The Mariners have really turned into a solid defensive team except for at 2B. The Mariners tried to trade Jose Lopez over the winter but they never got offered even a fair deal for him. So, the 26-year old righy swinging Jose Lopez returns as he tries to build off of the best offensive season of his career. He played in 153 games for the Mariners last season and he was 167 for 613 (.272 avg, .766 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 25 homers, 96 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Look for his numbers to improve as the Mariners look like they will have a better lineup around him in 2010. Lopez made 15 errors in 141 games while showing poor range. The Mariners could probably live with the errors as long as Lopez improves his range.

28-year old righty swinging Josh Wilson and 33-year old righty swinging Chris Woodward will probably battle it out this spring to see who the utility infielder is for the Mariners in 2010. Wilson played in 4 games at 2B last season without making any errors while showing outstanding range. Woodward played in 11 error-free games at 2B last season but he showed poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: B-

The Mariners have signed 30-year old lefty starting pitcher Erik Bedard to a 1-year, $1.5 million dollar deal plus incentives. Bedard pitched in 15 games (all starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He only gave up 65 hits in 83 innings while whiffing 90 batters showing how nasty he can be when he just stays healthy. Bedard has now pitched in 30 games (all starts) in his two years with the Mariners and he is 11-7 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Bedard is likely to miss the start of the season but I like this signing anyway as the price was right for the Mariners to bring him back. Bedard has been a successful pitcher pretty much his whole career whether healthy or not. He has pitched in 144 games (141 starts) in his major league career and he is 51-41 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

The Mariners have designated 23-year old righty starting pitcher Gaby Hernandez for assignment to make room on the roster for Ryan Garko. Hernandez pitched in 26 games (all starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 10-9 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He has now pitched in 137 games (134 starts) in his six year minor league career and he is 46-45 with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. This is no loss for the Mariners.

The Mariners have signed 29-year old righty swinging 1B/DH Ryan Garko to a 1-year, $550,000 dollar deal with an additional $525,000 in incentives. Garko played in 118 games for the Giants & Indians last season and he was 95 for 354 (.268 avg, .765 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 13 homers and 51 RBIs. He has now played in 448 games in his major league career and he is 424 for 1,519 (.279 avg, .792 OPS) with 190 runs scored, 55 homers and 247 RBIs. This was a great signing for the Mariners who will likely platoon Garko with Ken Griffey Jr. at DH.

The Mariners have signed 33-year old righty swinging outfielder Eric Byrnes to a 1-year deal likely worth the minimum salary as the D-Backs are on the hook for everything else. Byrnes played in 84 games for the D-Backs last season and he was 54 for 239 (.226 avg, .663 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 8 homers, 31 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Byrnes has now played in 948 games in his major league career and he is 824 for 3,170 (.260 avg, .763 OPS) with 481 runs scored, 109 homers, 396 RBIs and 128 stolen bases. I really like this signing for the Mariners as Byrnes is capable of playing any position in the outfield defensively. He also gives them protection just in case Milton Bradley gets hurt or implodes.