The Seattle Mariners have seven free agents heading into the winter. Here is how I would handle dealing with these guys:

Russell Branyan: 34-year old lefty swinging 1B/DH Russell Branyan played in 57 games for the Mariners after coming over in a deal with the Indians and he was 44 of 205 (.215 avg, .802 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 15 homers and 33 RBIs. He played in 109 games overall for the Mariners & Indians last season and he was 89 of 376 (.237 avg, .810 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 25 homers and 57 RBIs. Branyan has a mutual option worth $5 million bucks. VERDICT: I would decline Branyan’s option and try to re-sign him to a more affordable deal to serve as the DH.

Jose Lopez: 27-year old righty swinging 3B/2B Jose Lopez had an off year for the Mariners. He played in 150 games for the Mariners last season and he was 142 of 593 (.239 avg, .609 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 10 homers and 58 RBIs. The Mariners hold a club option on Lopez for 2011. VERDICT: I would decline his option and let him walk.

Erik Bedard: 31-year old lefty starting pitcher Erik Bedard missed all of last season while recovering from surgery. In his first two years with the Mariners, Bedard started 30 games in which he was 11-7 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The Mariners have a mutual option on 2011 with Bedard worth $8 million bucks. VERDICT: I would decline the team part of the option and let Bedard walk.

Ian Snell: 29-year old righty starting pitcher worked in 12 games (8 starts) in which he was 0-5 with a 6.41 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. The Mariners have a club option on Snell for 2011. VERDICT: I would let him walk.

Josh Bard: 32-year old switch hitting catcher Josh Bard played in 39 games for the Mariners last season and he was 24 of 112 (.214 avg, .634 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. VERDICT: I would try to re-sign Bard to a minor league deal as the Mariners’ catching situation right down is downright scary.

Jamey Wright: 35-year old righty reliever Jamey Wright pitched in 28 games (0 starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 0-1 with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. Wright pitched in 46 games (0 starts) overall for the Indians & Mariners last season overall and he was 1-3 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. VERDICT: I would let him walk.

Chris Woodward: 34-year old righty swinging infielder Chris Woodward played in 8 games for the Mariners last year and he was 3 for 19 (.158 avg, .483 OPS). VERDICT: I would likely let him walk, but a minor league deal isn’t out of the question.

The Mariners have signed new managers Eric Wedge to a 3-year deal. Wedge last managed in 2009 for the Indians and it didn’t go too well as they were 65-97 which cost him his job. In his seven years with the Indians, Wedge compiled a 561-573 record (49.5%) during the regular season and he was 6-5 in the post season. The Indians were only over .500 in two of Wedge’s years in Cleveland. His best work came in 2007 when he was named the A.L. Manager of the Year after leading the Tribe to a 96-66 record (59.3%) before falling to the Red Sox in the A.L.C.S. It will be interesting to see if Wedge can assemble a good coaching staff which could aid in a quick turnaround for the Mariners.