I am told this is in no way of concern but certainly worthy of reporting. The Mariners have announced that Cliff Lee underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his left foot last Friday. He will have to stay off the foot for the next 7-10 days but should return to all normal baseball activity in the next 2-3 weeks.

Better to have him back to normal in 2-3 weeks than to have concerns that this could become a problem during the regular season.

"We decided Lee should have the surgery as soon as possible, rather than try to pitch with the discomfort during the year," Jack Zduriencik said. "To get it out of the way and have it behind us is important."

Pitchers and catchers report to Peoria Feb. 17.

Just checking in. Still have a few vacation days to go. Spent most of this week getting everything in order before I set out for spring training and the regular season. The reality is I spend about 140 days a year away from home and there is some serious organization that needs to happen before I leave for Peoria. I did take my suitcase over to the Safe today to be put on the equipment truck that leaves for Peoria tomorrow. We are almost there!

So Jim Street of MLB.com broke the story this morning that the Mariners were close to signing Erik Bedard to a 1 year contract. Been interesting listening to and reading the reaction throughout the day. The Mariners have been pretty consistent in saying that they would be monitoring Bedard throughout the off season and that there was interest assuming he could pitch sometime this year at a reasonable price.

This in my mind is a why not move. Not sure what else they are going to get at this price right now. Someone will have to be taken off the 40 man roster but one and a half million and a forty man casualty are more than likely worth the risk that he could be a significant addition at some point of the season.

There are of course no guarantees of what the Mariners will eventually get in Bedard once he is recovered. He is progressing on his throwing program which is good news. The bad news is many pitchers coming off shoulder surgery take a year to settle in. The first year back can be rough. The Mariners no doubt are aware of this but must like what they have seen in his rehab so far.

Is May a reasonable estimate? I think June is more realistic. He came off of last years surgery well and relatively quickly but this is a labrum tear and it is more serious. It also is a second shoulder surgery in two years.

When he is healthy what do we get? I have absolutely no idea. I didn't like what we saw the past two years. Bedard in two years with the Mariners made just 6 starts of 7 innings or more and 15 starts of 5 innings or less. What bothered me the most was you never knew what you would get start to start and more often than not he would require a lot of help from the pen. My question is though, was that the real Erik Bedard? Have we seen a truly healthy Bedard at any point in a Mariners uniform?

I asked him this last year and he insists he was healthy early on in 2008. I am not convinced he was 100% coming out of spring training. I have to take him at his word but even so, that is still just a handful of starts we saw before his shoulder started bothering him. So what is a completely healthy Erik Bedard? Again, I think it remains to be seen.

Innings shouldn't be an issue this year. If he slots in at number three once healthy chances are good the pen is going to be needing a little work after two days of Felix and Lee. It could work nicely. Eventually. What about April?

As it stands the Mariners are heading to spring training with two starting pitchers with significant track records. I feel good about Ryan Rowland-Smith and what we have seen from him in the second half of the past two seasons as a starter, but we have not seen a full season from him. We have seen exactly one April start from him.

Ian Snell has made 128 starts and that is significant you may argue but his name is not in the starting rotation in ink as of yet. Every time his name comes up it is followed by "he will compete for a spot in the rotation." He most likely will be in the starting rotation but there is a lot we do not know about him yet.

Where the Mariners will be looking at Snell, Fister, Olson, French, Vargas and others to sort out 4 and 5 the Angels will have have their starting five set from day one in Weaver, Kazmir, Saunders, Santana and Pineiro. I am not saying it is a better rotation but in those five they have a known quantity. They also have depth should they lose a starter.

All of this is not news to the Mariners. Several in the organization have said in the past couple of weeks that the rotation behind Felix and Lee is the biggest question heading into spring training. Others have said they would like to add a starting arm. Is Bedard it?

Two people from within the organization told me this weekend that they had two more moves left to make. Ryan Garko is move number one. Is Bedard number two? Are they done? While ears and eyes are always open in this organization they very well may be. Or not. Jarrod Washburn is still out there but that is looking less and less likely. One person close to Washburn told me this week that he is comfortable calling it a career if the Mariners do not make an offer.

So are they done? Maybe not. Carmen Fusco Director of Pro Scouting told us on the Hot Stove League Show Wednesday that he had scouts in two different locations looking at players this week. The question at this point of the game is pretty simple. Is there anything out there better than what you have?

Stay tuned...

This is going to be quick, have an event to be at but here's the quick rundown on the newest Mariner.

