@JimBowdenESPNxm: There are four teams that are still playing on Johnny Damon to different degree’s: Baltimore, Seattle, Oakland & NYY…surprisingly not TB

I’m a little surprised with Seattle and Oakland showing interest. I don’t see how he would fit in with them especially with the size of their ballparks. He’s no longer the true speed guy he once was. A short porch like Yankees Stadium or a hitter’s park like Camden Yards would suit him best.

I don’t think he’ll sign anytime soon. All of those teams have interest but I doubt any of them are ready to sign they all probably consider him as a backup option. Time to start dropping that asking price Johnny boy.

@SI_JonHeyman: #mariners are hoping to be in on prince (but not pujols). Unsure if there’s room in budget tho. But will give it a run.

There’s no doubt that Fielder is worth the $200 million or so that he’s going to command, he can absolutely rake and his defense isn’t that bad either. His .299 average, 95 runs, 38 homers and 120 runs batted in would instantly lead the team. He’d be a huge force in the middle of their lineup.

BUT the question is whether its fiscally responsible for a team that does have multiple needs? They’ve got the pitchers but when you look at their lineup they could use help at almost every position.

“Same as he’s been for the past 15 years — as incredible as that may sound,” one veteran scout said. “He has a chance to pitch in the big leagues as a fifth starter and win 10 or 12 games. He’s throwing 81 to 83 miles an hour, but he still knows how to make you look like an idiot. He doesn’t need the money. But I think he has that fire burning in his belly.”

Another scout observed: “It was amazing. He looked as loose, limber and free as he ever has.”(Jon Paul Morosi, Ken Rosenthal – Fox Sports)

In 2010, he went 9-9 with a 4.84 ERA over 19 starts at the age of 47!! If he’s indeed healthy I don’t see how a team close to contention doesn’t take a chance on him.

Morosi and Rosenthal list a few potential suitors (aka teams who sent scouts) and like I said some are teams that are either close to contention or already competing. “Sources say the Mariners, Rangers, Royals, Rockies, Orioles, and Pirates are among the teams that have sent scouts to see Moyer.”

With him being a left-handed pitcher and a crafty veteran who knows how to get the best out of his limited arsenal then why not give him a chance.

Here’s another Phillies article that may interest you, the Phillies have resigned Jim Thome.

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I have to say I’m glad The Kid will be back for another season. He may be turning 40 and not a fulltime player anymore but he’s still a solid contributor. In 2009, he hit only .214 but smacked 19 homers with 57 rbis and 19 doubles in just 387 at-bats. More importantly then the offense he can bring as a back up, is the excitement he brings to the fans.

While Seattle’s attendance didn’t rise like they thought it would in 2009 there was still a buzz that hasn’t been around in a while. That buzz should continue and with a slowly improving economy there should be some more fans in the ballpark to watch the Kid.

For me watching Griffey play is a joy anywhere but its only fitting to see him in a Mariners uniform as his career winds down. Hopefully he gets some more playing time in ’09 as things won’t be the same once he’s gone.

Griffey Jr isn’t as productive as he once was, he’s know a designated hitter and a fourth outfielder. His offense isn’t what it used to be, .218 average and 11 homers in 325 at bats this season. But for the Mariners, he’s still their spark plug.

Ichiro Suzuki gets all the love, and he should the guy is a machine. The Kid thou is the one who makes that team tick. The Mariners have gone from a team of mainly nobodies who couldn’t get their act together.

With Griffey aboard they’ve got a leader, someone who can teach the kids the right way to play the game, on and off the field. With Griffey, they’ve got a guy who can captivate a fan base that had become almost non-existent.

More importantly? They’ve become a team that can compete with anybody. Their 71-64 record and presence in the playoff race tells you that.

If he decides to stay in the game, I’ve got no doubt the Mariners will do whatever it takes to keep him there. The fans may revolt if they don’t, especially with him no longer playing for the money, evident by his $2 million contract plus incentives.

They just got to show him some love and he’ll be back where he loves to play the most, Seattle.

There’s a couple different rumors going around on why he changed his mind. One would be his history in Seattle. Mark Bowman at MLB.com suggests the relationship with Seattle and its fans could of played a role. He suggests that relationship was so strong he doesn’t want to offend the fans after the two sides were so close to a deal.

