A new report has Hisashi Iwakuma favoring the Seattle Mariners in the ongoing wooing that is taking place. More than just the Mariners have interest in signing Iwakuma, but MLB.com is reporting that he is leaning towards signing with the Mariners. This confirms earlier reports that I had heard about Iwakuma getting close to signing a contract with the team.

The obvious reaction from some Mariners fans is that signing another starting pitcher does not fix the offensive issues, but that is a really short-sighted way to look at things. The franchise needs to fill out the starting rotation for the 2012 season to not rush the prospects, and if somehow the Mariners can bring in a talented pitcher it could help them compete sooner in the improved American League West.

Sure, it would help the team a lot if Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, Erasmo Ramirez and Taijuan Walker were ready to make their debuts, but the truth is that they could all use a bit more seasoning before getting tossed into the fire. I can’t wait to see Hultzen pitch in Spring Training and while it would make for a great story if he could join the major league roster right away, the team needs to have a good back-up plan. The answer is not Kevin Millwood or Jeff Francis and if Iwakuma comes at the right price, maybe he could even become trade bait if the Mariners aren’t competitive by June.

Iwakuma is a right-handed pitcher who has played for the Tokoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Jan Pacific League. In the last four years for the Golden Eagles, Iwakuma has posted a 55-31 record, with a 2.67 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. His high-water mark was in 2008 when he went 21-4 with a 1.87 ERA and 159 strikeouts over 201 2/3 innings. Last year, Iwakuma started just 17 games, going 6-7 with a 2.42 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 119 innings.

The arm troubles that he had last year have sent up warning flags for some fans, but we have to believe that someone in the front office was paying attention to him pitching over the last few years. Hopefully he isn’t someone that will get injured again, but if he can return to form, Iwakuma could really eat up innings during his starts. Getting a starting pitcher that can go deep into ballgames isn’t as easy as it seems, and it will allow the bullpen to stay fresh.

The other item that people don’t talk much about is how the Oakland Athletics tried to sign him and failed last year after putting up $19.1 million in a bid. There is a small part of me that would love the Mariners to swoop in and sign him only to out-do the Athletics in the process. If the team cannot find the right offensive pieces to get brought in and Prince Fielder doesn’t want to take the deal on the table, then it makes a lot of sense to try to improve the starting rotation. It’s good that the Mariners are making an active move to supplement the No. 4 or No. 5 slot in the rotation and hopefully if Iwakuma signs with the team he finds a lot of success in 2012 and beyond.

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*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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The Seattle Mariners could have a very impressive bullpen for the 2012 season. With the return of key components and the signing of free agent pitcher George Sherrill, I feel that the Mariners could have one of the best bullpens in baseball.

I wrote in mid-December about the acquisition of Sherrill, noting that he is the perfect situational lefty for the bullpen to have. If he can put up numbers like he did in 2007 (2.36 ERA and 0.99 WHIP) Sherrill will add a lot to the depth of the Mariners roster. Sherrill is also a steal at the $1.1 million salary he is getting for 2012.

All-Star closer Brandon League is also back, with the chance to improve upon his 2.79 ERA and 37 saves from 2011. Currently, his set-up guys are Shawn Kelley, Tom Wilhelmsen and Chance Ruffin, with Charlie Furbush likely to become a long reliever out of the bullpen. The Mariners also selected reliever Lucas Leutge in the Rule 5 Draft to possibly add even more depth.

Kelley returned from injury to pitch 12 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball in September, allowing just 7 hits and striking out 10 batters. He is a great guy to have in the bullpen again this year, and will definitely get the chance to show what he can do. Wilhelmsen got a taste of Major League Baseball as well, pitching 32 2/3 innings for the Mariners and posting a nice 3.31 ERA and 1.16 WHIP.

Ruffin is the most interesting of the returning relievers because his potential has only just started getting tped. He came over as part of the Doug Fister trade with the Detroit Tigers and saw a little bit of action down the stretch. The 23-year-old saw 14 innings, posting a 3.86 ERA and 15 strikeouts over that span. He was a bit wild at times, walking 9 batters to post a WHIP of 1.57. Ruffin is a potential future closer for the Mariners and will likely get the chance in Spring Training to become the main set-up pitcher for League.