The club has signed Eric Byrnes to a one year contract. Byrnes had been recently released by the Arizona Diamondbacks with one year and 11 million dollars remaining (for which they are on the hook for most of) on his contract. According to Byrnes, the Mariners were one of the first teams to call him after the move was made. He was excited to take the call, liked what he heard but still wanted to check out what his options were.

"Once I talked to Jack I realized this was the right fit. I felt that this was the place that I can contribute, the team that I looked at that I felt has a great chance to win the AL West, potentially the ALCS or even the World Series. What Jack and Don have put together is impressive and I am excited to be a part of it."

Byrnes has had what he calls a "roller coaster ten year career." He fought for a permanent spot on the A's, was traded twice in 2005, granted free agency after that season and signed a big contract with the Diamondbacks in 2006, joined the 20 homerun and 50 steal club in 2007 then lost most of 2008-2009 to hamstring and hand injuries.

"The past two years were the two of the most difficult I have had to deal with," he said on the conference call. "2008 things were going great then all of a sudden I tore my hamstring. I actually had tweaked it in spring training but played through it which was stupid. I played through it so long I tore the other one."

Byrnes is known for his hard nosed all out style of play. While there were countless shots of him crashing into and over walls surprisingly he had never been on the DL before the hamstring tear. The all out max effort approach didn't work well while hurt.

"I had never been hurt before. It was disheartening because it was self imposed. I should have shut it down. That ended up biting me on the butt. I went on the DL and came back too soon and ended up tearing the hamstring off the bone."

He eventually recovered and got back out on the field in 2009. He told us he was running well, the hamstring was no longer an issue. Everything was looking up and then he broke his hand. It was back to the DL.

"Baseball parallels life a lot. I lost my passion for the game. When you are dealing with the media, the fans, your lack of production, all of that, baseball is no longer fun. When I came back and rehabbed in AAA, almost thirty games there, I really rediscovered my passion for baseball."

He insists because of where he has been and his history of having to fight for positions that his role here is not a worry. He would like to win regular playing time but also understands the role of a bench player if that is where he ends up. He says the injuries have not slowed him down and promises that Seattle will never see a lack of effort from him. He is thankful to Zduriencik for the opportunity to play here.

"He believed that I would contribute and that is all I needed to hear. I needed a team to believe in me half as much as I believed in myself."

It's almost time...

The Mariners held their annual pre spring training media lunch today at Safeco Field. Two hours of question/answer with members of the Mariners front office, Don Wakamatsu, Rob Johnson and Trainer Rick Griffin as well as a Fanfest update from Rebecca Hale. I will run down what jumped out at me starting with Fanfest.

Fanfest...Coming up this weekend at Safeco Field. Information available at www.mariners.com/fanfest Two things of note. Saturday the Mariners will be holding one of their "Mariners Care Garage Sales." These events which are held a few times throughout the season are pretty cool. Basically they clean out the closets and put some interesting items up for sale. Items will range from an Adrian Beltre game-used bat to an authentic jersey issued to bullpen catcher Brian Schweiger. The garage sale which can be found at Section 128 on the Main Concourse will benefit the Red Cross' relief efforts in Haiti. Volunteers for the Red Cross will also be at the gates of Safeco Field to collect donations to help the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti.

Item number 2 of note from Fanfest...We will be broadcasting a special Fanfest edition of the Hot Stove League Show Saturday from 12-2. Kevin Cremin has a jam packed show set up for us with players, coaches, and broadcasters all stopping by. We will be located at section 135. Stop by and say hello.

Running down my notes from the media event today...

Trainer Rick Griffin filled us in on the Mariners on the mend. Rob Johnson coming off three surgeries and will be held back a bit early on in spring training but expects to be a full go well before opening day. Ken Griffey Jr. who underwent knee surgery to remove a bone spur in October is "better than he was at any point of last season," according to Griffin. Sean White (shoulder) is throwing from 120 feet and expected to be ready to compete in spring training.

Erik Bedard and Endy Chavez are no longer Mariners but Griffin is still monitoring their rehab. Of Bedard Griffin said he feels good and is on a throwing program. He is 7 months out of a surgery that is expected to take 10-12 months to return from.

Endy is doing well and will soon head to New York to continue his rehab. He is running and practicing agility drills. Griffin believes he will soon start to take batting practice.

Griffin was followed by Carmen Fusco and Tom McNamara from Scouting. The Mariners lost their first round pick when they signed Chone Figgins so their first selection will be at position 43. Both talked about the move of Dustin Ackley to second base and it is apparent they will not rush him. Both spoke highly of their second pick shortstop Nick Franklin with Fusco going so far as to say, "Franklin is a special talent. I love this kid. The defense is there, he does interesting things and he is very confident."

