Seattle Mariners rumors indicate a Joe Saunders signing is possible, but there is also another team heavily invested in the process. According to a report from Monday (Jan. 28), the Minnesota Twins have already extended an offer to Saunders and are waiting to hear back from him.
With the Baltimore Orioles signing Jair Jurrjens to a one-year deal and the New York Mets settling on Shaun Marcum, that might leave just the Mariners and Twins as teams interested in bringing on Saunders. That is a tad surprising, because he did post good numbers with a 4.07 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in the 2012 season.
Saunders isn't the type of pitcher to blow away hitters, but what he does do is eat up innings and go deep into ballgames. That would be a perfect fit in the Mariners' starting rotation, even if there is a youth movement taking place in the pitching staff.
Right-handed starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is also still available, but he might end up being too expensive for the team to sign. Lohse posted an impressive 16-3 record with a 2.86 ERA and 1.09 WHIP last season, so it had seemed like he might command a huge deal this offseason. Maybe Seattle can sneak in with a one-year deal that makes him happy for 2013.
It seems like these Seattle Mariners rumors indicate that the team isn't done adding pieces this offseason and getting a Joe Saunders signing done at a discount might not be a bad option in the end. That would bring on a good starting pitcher with very little risk.
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