The Mariners have signed 32-year old righty reliever Jesus Colome to a minor league deal. He pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the Nationals and Brewers last season and he was 1-1 with a 7.59 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP. Colome has now pitched in 329 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 19-26 with 6 saves, a 4.66 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Colome has always had nasty stuff so the Mariners were smart to give him a chance this spring to show what he can do.

The Mariners have signed 29-year old righty reliever Levale Speigner to a minor league deal. Speigner pitched in 58 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 6-6 with 1 save, a 2.56 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Nationals. He has now pitched in 26 games (6 starts) in his major league career and he is 2-4 with a 9.19 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP. Speigner was worth taking a low risk flier on for the Mariners based on how well he pitched in the minors last season.

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.

UPDATE: The Mariners have lost Hernandez on waivers to the Red Sox.