Joel Pineiro’s days with the Seattle Mariners aren’t officially over, but the team took another step toward that on Tuesday.
The Mariners did not offer a contract to the right-handed pitcher, making him a free agent.
Pineiro, with the Seattle organization since they drafted him in the 12th round in 1997, can negotiate with any major league team, including the Mariners.
With the market so thin on experienced pitchers, chances are good Pineiro will draw interest elsewhere. If Pineiro’s time with the Mariners is over, only outfielder Ichiro Suzuki will remain from the 2001 team that won a record 116 games.
Indications have been strong for some time that Pineiro didn’t fit into the Mariners’ plans.
He began the 2006 season as a starter but, after allowing 12 hits, five walks and nine runs in just 32/3 innings in his 24th start on Aug. 15 at Oakland, manager Mike Hargrove pulled him from the rotation.
The Mariners, while not making a splash with their offseason signings, have all but filled their 2007 rotation. If the season started today, the rotation would consist of Jarrod Washburn, Felix Hernandez, Horatio Ramirez, Miguel Batista and either Cha Seung Baek, Jake Woods or Sean White.
Pineiro went 1-1 with a 4.81 earned run average in 15 relief appearances last season and has a career record of 58-55 and a 4.48 ERA. His best seasons were 2002 and 2003, when he went 14-7 and 16-11, respectively.
Pineiro made $6.3 million in 2006 in the final year of a three-year contract. He was eligible for arbitration this offseason, but the Mariners removed that possibility Tuesday by deciding not to offer a contract.
Spring schedule completed: The Mariners have filled the TBA portion of their spring training schedule and will play the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs in their final three exhibition games.
The M’s will face the Giants in San Francisco in a split-squad game at 7:15 p.m., March 29, then play the Cubs in Las Vegas at 7:15 p.m., March 30 and 1:05 p.m., March 31.
The home opener is Monday, April 3, at Safeco Field against the Oakland A’s.
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