If the Mariners keep this bullpen intact and hold on to League for the 2012 season, it has the makings of a great one. With the exception of Furbush, who still needs to figure a few things out and Leutge, whom I haven’t seen pitch yet, I would trust any of these other guys in the ninth inning. If the Mariners can just figure things out on offense, the combination of a good staff of starting pitchers and relievers could take this team a long ways.

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*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!

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

SEATTLE —

The Seattle Mariners have signed left-handed reliever George Sherrill to a one-year contract.

The Mariners announced the move Friday.

Sherrill peared in 51 games with the Atlanta Braves last season and was 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA. He has limited lefty hitters to just a .180 batting average over the span of his eight-year career.

Sherrill was on the 15-day disabled list from Aug. 31 through the end of the season with inflammation in his left elbow.

By Danny Kelly

– Associate Editor

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Dec 30, 2011 – Jack Zduriencik, Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations, announced this afternoon that the Mariners have signed free-agent left-handed pitcher George Sherrill to a one year deal. Sherrill, 34, will contribute as left-handed help in the bullpen for the Mariners after posting a 3-1 record with a 3.00 ERA in 31 pearances for the Atlanta Braves last season. He struck out 38 and walked 12.

His obvious role is to deal with opposing left hand hitters – in his pearances last season, he struck out 32 and only walked one against lefties, and has held them to a .180 batting average with a .515 OPS in 550 career at-bats.

Sherrill began his big-league career with the Mariners in 2004, and has since spent time with the Orioles, Braves, and Dogders. He was an All-Star as Baltimore’s closer in 2008. Jack Z had this to say on the signing:

“It’s nice to bring a guy back home, as it were, but more than anything, he fit what we were looking for. He’s a veteran guy who can get left-handers out. He’s excited about his return, but this is more about what he can help us do with winning games. He’s a veteran who is well thought of as person and competitor.”

With the signing, the Mariners 40-man roster is now at 38 players.

Read More: George Sherrill (P – SEA), Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves

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When the 2016 Hall of Fame class gets announced by the Baseball Hall of Fame, former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. deserves a place on every ballot. Griffey is the type of stand-alone player that stands out from the dust-cloud that the steroid era has caused; embodying what is good about the game. He lost a lot of time due to injury over his ill ustrious career, but still has statistics that rank among the best of all time.

Over his 22-year career, Griffey spent 13 seasons with the Mariners, nine seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and past of one with the Chicago White Sox. He was a 13-time All-Star, the 1997 American League MVP and a 10-time Gold Glove winner. Griffey also won seven Silver Slugger Awards and got named the 1992 All-Star Game MVP.

Griffey finished his career with a .284 batting average, 630 home runs, 1,836 RBIs, 184 stolen bases, 524 doubles and 2,781 hits. He finished with a .907 career OPS and was also intentionally walked 246 times. He led the league in home runs four times, posting his best numbers in 1997 when he had 56 home runs, 147 RBI, 393 total bases and 125 runs scored. All of those stats led the A.L. for the season.

During his time with the Mariners and White Sox, Griffey played in 18 postseason games. Over that time he had a .290 combined batting average, but it was the 1995 ALDS against the New York Yankees where he really made his mark. In the five-game series, Griffey hit .391 with 5 home runs, 9 runs and an OPS of 1.488. Those numbers are some of the best that any player has put up in any ALDS .

On the career home run list, Griffey is behind only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714) and Willie Mays (660). Alex Rodriguez will pass him in the 2012 season, and it’s also possible that Jim Thome (he has 604) could catch him as well. Still, his place on that list is extremely remarkable for how he did it without the steroids that probably helped Bonds and Rodriguez.

Just watching Griffey play in The Kingdome was a treat that every baseball fan should have had and the way he majestically covered center field was something to marvel about. Outside of all the numbers though, was how he carried himself and simply had fun playing the game. He always kept a smile on his face, even while dealing with a series of injuries, and it was always infectious to teammates and fans alike.

When the Baseball Writers of America get a chance to vote on Griffey, there is no excuse why he should get left off the first ballot. He deserves immediate entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame and a place forever in bronze at Cooperstown.

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*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!

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.