans. The Mariners saw him through the first four years of his career, from his MLB debut in 2005 to an injury-riddled 2008. In just 107 games and 337 PA, he batted .300/.365/.397 for a -0.2 bWAR. His batting average and playing time increased considerably after his departure, peaking at .303 in 2011 and dipping to a comfortable .291/.321/.470 over 430 PA in 2012.

While Morse has experience at first base (123 career games) and left/right field (247 career games), he will be fighting for a position that is over-saturated with candidates: Kendrys Morales, Mike Carp, and Justin Smoak at first, and Casper Wells, Michael Saunders, Eric Thames, Franklin Gutierrez, Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, and Carlos Peguero in the outfield.

Where does this leave the Mariners’ catching situation? Miguel Olivo is gone. Montero is on the 40-man, but will not be expected to catch 162 games next year. Mike Zunino is promising, but as of yet unproven—and the Mariners seem to be in no rush to hurry him through the next level of minor league development. From Greg Johns’ trade report:

“We’re going to be shopping,” Zduriencik said. “We have our list; we’ve already talked to people this afternoon. We like our catching in the organization. We’ve got some good young kids right on the horizon. But for immediate needs, we’ll definitely be shopping.”

In a nutshell, this trade sees a poor defensive catcher with decent offensive production swapped for a poor defensive outfielder with decent offensive production. It leans in Oakland’s favor (and, for that matter, Washington’s), but bear in mind that Jack isn’t quite finished with the Mariners’ 2013 roster yet.

Join the conversation: tweet #EdgarHOF and tell us why you think Edgar Martínez deserves a spot in Cooperstown.

With just 11 days until Christmas, Jack Zduriencik is back in the hunt for a pretty free agent signing to give Mariners fans this year. Here’s the latest from the hot stove circuit:

• Yesterday, the Angels swooped into the Hamilton-fest and signed the coveted, controversial outfielder to a 5-year, $125M contract. According to Greg Johns, the Mariners had aggressively, though unsuccessfully, pursued Hamilton:

“Though Jack Zduriencik suggested last month that Seattle wouldn’t likely be in position to pursue Hamilton at his original seven-year, $175 million target, the Mariners indeed were willing to go after him full bore on a shorter deal.

[...] it is interesting that they were in the hunt to the end, which was not the case last year with Prince Fielder when the Tigers went with more years and dollars than anybody else was willing to stomach.”

• Several less-shiny outfielders remain on the table, including Brennan Boesch, who talked with the Mariners on Wednesday. In 2012, Boesch hit .240/.286/.372 over 132 games with the Tigers. Jon Morosi suggests Charlie Furbush, Oliver Perez, and Lucas Luetge as potential trade chips, as Detroit is thought to have interest in left-handed relievers.
• In their second social media sweepstakes of the holiday season, the Mariners are encouraging fans to use Pinterest to win free team gear. To enter, follow the team’s official account on Pinterest, re-pin four of the given images, and fill out this form to get your name in the running.
• Franklin Gutierrez, Erasmo Ramirez, Oliver Perez, and Carlos Peguero are a few Mariners currently performing in MLB’s various offseason leagues. You can find a complete list of players and their respective statistics here.

The Mariners are about to enter into a crucial off-season in which the front office has made clear that it will be active. There will be moves made to improve this team for 2013 and beyond, whether it be solely through free agency or with the acquisition of players via trade. One question, however, has been eating at me these past few days. If the 2012 Mariners were foods, which would they be?

John Jaso – Pumpkin. Pumpkin is probably one of my favorite flavors but, because the higher-ups in the world have decided that it doesn’t match up well with the other seasons, we are only allowed to enjoy it for a small portion of the year. I can’t think of a flavor that is more underutilized than pumpkin.

Brendan Ryan – Spinach. I used to hate spinach. Hate it. I think I mostly hated it, though, because I was told to hate it. Spinach has the unfortunate fate of being labeled as unappetizing by many. As I’ve grown older and wiser, however, I’ve learned to like spinach. A lot. Sure, I wouldn’t want to eat spinach for every meal, but it’s a solid side dish.

Dustin Ackley – Mixed Drink. Except the drink wasn’t mixed properly. In the first sip, we got all of the sugary mixer. It was delicious. We thought the whole drink was going to be amazing. Well, guess what we’re left with now? Straight vodka. I don’t know about you, but that wasn’t what I was expecting. And, frankly, this drink sucks now.

