By Brady Henderson

A report from Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com says the Mariners are "serious" about outfielder Josh Hamilton, the biggest bat on the free-agent market.

"The team has discussed three-year deals with Hamilton in the range of $20 million to $25 million per season, major-league sources say," Rosenthal wrote Thursday, after baseball's winter meetings had wrapped up.

Another prominent national baseball writer, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, tweeted Thursday that the Mariners are "said to be 'real' players" for Hamilton.

This runs somewhat counter to what Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said last month when he suggested to reporters that the contract Hamilton is believed to be seeking might be too large a financial commitment for Seattle.

The Mariners reportedly met with Hamilton on Sunday.

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  Breadguy wrote...

  3 Years...

  December 6, 2012 4:32 pm

  And $25 million per year is not going to get this done. It only gets things started. Look for Hamilton to finally sign for 4 years, at least $23 million per year (maybe higher) with a 5th optional or vesting year. The M's will get this rolling, others will jump in and push the price higher. Let's just hope the M's win the bidding and let's hope Hamilton is serious about coming here and not using us like other players/agents have to get better deals elsewhere.

  510257

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  seattle sports fan 13 wrote...

  hamilton and bourn and swisher

  December 6, 2012 5:32 pm

  and this team wins the al west!

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  Rayvensdad wrote...

  seattle sports fan 13...

  December 6, 2012 7:21 pm

  then the alarm goes off and you wake up. Sorry chief, if we're lucky enough to land Hamilton, there's NO WAY we sing Bourn and Swisher as well. Getting Hamilton AND one of the other two would be shocking in itself, let alone all three.

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  messiah101 wrote...

  seattle fan

  December 7, 2012 11:29 am

  I'm trying to figure out why a high strikeout low power guy likes Bourn excites anyone.This guy has Figgans written all over him,Hamilton is likely another Sexon he will give us two years of production followed by steep decline during that time earning over $20,000,000 a year and having Seattle fans crying WHY???

  510414

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  Newton wrote...

  The Marijuana law should help Mariners fans. ALOT!!!!

  December 6, 2012 8:08 pm

  Look if you think the Mariners are going to be pathetic. Because they are built like a garbage can. Then Yes!! the new law will be awsome to Mariners Fans.

  510293

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  Dan1 wrote...

  No way we get any legit player

  December 6, 2012 8:21 pm

  at best we will get a few other burn outs. We always have a marque player like glass man Guti to grace the field for maybe 40 games or so.

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  fiddlepimp wrote...

  if Josh Hamilton becomes a Mariner

  December 6, 2012 10:51 pm

  I will quit smoking pot..........

  510315

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  seaboyd wrote...

  if Josh Hamilton becomes a Mariner

  December 9, 2012 8:45 am

  I will kiss every cow's butt in Texas!

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  Snout wrote...

  I tend to agree with the pessimism.

  December 7, 2012 10:27 am

  But I'd be happy with Bourn and Swisher or someone like Cody Ross. Yeah, Bourn is a slap and tickle stick but the M's need a lead off man. And Swisher or Ross would at least be an upgrade.

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  eleman09 wrote...

  Hamilton

  December 7, 2012 12:07 pm

  I'm pretty sure that if Hamilton were to sign here, he'd be the highest profile free agent hitter (still in his prime) to sign with the Mariners in the history of the franchise. At $20-25 million a year, however, he'd also be the riskiest free agent the M's have ever signed. The questions about his personal life are going to follow him everywhere he goes and the team that signs him are going to have to be prepared to handle that. Committing that much money to him, even if it's a fairly short-term deal, is just going to increase the scrutiny.

  A three year deal would be smart in the sense that, if it blows up in our face, we're not stuck with a mammoth contract for very long. The bigger problem could be what a contract of that size does to our ability to spend on other needs over the course of that contract. I guess that all depends on how much they had budgeted for the next few years beforehand. Or this could not happen at all. Who knows.

  510435

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  rkris1 wrote...

  Yeah, yeah, yeah...

  December 7, 2012 5:23 pm

  I'll believe it when I see it out of Lincoln and Armstrong. It would be a great acquisition, but I fear it's being used to placate the Seattle fanbase ("see!? we really really TRIED to get Josh Hamilton for you, but it just didn't work out. aw, shucks"). Here's hoping...but still not getting those hopes up too much.

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