SAN DIEGO — Catcher John Hicks is ready to play in the majors.
Hicks, who was added to the Seattle Mariners roster on Nov. 20, is ready to step into a big-league role, general manager Jack Zduriencik said, if an injury to starter Mike Zunino or backup Jesus Sucre creates an opening.
“Everybody likes John Hicks,” Zduriencik said. “I think everyone feels this guy, if you had to run him to the big leagues right now, he could be a big-league player.
“He’s very athletic. He’s very smart. He’s a nice receiver. He’s got some offensive ability. It’s a nice package. He’s got a very accurate arm, and a quick release.”
Hicks, 25, was a fourth-round pick in 2011 and split last season between Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma. He has a .288 average in four minor-league seasons with 26 homers and 181 RBI in 320 games.
Bullpen lefty
The Mariners want to add a lefty to their bullpen to fill the hole created when veteran Joe Beimel became a free agent.
“You’d really like to have more than one left-handed reliever (in addition to Charlie Furbush),” Zduriencik said. “I don’t think there’s any question about that. We do have some internal options.”
Zduriencik declined to comment on the club’s possible interest in re-signing Beimel, who was 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in 56 games in returning the big leagues for the first time since 2011.
Beimel, 37, missed 2012 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and spent all of 2013 at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta system. He is a veteran of 12 big-league seasons with seven clubs.
“Whether or not we sign a free-agent left-handed pitcher,” Zduriencik said, “would really depend on how things fall into place in the next week to 10 days and what else is still out there.”
Award for Jackson
Outfielder Alex Jackson, the Mariners’ top pick in last year’s draft, will receive his award Tuesday at the Winter Meetings as Baseball America’s high school player of the year.
Jackson, who turns 19 on Christmas, won the award as a catcher at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego. The Mariners converted him to an outfielder in order to shorten his timetable for reaching the big leagues.
The magazine also recently cited Jackson as the Mariners’ top prospect.
Morales wants big deal
First baseman/DH Kendrys Morales told The News Tribune late in the season that he hoped to land a multi-year deal once he again became a free agent after the season.
His agent, Scott Boras, is now trying to find just such a deal — “multiple years and substantial dollars” — according to an official with an American League club, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.
Morales, 31, batted just .218 last season with eight homers and 42 RBI in 98 games for the Twins and Mariners after sitting out more than two months because he couldn’t find a similar long-term deal last winter as a free agent.
One difference: Morales isn’t weighed down this year by a qualifying offer, which means any team that signs him won’t also be required to surrender a draft pick.
Gutierrez on hold
Outfielder Franklin Gutierrez isn’t completely off the Mariners’ radar — but it seems he’s getting close. He is only now starting to test his recovery from gastrointestinal problems by playing in winter ball.
Gutierrez, 31, played for the Mariners from 2009-13 but missed all of last season because of his illness. He is now a free agent.
“We’ll see,” Zduriencik said. “He missed the whole year. I don’t know where he’s at mentally or physically. He had planned on playing some portion of winter ball to kind of gauge where he was at.”
Gutierrez began his winter season Monday when he played center field for Caracas in 6-0 victory over Zulia in Venezuela. He had a homer, a sacrifice fly and a walk in three plate appearances.
Wills falls short
Former Mariners manager Maury Wills fell three votes short of reaching the Hall of Fame when the Golden Era (1947-72) Committee announced its results.
The 16-member committee failed to elect any of the 10 finalists. Election required 12 votes — 75 percent. Dick Allen and Tony Oliva each fell one vote short.
Jim Kaat finished behind Allen and Oliva with 10 votes. Minnie Minoso had eight, while five candidates received three votes or fewer: Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Bob Howsam, Billy Pierce and Luis Tiant.
Wills, now 82, played primarily for the Dodgers in a 14-year career from 1959-72. He was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1962 when he stole a then-record 104 bases.
The Golden Era Committee is one of three veterans committees. The Pre-Integration Committee (prior to 1947) will meet next year, and the Expansion Era Committee (post-1972) will meet in two years.
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