5:45 PM
Joe Frisaro said it was Rob Johnson that was discussed.  Either way, Seattle offered catching and the Marlins didn’t bite.

4:37 PM
Baker has a new post up.  He is now reporting that the Mariners were indeed the team to initiate the talks, and that the Marlins were interested in Adam Moore, not Rob Johnson.

A Johnson-for-Hermida swap would have been a no-brainer.  Would a Moore-for-Hermida swap land in the same category?  I like Moore a lot, and I think he has a more legitimate shot than Jeff Clement at becoming Seattle’s long term starting catcher, so I’m not really sure.

Either way, a deal couldn’t be reached and the impression that I get is that talks won’t be rekindled right way.

4:04 PM
According to Geoff Baker, the Florida Marlins offered Jeremy Hermida to the Seattle Mariners, presumably for catching help.  To the contrary, Clark Spencer was told that the Mariners were the ones doing the inquiring.

Both men agreed that Rob Johnson was the man the Marlins were looking for.

It was only a matter of time before Hermida was connected to the Mariners.  Being a Marlin, everyone knew that he was available, and he’d be a decent enough fit for Seattle assuming he doesn’t cost anything Seattle might miss.

Hermida looks like a very average player at the moment; Average power, average walk rates, average defense.  He does hit from the left side, though, and is just 24 years old.  He was a former 1st round pick and put up some impressive numbers in 2007, so there is reason to think that he has some legitimate upside still.

Considering that Johnson is the definition of a spare part, there is no way Seattle declines a trade that is based around those too.  With that, I’m inclined to believe that Seattle was doing the inquiring, and the Marlins were looking for a bit more.