Seattle Mariners Reportedly “Put Out Feelers” for Johnny Damon: A Fan’s Take

Apparently the Seattle Mariners have feelers out for Johnny Damon, possibly to bring him in as a veteran presence on the roster for the 2012 MLB season. Maybe the intent is to put him in left field or possibly get some at-bats as the designated hitter, but it seems a little odd that the team would offer him a contract.

It is ESPN (Jason A. Churchill specifically) that says the Mariners have contacted Damon, but there is no news out there about a contract offer. Maybe it was as simple as finding out if Damon could get brought in with a minor league deal and a shot at making the team out of Spring Training. Or maybe general manager Jack Zduriencik has a plan to trade one of the Mariners currently on the roster, thus opening up a roster spot for Damon to step into.

Last year, Damon hit .261 with 16 home runs and 73 RBIs for the Tampa Bay Rays. Those are pretty decent numbers and would have been some of the best on the Mariners roster for 2011. He is now 38 years old though, so there is a huge question about what he might have left in his bat. What is worse than that though, is how fans might interpret the team going out to get an outfielder who is the same age as Ichiro Suzuki. That would constitute a pretty odd corner outfield for the Mariners in 2012 with Ichiro and Damon.

Heading into the 2012 season, it would seem like the Mariners have all the players that they need to possible play first base, left field or designated hitter. Justin Smoak, Mike Carp, Casper Wells and Jesus Montero all need a place to play, and unless there is a secondary move in process, bringing Damon into the mix doesn't seem like a move that would really help the roster overall. Hopefully ESPN has this one wrong and that the Mariners aren't at all serious about offering a contract to Damon.

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References:

ESPN Rumor Mill

Mariners_Pitching_Stats

Mariners_Hitting_Stats

Best_Mariners_Of_All_Time

Seattle_Mariners_Team_Page

*Ryan is a lifelong Seattle Mariners fan who never misses an opportunity to attend a game at Safeco Field. He has been attending games since 1985, and has fond memories of The Kingdome, Edgar Martinez, and the historic 1995 team. Sodo Mojo!

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