There’s another Top 15 Seattle Mariners Prospect list out worth visiting, and anecdotal evidence that Eric Wedge, the Mariners manager, remains very much his own man.

First, Mr. Wedge.

In a piece by freelancer Brad Lefton, who speaks Japanese and was writing from Tokyo, new Mariners pitcher  Hisashi Iwakuma talked about how the team courted him this winter, including this quote about Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik:

“I found him a funny and engaging guy, easy to talk to,” Iwakuma said. “He told me the team was opening the season in Japan and he’d like to see me start one of …

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Six days before their pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Seattle Mariners signed two veteran free agent relievers to big-league contracts, and if you didn’t take particular notice, be assured of one thing – the team’s young relievers did.

Shawn Camp and lefty Hong-Chih Kuo could have been signed in November, but the fact they were signed Monday is likely a strong indicator that general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Eric Wedge didn’t like the only options in the bullpen being young. So Zduriencik gave Wedge two more options.

The move could be viewed as adding competition to …

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Seattle Mariners minor league catcher Christian Carmichael has been suspended 50 games for a positive drug test.

Reynolds was penalized Monday under baseball’s minor league program for testing positive for Methylhexaneamine.

He hit .182 last year in 11 at-bats for the Mariners of the Arizona Rookie League and is on the roster of Class A Clinton.

Ten players have been suspended this year under the minor league program.

From the Associated Press:

The Mariners have agreed to one-year contracts with pitchers Shawn Camp and Hong-Chih Kuo in an attempt to add bullpen depth.

Kuo was an All-Star in 2010 with the Dodgers but struggled last season with a back problem early in the season and missed a month with anxiety disorder. During his standout 2010 season, Kuo as 3-2 with 12 saves in 13 chances and a 1.20 ERA.

Camp led Toronto with 67 appearances last year and was 6-3 with a 4.21 ERA. The right-hander has appeared in 432 games all in relief, with Kansas City, Tampa …

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When manager Eric Wedge was in Japan two weeks ago, promoting the opening-day visit this March of the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics, his first press conference drew nearly 200 members of the Japanese media – and their first question was whether he was serious about moving Ichiro Suzuki from the leadoff role.

Wedge said he was, and there was an audible gasp.

Yes, Ichiro remains an icon in his homeland, and 11 years into his major league career, he is coming off the first season in which he didn’t hit .300 or better (.272), collect 200 or more hits …

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Completing the comparisons between the Seattle Mariners and the top two teams in the American League West, we look at the bullpens today.

Start with the closers. The Rangers signed Joe Nathan to allow Neftali Feliz to move into the starting rotation.  The Angels have Jordan Walden, a 24-year-old rookie who saved 32 games last year and had his fastball clocked at 100 mph. The Mariners have Brandon League, who closed for the first time in 2012 and – despite not getting a save opportunity most of July – finished the year with 37 saves.

Who’s best? Nathan is the …

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In our continuing look at how the Seattle Mariners match up – position by position – with the top two teams in the American League West, today it’s the starting rotations.

That means a bit more speculation, since the starting five might change for all three teams in spring training, though at the end of the rotation, not the top. With that caveat, we’re off.

The Rotation
Texas – Colby Lewis, Yu Darvish, Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison
Los Angeles – Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson, Ervin Santana, Jerome Williams
Seattle – Felix Hernandez, Jason …

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Carlos Guillen, whose major league career began in Seattle – and required a pair of knee surgeries in  his first 15 games – returned to the Mariners today after signing a minor league contract.

Now 36 and a 14-year veteran, Guillen has been invited to Seattle’s big-league camp and will try to win a job. Once a shortstop, Guillen is a .283 career hitter who might fit in as a third baseman, utility infielder or could come off the bench as a pinch hitter.

The key to Guillen sticking with the team will likely be his health. Troubled by injury often …

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