“He has an emotional tie to Seattle and with the club that he came up with originally,” Atlanta GM Frank Wren said while alluding to the fact that Griffey spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Mariners. “I’m sure that’s a strong deciding factor as well.”

The other rumor is the fore mentioned article by O’Brien. Jim Street also of MLB.com says that the Braves and Griffey talks were moving at a very good pace till late this afternoon. What happened? Griffey found out about the report in the AJC saying he had decided to play for the Atlanta Braves. After that the talks fell apart so fast that the two sides weren’t even talking. A little while later Griffey decided to take the offer from Seattle.

To me this just all sounds pretty strange. It’s fairly typical for the media to report that a player has decided to play for a team before he announces it. So why is Griffey soooooo offended? Does it mean that he was going to take the Braves offer but deep down really didn’t want to? Was he looking for any excuse to back out and just say no? I don’t really know. Maybe he was just that offended by the report, who knows. It’s just all really strange.

In a way thou I’m glad it happened. Seattle is where he belonged and really should of never left. His contract is pretty good too, one-year deal worth $2 million plus incentives. And the Mariners are expecting an extra 200,000 or so fans with him on board. Pretty reasonable expectation in my book.

Ken Griffey Jr has always been one of my favorite baseball players. I’ve still got numerous rookie cards of him from 1989 and when I come across more I just have to buy them. For his career to come full circle and end in Seattle is only fitting. I’m glad he’s home again, and you know what? That Griffey Jr batting practice jersey from his Seattle days will be coming out again. It’s still tucked away in the back of my closet.

‘We’re going to try to add some different wrinkles, offensively especially,” Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times. ”We are going to add left-handed hitting to this mix. From an offensive standpoint, that is definitely the No. 1 priority. And if we can get a little more athletic in the process, we’re going to do that, too.”

Left-hand hitting. That’s the most important thing in my eyes that the Cubs need. The team has four left handed batters and none of them are a threat, I repeat NONE of them are a threat. Mike Fontenot, Felix Pie, Daryle Ward and Jim Edmonds. Looking at those four, there isn’t a single bat that scares any right handed pitcher, not even Jim Edmonds. Think I’m kidding? He hasn’t been a threat since 2004. With the lack of capable lefty bats teams never have to worry about matchups late in a game. Look at the Los Angeles Dodgers, they actually are pretty weak in the bullpen when it comes to lefty pitching but they didn’t have to worry about that one bit. So what kind of bats are out there for the Cubs? What productive lefty could they bring in, and at the same time help them with their other need which is more athleticism?

That’s right athleticism. That’s something the Chicago Cubs lack as well. Yes, they have Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot, but what else? The Cubs are pretty much an older, station to station, long ball hitting team. They do have some guys in the lineup who can bunt, but they’re built more like a traditional American League lineup. So pretty much the Cubs need to bring in more players who can do three things. 1.) steal a base. 2.) play small ball 3.) improve team defense. Yes, athleticism can do that for the Cubs. The team was so, so in that department last year. They finished in the bottom third of baseball in fielding percentage and that wasn’t even indicative of how bad they really were. The Cubs ranked next to last in total chances (and by a lot), which would indicate the players don’t have the range to get to a lot of the balls in play.

So who are the players being considered?

First, Brian Roberts. The Cubs explored trade options with the Baltimore Orioles last year but couldn’t work anything out. I’m quite sure they’ll be revisiting those trade talks, as Roberts would be the perfect addition to this taem offensively and defensively. He’s a switch-hitter (something the Cubs also don’t have), so that helps you with getting a lefty in the lineup and he’s one of the best fielding second baseman in baseball. He’s also a major base stealing threat, 40 in 2008. A move like this would also let the Cubbies finally move Alfonso Soriano out of the leadoff spot, a place he definitely doesn’t belong anymore. On a side note, the Chicago Sun-Times asked Pinella about moving Soriano out of the leadoff spot, but he wouldn’t respond.

Another option being considered is Raul Ibanez of the Seattle Mariners. Ibanez is a free agent, and will command a payday but at least it would be a short term contract considering his age. Ibanez is 37 years old, which wouldn’t help the Cubs get more athletic but he is a BIG left handed bat that could help split up Ramirez and Derrek Lee.

