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

 Loading ...

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.

Credit: @RealKingFelix

This weekend, the Mariners are rocking College Navy and Action Green as the Seattle Seahawks battle the Atlanta Falcons for a berth in next week’s NFC Championship game. In case you were wondering, that’s Felix’s game face.

And now for some baseball news…

• The Baseball Writers’ Association of America failed to elect a single member of the 37-man ballot to the Hall of Fame this year. Edgar’s percentage of the vote jumped to 35.9% from 32.9% in 2011. While induction may be a few years away, he is still well above the cutoff mark (less than 5%) and eligible for entry again in 2014.
• Baseball Canada has reported that Michael Saunders will represent Canada in this year’s World Baseball Classic. The official roster will be released on January 17. From the announcement:

“Of the 23 players, 8 were part of the World Baseball Classic in 2009 which includes Phillippe Aumont, Crain, Chris Leroux, Martin, Lawrie, Morneau, Pete Orr and Saunders.”

• Jack Zduriencik struck out for the second time this season when Justin Upton turned up his nose at a trade proposition from the Mariners last week (h/t MLB Trade Rumors). The proposed trade involved noted Seattle prospects Taijuan Walker and Nick Franklin, as well as relievers Stephen Pryor and Charlie Furbush. While the trade is not entirely impossible to pull off, should Upton change his mind in the face of less appealing offers, such a move is deemed highly improbable at this point.
• The Mariners announced 18 non-roster invitees to their spring training camp, scheduled to open on February 12. The list, via Greg Johns:
  • RHP Jonathan Arias
  • RHP Logan Bawcom
  • RHP Jeremy Bonderman
  • RHP Andrew Carraway
  • RHP Danny Farquhar
  • LHP Danny Hultzen
  • RHP D.J. Mitchell
  • LHP Brian Moran
  • RHP Jhonny Nunez
  • LHP James Paxton
  • RHP Carson Smith
  • RHP Taijuan Walker
  • C Jesus Sucre
  • C Mike Zunino
  • SS Nick Franklin
  • 1B Mike Jacobs
  • IF Brad Miller
  • IF Stefen Romero

As baseball drags its feet this winter, trade rumors continue to pile up. Andre Ethier, Justin Upton, and Giancarlo Stanton have been linked to the Mariners in the past week, but as usual, Jack Zduriencik is keeping any future plans under wraps.

• The Mariners Caravan is taking off this Wednesday, beginning in Lacey and ending in Tukwila. Scheduled stops will be made in Longview, Yakima, Spokane, Walla Walla, and the Tri-Cities as well.
• Earlier this week, the Mariners signed Arizona first baseman Mike Jacobs to a minor league contract and spring training invite. Jacob earned a .849 OPS in 387 PA with the Triple-A Reno Aces, putting up 93 hits, 18 home runs, and 60 RBI in 101 games. He made his MLB appearances at the tail end of the Diamondbacks’ season, batting .211 with 4 hits, a double, and 2 RBI in 23 PA.
• According to Greg Johns, right-handed reliever D.J. Mitchell has been sent to Tacoma to clear a roster spot for Raul Ibanez.
• Eric Wedge and Jack Zduriencik will be making appearances at this year’s Mariners FanFest. They will be joined by the following lineup of players:
  • Blake Beavan
  • Jay Buhner
  • Nick Franklin
  • Jesus Montero
  • James Paxton
  • Stefen Romero
  • Brendan Ryan
  • Michael Saunders
  • Kyle Seager
  • Casper Wells
  • Tom Wilhelmsen
  • Dan Wilson
  • Mike Zunino

You can find more event information and ticket prices here.

Final score: Mariners 6, Angels 1

Unlike the stone-faced foes of the Doctor, these Angels are not liable to kill more than the Mariners’ chances of winning a baseball game. Tonight, however, they were powerless—not, as one might expect, against King Felix, but against Hisashi Iwakuma.

For his third consecutive win, and ninth on the season, Iwakuma allowed six hits and a walk. He struck out seven batters, retiring Mike Trout on four pitches and sending Albert Pujols down swinging three times. In sixteen starts, this marked Iwakuma’s fifth outing with at least six strikeouts. Prior to tonight, his most recent attempt was another 7-strikeout effort against the Angels on September 2.

On the heels of the Mariners’ announcement to restructure the fences, every ball hit in the direction of an outfield wall was imagined in its 2013 resting place. Kyle Seager cleared the fences with a moon shot to right field, while Casper Wells and Michael Saunders smacked several pitches to the warning track.

In a pre-2013 Safeco Field, Saunders, John Jaso, and Jesus Montero followed Seager’s home run with a no-doubt double and a pair of base hits. Not to be excluded, Mark Trumbo ensured at least two RBIs with a handful of throwing errors. Overly grateful, the Mariners returned the favor in the 9th, botching a shutout on a ground ball that tripped Tom Wilhelmsen and popped off Saunders’ glove.

Tomorrow, the Mariners return to Safeco Field for the series finale and their last game of the season. Fighting to skew the series split in their favor will be Blake Beavan and RHP Jered Weaver.

Last game: vs. Angels | October 3 | 3:40pm

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: Athletics 6, Mariners 1

What’s happening in Oakland?

Or, more accurately, what’s happening to Oakland in Seattle?

Hisashi Iwakuma followed the script handed to Felix Hernandez last night, exiting after 3.2 IP and a grand total of 6 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts. Stephen Pryor received the nod as handpicked closer of the night, ending the ‘pen’s 17-inning scoreless streak with an RBI sac fly to Yoenis Cespedes in the 9th.

Tonight, there were no MLB debuts or single baseball fans to distract us from another 6-1 loss. For the second night in a row, Cespedes benefitted from another error, this time scoring Oakland’s first run on a line drive popped off Kyle Seager’s glove.

For their part, the Mariners found little satisfaction in scoring runs, redeeming Michael Saunders’ Safeco’d home run on an RBI force out by Trayvon Robinson. After the A’s broke out with four runs in the 4th, the M’s retaliated with three hits and a walk, sticking one man in scoring position and and forgetting to find ways to drive him home.

Tomorrow, the Mariners look to escape a sweep with Jason Vargas on the mound against Oakland southpaw Tommy Milone.

Next game: vs. Athletics | September 9 | 1:10pm

Final score: Mariners 3, Indians 1

The Mariners have won eight baseball games in a row.

I was a bit shell shocked when they pulled out seven wins in their last homestand, only to falter on their road trip.

This feels different. Better. More real, legitimate, or sustainable.

I apologize if you’re expecting coherent analysis, because I’m in far too optimistic a mood to give it.

The Mariners have won eight games in a row. Michael Saunders struck four home runs in as many games. Eric Thames has repeatedly proven his trade worth, striking out three times this afternoon, but pulling out a game-winning 2-RBI double in the 8th.

The Mariners could very well be on the cusp of something great. I just can’t figure out if that makes me excited or scared.

Next game: @ White Sox | August 24 | 5:10pm