Free agent outfielder Brad Wilkerson’s name has long been discussed around the Seattle Mariners’ offices as the best player available to replace Adam Jones in the event Jones is traded this offseason.
Jones still hadn’t been traded by Thursday, but the Mariners went ahead and signed Wilkerson to a one-year contract.
The question now is what this means to the Mariners-Orioles efforts to trade Jones, reliever George Sherrill and others for pitcher Erik Bedard. The company response is “nothing.”
As long as Jones is a Mariner, Wilkerson most likely will be a bench player who manager John McLaren can rotate in and out of the starting lineup in order to give the front-line players regular rest. Wilkerson can play first base and both corner outfield positions. If Jones is traded, then Wilkerson is the starter in right field. A few scouts have suggested he might be a better fit in left field, with Raul Ibanez moving to right, because there’s more room to cover in left and Wilkerson is a better athlete than Ibanez.
Wilkerson said all the right things this afternoon on a conference call with reporters, repeatedly saying he has a “great opportunity” with the Mariners but stopping short of saying he’s the starter.
“I feel like I’ll be battling for that (right field starting) spot in spring training,” he said. “I feel I will have a lot of at-bats out there in right field, and also at first base.”
Wilkerson said the lingering Mariners-Orioles trade talks had no effect on his signing, although he did say he’s been paying close attention to the twists and turns of the situation.
“I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been following it,” he said. “I’ve been following it quite a bit, actually. But there’s no guarantee (of a trade). There’s nothing to my knowledge that it’s going to happen. It’s nothingthat I’m going to worry about. I’m going to get myself prepared every time, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
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