Those other two were both players the Sun-Times brought up and rightfully so. But there are a few other players that I think could really benefit the Cubbies. Jerry Hairson Jr, he’s fast, he’s athletic unfortunately he’s right handed. He’d come cheap but his first run in Chicago wasn’t to successful would they be able to keep Hairston from resigning with the Reds is another question. Another free agent includes Orlando Hudson of the Arizona Diamondbacks, He’s over 30 but very athletic and also a switch hitter. Other then these two, I think the Cubs will have to scour the trade wires.

So you see the Cubs have a lot on their hands this off-season. It’s good to see that they aren’t resting on their productive regular season. Too many teams see that kind of success and feel they just hit a bad stretch in the 5 game series, Pinella knows that’s not true and he sounds ready to change things. This is just the position players side, they’ve also got moves to make on the mound. Should be a busy off-season in Chicago.

“He didn’t come out of the break feeling significantly better,” Manager Jim Riggleman said. “Hopefully by Monday he’s ready to play some firm catch and we’ll go from there. If he’s not…”

“If he’s not” ???? That is a pretty troubling thought in my opinion. One would have to wonder is there something seriously wrong with his shoulder? Especially when you consider he did have Tommy John surgery earlier in his career.

Bedard has been mentioned in numerous trade rumors as the Mariners head towards a last place finish in the AL West. His name has been linked to almost every team who is still in the playoff race AND needs a starting pitcher. Unfortunately not one of those teams would make a deal without seeing him pitch before the July 31st deadline. In a perfect scenario, Bedard would play catch Monday and Tuesday, throw a bullpen session later in the week and then be back in the rotation just before the 31st.

“We’re not looking at trying to pitch him before the 31st,” he said. “It’s really all going to be based on how he feels. The 31st is kind of irrelevant when a guy’s got a tender arm.”

You do have to give Riggleman credit for not rushing the kid back for the sake of showcasing him in a trade. As it would definitely be a rush, as he’d only be able to log one start and thats only if he suffers no setbacks in the next week and a half.

So in the end Mariners fans, Bedard should end the season in Seattle due to health concerns. Honestly for how much the team gave up in the trade to get him this is the best scenario. It’s highly unlikely they’d even get half the talent back that they gave up, so might as well just hold on to him and hope he’s better next year.

The Mariners season may be going straight down the drain but the team will still host a few playoff contenders over the last 60 or so games. Some match ups include the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, the New York Yankees and the usual divisional foes. So if you want to check out a game, there’s plenty of opportunities to see some good baseball.

Tuesday night, Morrow dominated Boston Red Sox hitters Mike Lowell and Manny Ramirez, by blowing them away with fastballs that were 99 and 98 mph respectively. That performance has made McLaren want to keep Morrow in the 7th and 8th inning role, as he feels the team can still be competitive and it gives them the best chance to win. “We’re still talking and stuff,” he said. “I’m not saying we’ve backed off it. But there’s a lot he has to do to get ready to start. We’ve by no means given up on this season at all. What he can do in that eighth inning like that is special. We just want to get him in that opportunity a lot more here coming up. A lot of times we just use him to get some work in. We’d like to utilize him when the game is on the line.” Nice to hear a team 12.5 games back in the division, feels they still have a shot.

Waiting for the off-season may be the best thing for the futures of both, the Mariners and Morrow. The process of stretching Morrow out could put some added stress on his arm, and could possibly lead to an injury at some point this or next year. What the team will most likely do is put him on some sort of weight training program to help strengthen the arm for the added wear and tear it will occur. Sending him back to the Venezuelan league could help in the process, but may add way to many innings to that arm, should he start all of 2009. Regardless, his innings and pitch counts will definitely be needed to watch next year, as transition from an 8th inning reliever to a starter will be a huge jump .

Morrow is still pretty excited about the possibilities of starting. “Starting, I feel like I have more contribution,” he said. Can’t blame him, as a relief pitcher on a losing team you don’t get a chance to contribute much at all. You kind of come in and just try to keep the score close.

Here’s a link to the Seattle Times, for more on this and other Mariners notes.