Chone Figgins – A Half Pint Of Milk. That expired three years ago. Why is this still in the fridge? Why hasn’t anybody thrown this away yet?

Justin Smoak – Homemade red wine. We invested a lot to make this red wine. We gave up a lot of time and resources making this wine. It’s wine, so it has to be good, right? Nope. It’s cool that we made it though, right? No, because it’s terrible. But it will get better with age, right? Probably not. Couldn’t get much worse though!

Jason Vargas – Bubble Gum. With bubble gum, you know what you’re going to get. Sure, some may be sweeter than others, but you can’t really be too surprised with gum. Sometimes, though when you try to blow a bubble, it will blow up and you’ll be left with a real mess. All over your face.

Hisashi Iwakuma – Ramune. If you don’t know what Ramune is, welcome to my life three years ago. They started selling it in my dorm though, and I bought it. It was some kind of Japanese soda and I really had no idea what to expect. After I finished my first, I realized that I actually really liked it. A lot. Over the next few months. I had a lot of ramune. I hope to have a lot more in the future too.

Blake Beavan – Triscuits. Has anybody ever been really excited because somebody had Triscuits at a party? Not that I know of. Does it get more bland? I don’t think so. Sometimes, though, you’re hungry. Starving. All you have are Triscuits. Will they get you full? Technically, yes. Will you enjoy it? Not a chance.

Franklin Gutierrez – A bunch of grapes. Oh look! This looks good! Nevermind, it’s squished. Here’s one! Ewww… rotten. How about this one? A bug ate half of it. Why do I even bother trying?

Jesus Montero – Strawberries. In May. These things are going to be so good soon. You can see it. If we eat them right now, though, we’ll be disappointed. Don’t expect much for a few more months. They’re going to be so sweet eventually.

Carter Capps and Stephen Pryor – Sprinkles. Everybody likes sprinkles. They’re sweet, but you only get a few at a time. They’re pointless if you don’t have a cake to put them on though.

Felix Hernandez – Pizza. Ask 50% of adults and 100% of kids what their favorite food is. Pizza. Pizza has a little bit of everything – vegetables, proteins, breads, even fruit sometimes. Pizza can do it all and it does a pretty damn good job. In one word, it’s perfect.

Miguel Olivo – Durian. Definitions of durian from across the internet: “evokes intense disgust.” “Described variously as rotten onions and gym socks.” “If the smell doesn’t kill you, the taste will.”

Munenori Kawasaki – Pop Rocks. What are Pop Rocks, anyway? What’s the point? Why do they do what they do? How do they do what they do? Nobody mistakes Pop Rocks for real food, but they sure are fun. And completely ridiculous.

Final score: Athletics 5, Mariners 2

Today, the Mariners put up a good fight. There’s not much more you can ask from a team who won’t break .500 by season’s end, and who has faced four playoff contenders over the last two weeks.

Erasmo Ramirez skidded on a season-high four walks, but finished with three hits, two earned runs, and six strikeouts over 6.1 IP. In his absence, the ‘pen relinquished three hits and two home runs, giving Oakland just enough of an edge to clinch the sweep. Wondering just how Seattle’s starters and relievers have fared lately? From Joshua Dobner of SeattleClubhouse.com:

@wcoastfangirl SPs have a 2.06 ERA the past two days allowing no home runs in 13.1 innings. Bullpen has a 20.25 ERA & 4 HRs in 4 innings.

— Joshua Dobner (@JPDobner) September 30, 2012

If only games were won on hits amassed, not runs, the Mariners would’ve had this one in the bag. Collectively, they put up 11 hits to the A’s 6, with two doubles from Franklin Gutierrez, a double from Brendan Ryan, and a triple by Casper Wells. Justin Smoak extended his hot streak as well, going 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits, an RBI, and a failed attempt to nab home plate. In September, he’s now batting .340/.421/.580.

While the Mariners gave the A’s a leg up in the quest for the West, their next task is to play spoiler to the Angels’ hopes of grabbing a wild card. They return home for a final three-game homestand beginning tomorrow, with Felix Hernandez on the mound against LHP C.J. Wilson.

Next game: vs. Angels | October 1 | 7:10pm

Final score: Mariners 6, Rangers 3

After a week of Twitter giveaways and #FANtasticFriday hashtags, the Mariners celebrated their annual Fan Appreciation Night with a plethora of giveaways and awards. Felix Hernandez was given the Mariners Moment of the Year for his perfecto. Munenori Kawasaki took home the Heart and Hustle Award for, well, just being himself. Randomly selected fans won round-trip airfare, autographed jerseys, signed balls, and snazzy electronics.

