Cleaning out my draft box.  Erasmo went first, now Branyan.  Other partial posts that have been sitting in the draft box that I may hastily pull together and publish this week: Felix Hernandez, the trade market, and the possibility of an extension; Mariner clubhouse chemistry and what happens once Sweeney, Griffey, and others inevitably leave; Human umpires versus computer umpires.  Any interest in those topics?  I also have a 2009 farm report that I’ve been putting off for so long that it needs to be overhauled.  I’ll try to get that done this month.

Do the Mariners want Branyan back?

I don’t know for sure, but I would assume they’re open to bringing him back in the right deal.

Seattle will be looking to fill the first base and DH role, and Branyan would be the best available option at either position.  I like Mike Carp, but he’s Lyle Overbay without the great defense, which makes him a fringe starter at best.  Brad Nelson is intriguing, but an unknown quantity at the big league level (and minor league level, for that matter).  Bryan LaHair? I can’t believe he’s still around.  Jack Hannahan? Not enough bat for first base and his glove is better served elsewhere.  Rich Poythress? Give him another year at least.  Matt Tuiasosopo?  Only if he proves he can’t stick at third, but even then his bat isn’t an ideal fit at first base.

Some of those in house candidates can be relied upon to fill one of the openings, but counting on them to fill both is a major gamble for a team intent on winning the division.  Branyan would be a perfect fit to return in 2010 and will be one of the best power options on the free agent market.

Beyond the performance, I believe the Mariners will want to keep as much of the veteran leadership intact as possible, which means they’ll want a guy like Branyan back with the expected departures of Ken Griffey, Mike Sweeney, Adrian Beltre, etc.

Does he want to come back?

I’m sure Branyan would love to test free agency now that he has established himself as an everyday big league slugger, but I read some time back that he feels he owes it to GM Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu to return to Seattle if they want him back.  The temptation of his first big time paycheck could erase that sentiment, but I feel like he’ll indeed be back if the team wants him.  We’ll see.

What kind of extension makes sense?

When the talk of extending Branyan comes up there are always a few that bring up the busted contracts of Richie Sexson and other aging sluggers in the same mold.  Sexson was signed at age 30, put up one monster season, followed that with a streaky but somewhat acceptable performance, before his career skidded to a very abrupt halt.  The Mariners got their money’s worth for 1 1/2 seasons, but found themselves with one of the worst contracts in franchise histroy shortly thereafter.

This is where the free agency temptation comes back into play.  The Mariners can’t risk overpaying Branyan, who will be 34 next season.  Geoff Baker has suggested a 2 year, $10M offer, which I would be very happy with.  Branyan would still be an amazing bargain should he keep performing, but wouldn’t become an albatross if he were to fall apart like non-juicing, mid-30s bashers seem to do.   I might go a bit higher than $5M on year one if necessary, but certainly no higher on year two.  A one year contract would be ideal, but chances are Branyan would look for better offers elsewhere if that’s the best he could get.