Options and Free Agents

Alright, we're only a couple days into the offseason and we've already got some Mariners news.

First off, here's who we're losing to outright free agency:

-RHP Jamey Wright: A midseason pickup after Cleveland released him, Wright did an admirable job as a bullpen mainstay, posting a 3.41 ERA for the M's in 37.0 innings pitched. Ugly strikeout-to-walk numbers, but he was better than most of the other guys we had in the 'pen. He won't be coming back.

-C Josh Bard: After Adam Moore got hurt and Rob Johnson collapsed both at the plate and behind it, we started seeing a lot of more of Bard. Another wandering, journeyman type player, Josh came up with some big hits and definitely filled our quota for "veteran leadership." There's a decent chance Josh will resign with us to backup Moore for the '11 season.

-INF Chris Woodward: No offense to Chris, but he's just Triple-A fodder. Poor hitting and unreliable fielding make him a very weak option to be our bench utility guy. That role should be filled by a free agent or possibly Matt Lawson from our farm system. Woodward will be someone's non-roster invitee come springtime.

Today also saw the M's front office make decisions on our three players with club options for '11. All three were declined. These include:

-LHP Erik Bedard: Oh, Erik. How mighty we once thought you were. The original "he's gonna make us champions" offseason acquisition, Bedard's Mariners career boiled down to flashes of brilliance, followed by month after month of injuries. We resigned him for the '10 season, hoping he could rehab himself into shape by mid-July. He got all the way to Tacoma, but on the eve of his first Major League start of the season, his shoulder collapsed again. The Bedard era is now over. The M's must move on and let Erik be another club's problem.

-DH/1B Russell Branyan: We do love us some Russ in Seattle, but, again, oft-injured players are not what we want on our team as we try to build a future contender. Justin Smoak has locked up first base and we need reliable production from our DH spot, something we'll be hunting for in free agency. If the market doesn't work in our favor, Branyan could come back for another year, at a lower, hopefully incentive-based salary. If not, I won't cry too much seeing Russ move on.

-3B Jose Lopez: Yup, this is the big one, folks. We've declined Lopey's option, but since he doesn't have six years of playing time, he's not a free agent yet. The team retains control over him, but this is a pretty glaring sign that he won't be wearing Northwest Green when April rolls around. Sure, he hit those 25 homers in '09, but Jose has always been on on-base percentage nightmare. In 2010, he proved to be an above-average defensive third baseman, but his hitting absolutely imploded, making him one of the biggest targets for fan ire on a team filled with failure. Lopez is still a viable Major League player, but the Mariners need to move on. Putting Figgy at third would be ideal, opening up second for Dustin Ackley or whoever we stick there until Ackley smashes the door down. Look for the team to trade Jose as the winter progresses. I hear Dayton Moore and the Royals could use a third baseman...