The best giveaway of the night, however, was a long-awaited win over the Rangers. In September, the Mariners have gone 7-11 in 18 games, swept by the Athletics and Orioles, and stringing four consecutive wins over this homestand. Against Martin Perez and a Texas lineup missing Adrian Beltre and Josh Hamilton, the M’s managed nine hits and a consistent multi-run lead through five innings.

Hisashi Iwakuma posted another solid outing with eight hits, three earned runs, and four strikeouts in seven innings. For the first time since Sunday, the ‘pen—consisting of Stephen Pryor and Tom Wilhelmsen—did not allow a run.

Providing all manner of run support was Franklin Gutierrez (triple laced down the left field line), Casper Wells (RBI double), Carlos Triunfel (tie-breaking double), Justin Smoak (3-for-4), and Miguel Olivo (2-run mash wrapped around the left field foul pole). Triunfel made his first MLB start at shortstop, giving Brendan Ryan an extra day of rest and turning two double plays.

Tomorrow evening, Blake Beavan will face LHP Matt Harrison. Should the Mariners emerge victorious once again, it will be the first time they’ve strung consecutive wins since last week’s trek to Toronto.

Next game: vs. Rangers | September 22 | 6:10pm

H/T to Steven for the title of tonight’s recap. I can’t take any credit for this one.

Final score: Rangers 2, Mariners 1

Something is up with Justin Smoak.

On any other day of the year, the following sentence might look something like this: Smoak is 0-for-17 with five strikeouts in his four games as a Tacoma Rainier. Which, coincidentally, was true on August 11.

Today, however, Smoak is 5-for-8 in two games against the Texas Rangers, with five hits, two home runs, and four RBI. My first instinct is to bury this information with a lot of “temper your expectations” and “flukes, lucky breaks, etc.,” but I’d rather just enjoy these moments as the season winds down.

Aside from Smoak’s solo shot off Matt Harrison, the Mariners managed to reach base five times, stranding their only RISP on a game-ending strikeout from Michael Saunders. Although his efforts were wasted, Jesus Montero provided a big break for the Mariners late in the game, coming up with a line drive to scoot Guti over to third.

Courtesy of a flaky offense (and, to be fair, the Rangers’ superior pitching staff), Blake Beavan received his 10th loss of the season with 7 hits, 2 runs, and a walk in 7 IP and 26 batters. For the first time since his call-up, Carter Capps was selected to close out the game, shutting down the final three Rangers with 10 pitches.

Tomorrow, the Mariners kick off their last multi-game homestand against the Baltimore Orioles. As announced by the team earlier this week, the revised rotation has Hector Noesi on Monday, Erasmo Ramirez on Tuesday, and Felix Hernandez on Wednesday.

Next game: vs. Orioles | September 17 | 7:10pm

Final score: Mariners 4, Blue Jays 3

In a month of firsts—first MLB hit for Luis Jimenez, first MLB appearance for Carlos Triunfel—Erasmo Ramirez has extended the list with his first career win.

Couched in four runs of support, Ramirez fanned six Blue Jays, giving up six hits, two earned runs, and a walk in 90 pitches and 7 IP. With the entire bullpen trotted out to cover the next six outs, the Mariners surrendered two hits and a run to bring Tom Wilhelmsen’s 25th save to a nail-biting finish.

Another first was had by Franklin Gutierrez, or as he has been more affectionally called, “Death to Flying Things.” According to Shannon Drayer, tonight’s near-catch in center field marked the first error Guti recorded in 301 games and 846 chances. As Eric Wedge put it (via Greg Johns): “It’s just one of those things that happen, and for him about once every three years, I guess.”

Offensively, the Mariners showed all the spark they lost during last weekend’s collapse against Oakland. Kyle Seager finished a triple shy of the cycle, driving in two runs with an RBI single and solo home run off Brandon Morrow. John Jaso picked up a base hit and an RBI, but cost the Mariners more potential runs with two poorly executed baserunning blunders.

Facing the Blue Jays in Rogers Centre for the first time since his trade, Eric Thames was the only starting player without a hit tonight, accounting for three of the M’s six strikeouts.

Next game: @ Blue Jays | September 12 | 4:07pm