The Seattle Mariners have released 25-year old righty swinging outfielder Michael Wilson to make room on the 40-man roster for Ken Griffey Jr. Wilson played in 119 games in AA-ball last season and he was 112 for 406 (.276 avg, .937 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 27 homers, 84 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Some team will take a chance on Wilson after the power display he showed in 2008, but, the Mariners still have outfielders they like better than him in their minor league system.

UPDATE: The Mariners have re-signed Wilson to a minor league deal.

The Seattle Mariners will likely have a new look at 1B in 2009 unless 26-year old lefty swinging Bryan LaHair wins the starting job there. LaHair played in 45 games for the Mariners last season and he was 34 for 136 (.250 avg, .661 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. He did whiff 40 times with the Mariners and he will need to improve in that area if he ever wants to see his batting average rise. He was average defensively at first base as he made 2 errors in 36 games there for the Mariners last season. LaHair also played in 85 AAA games last season in which he was 83 for 315 (.263 avg, .824 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 12 homers and 53 RBIs.

The Mariners brought in 33-year old lefty swinging Russell Branyan as a free agent this winter and they will also give him a chance to win a full time job. Branyan played in 50 games for the Brewers last season and he was 33 for 132 (.250 avg, .925 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 12 homers and 20 RBIs. But, he also whiffs alot as he K’d 42 times for the Brewers last season. The Mariners can live with the whiffs if Branyan gives them a lot of power out of the 1B position. In 766 career major league games, Branyan has averaged a homer every 15 at bats but a whiff every 2.51.

28-year old righty swinging Chris Shelton is trying to revive his major league career with the Mariners in 2009. He played in 41 games for the Rangers last season and he was 21 for 97 (.216 avg, .663 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 2 homers and 11 RBIs. Shelton has played in 290 games in his major league career and he is a .274 hitter with a .807 OPS. With that in mind the Mariners will likely give him a fair shot this spring at winning playing time. He made 3 errors in only 39 games at 1B last season for the Rangers and that will need to improve if he’s going to make the Mariners out of spring training. It’s possible that he could work his way into a platoon with either Branyan or LaHair in 2009.

22-year old lefty swinging Mike Carp came over from the Mets in the J.J. Putz trade and he’s a long shot to win the starting job for the Mariners in 2009. He played in 134 games in AA-ball last season and he was 143 for 478 (.299 avg, .874 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 17 homers and 72 RBIs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: D

The Mariners have signed 39-year old lefty swinging outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to a 1-year, $2 million dollar contract plus incentives. Griffey played in 143 games for the White Sox and Reds last season in which he was 122 for 490 (.249 avg, .777 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 18 homers and 71 RBIs. Griffey has now played in 2,521 games in his major league career and he is 2,680 for 9,316 (.288 avg, .920 OPS) with 1,612 runs scored, 611 homers, 1,772 RBIs and 184 stolen bases. Griffey will likely start in left field for the Mariners in 2009 and he will also get to DH some to limit the wear and tear on his body. Griffey has made good to return to Seattle to possibly end his Hall of Fame career. Forget what the critics say…..I like the idea of bringing Griffey back “home”.

The Mariners have designated 25-year old lefty swinging infielder Tug Hulett for assignment to make room on the roster for Luis Pena. Hulett played in 30 games for the Mariners last season in which he was 11 for 49 (.224 avg, .615 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. Hulett also played in 91 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 100 for 336 (.298 avg, .898 OPS) with 71 runs scored, 14 homers, 47 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. It’s possible that Hulett could return to the Mariners if no team claims him off waivers. The addition of Ronny Cedeno recently pretty much pushed Hulett out the door.

UPDATE: Hulett has been claimed off waivers by the Royals.

The Mariners have claimed 26-year old righty reliever Luis Pena off waivers from the Brewers. Pena pitched in 52 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 2-3 with 15 saves, a 6.93 ERA and a 2.05 WHIP. Pena has a good arm but he’s all over the place with the ball having walked 47 batters in only 49.1 innings last season. If he doesn’t improve his control he will never pitch for the Mariners.