I’m sorry that the site was down all day.  It started going wacky this morning but I didn’t have time to sit down and try to figure out the problem until just a little while ago.  I hope you didn’t all get as frustrated as me while trying to access the site!

Here’s a few of the Mariner topics making the rounds today:

Mike Sweeney

The Seattle Mariners inked 35 year old DH/1B Mike Sweeney to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.  Sweeney has struggled with injuries for years and hasn’t been all that effective since 2005, so he’ll have a lot to prove.

Don’t worry, Sweeney isn’t GM Jack Zduriencik’s “big bat” that he’s been talking about.  He’s an outside shot to make the team at all, and he’ll likely compete with Chris Shelton to be the DH/1B against left handed pitching.

Bobby Abreu

Ken Rosenthal: “The Mariners view Abreu as an ideal fit, major-league sources say, but it is unclear whether they can afford him.”

Earlier in the offseason I thought of Bobby Abreu as one of the better fits for Seattle’s lineup.  I’ve since soured on him a little bit, but I’d still like seeing him hitting third and playing DH for the M’s.  Of course, he’d have to come for less than he is looking for.

As a DH, Abreu is worth a maximum of about $8-9M in 2009.  He was originally looking for a multi-year deal at $16M per, and has since set his sights closer to $10M annually.  Still too much, but getting closer.

I’d be happy to see Abreu sign a one year deal between $7-8.5M or less.  Any more than that and you’re risking getting burned if the soon to be 35 year old’s production suddenly falls off the table, and once you get into the $9-10-11M range you may as well move on to Adam Dunn (who Seattle apparently still has their eye on).

Is Abreu the “big bat” Zduriencik keeps referring to?  We’ll see.

UPDATE: Larry Stone is reporting that the Mariners are definitely interested in Abreu, but have to clear some payroll first.  So, if you see Jarrod Washburn (or someone with an equally bad contract) dealt before Abreu comes off the market, don’t be surprised to see an Abreu signing immediately after.

Rich Hill

Jeff Zrebiec: “The Cubs have spoken to several teams about Hill, including the Seattle Mariners, but a source said the Orioles are in the lead to land the lefty.”

I’m not sure this is even noteworthy.  I would assume that Seattle discussed Rich Hill while working the Aaron Heilman trade, opting for Garrett Olson instead.  I’d love to have Hill, but it’s hard to see where he would fit in at this point as he is out of minor league options.