SEATTLE — Utility player Willie Bloomquist officially signed a two-year contract with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, bringing him back to the place where he started his major-league career.
The deal was agreed to earlier this week and became official after Bloomquist passed his physical. Bloomquist said a combination of the offer Seattle made and a chance to return to the Pacific Northwest made the decision simple.
“A lot of teams had interest and I had couple of offers on the table and was looking to better my position. When I heard Seattle had interest I was excited,” Bloomquist said.
Bloomquist spent the past three seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, appearing in 225 games and hitting .289 with 36 doubles and 63 RBIs over that time. Last season with Arizona, he appeared in 48 games and had 139 at-bats.
The 36-year-old Bloomquist spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Mariners. His high point came in 2006 when Bloomquist appeared in 102 games for Seattle, hitting .247, with one home run and 15 RBI. He spent the 2009-10 seasons with Kansas City and Cincinnati before joining the Diamondbacks.
Bloomquist said getting a two-year deal was important.
“It gives me security, which goes without saying, but it allows me to know that it’s not going to be a flash in the pan, here one year, gone the next,” Bloomquist said.
He said that based on his conversations with Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik, he’s expecting some big moves by the Marines this offseason.
“In talking with Jack, he has some things up his sleeve that are going to make us a better team,” Bloomquist said.
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