Tony Blengino and Jeff Kingston from Baseball Operations spoke next. Blengino, who is a frequent guest on the Hot Stove League Show with his Stat of the Week segment was asked about how defense was being valued in throughout baseball at this point in time. He answered that it was apparent this off season defense had become a key factor in planning for a number of clubs.

If these other clubs along with the Mariners find success building around defense others will catch up. Blengino says the Mariners will be ready.

"I think we are still in the emergent phase. Heck if defense becomes fully valued at some point in the marketplace then something else will be undervalued. We will just try to stay one step ahead."

That might have been my favorite quote of the morning.

It was interesting to listen to Kingston who is the newest member of the front office. He came along at a good time. He was heavily involved in the Franklin Gutierrez and Felix Hernandez extensions because of his relationship with Scott Pucino the primary agent for both.

"At the end of the day," he started using a favorite Zduriencik phrase, "the trust we had in one and other and where each side was coming from and what they believed in really helped get that done."

Good work.

Moving on...Zduriencik was next and a few things jumped out at me. Looks like his message to the team in spring training is it is time for some guys to step up. He said this a couple of times then referred to Olson, Vargas, Snell and Fister in particular. He was not so much calling them out as he was looking for them to take the next step from what they learned last year and the time they were given at the big league level. Z said there are no worries about one and two in the rotation. Beyond that?

"We are looking for the players to accept the challenge. There is a goal here and the responsibility falls on each individual player to meet that criteria."

As for moves that could be made in the near future Z uncharacteristically pointed to a specific need.

"We would like to add a right handed bat somewhere, a DH, first base or outfield. We will continue to pursue that the next few days, or however long it takes."

I asked if he was looking for a bench bat or something closer to a full time player and he indicated they were looking for someone who could be in the lineup often, not necessarily at the same position. He also said it is possible that this addition may not be made until after spring training was underway. Regardless, this does appear to be the priority, perhaps more so than adding a starting pitcher. Stay tuned.

Wak was up next and from what he said it would appear that Ken Griffey Jr. if healthy is going to get a significant number of at bats.

"With his health a lot of people don't understand how bad his knee was last year. The good news is in talking to him throughout the winter he feels like he is in tremendous shape. He has lost some weight and that will take some pressure off the knee, and he feels that the surgery was a great success. In that we are looking for some production from him. The plan is a lot like last year. We will ease him into it. When he can play he is going to be in there."

Pitchers and catchers report in 21 days...

We are fortunate to live in an area where not too far from our doorsteps scientists are on the forefront of creating miracles. Sometimes I think we kind of take it for granted. It is just part of where we live. It deserves more thought. Make the effort. Sometime soon when you are driving south on I-5, perhaps on the way to a ballgame, right before the you see the giant indoor climbing rock at REI take a look at the understated orange brick and green glass complex on the right and think about what is going on inside those buildings.

At the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists and doctors are working around the clock to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. The center was founded by the doctor brother of baseball player/manager Fred Hutchinson who died of lung cancer at the age 45, just one year after his initial diagnoses. In honor of Fred Hutchinson the Hutch Award is presented every year to "the major league baseball player who exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire of Fred Hutchinson."

Some of the past award winners we are very familiar with as they are important names in the history of baseball. Mantle, Koufax, McCovey, Bench. Others we are familiar with because they were part of our community. Jamie Moyer, Mike Sweeney, John Lester, John Olerud. Others, like this years winner Mark Teahen, we are not as familiar with. He is not a household name but he shares a trophy with some of the biggest names in the game.

(photo by Dean Forbes/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.)

While given for acts already accomplished the Hutch Award also inspires. Teahen, like past winners spent the morning touring the Fred Hutchinson facilities where he had an opportunity to meet the doctors and scientists who are fighting to find a cure for cancer.

"It's overwhelming." Teahen said of receiving the award after touring the facilities. "It's awesome. It's inspiring to hear the things they are doing and how close they are to figuring certain things out."

Teahen learned probably more than he ever wanted to know about the disease this year as his mother battled breast cancer. His mother won that battle and traveled to Seattle to see her son accept the award today. Her battle gave him an even deeper appreciation for what the doctors and scientists are doing at the center.

"I was amazed at how down to earth the all the doctors were, and they are talking about potentially curing cancer!" he said incredulously. "They are making really huge advances. Personally it inspires me to want to go out and make as much as a difference that I can seeing what they are doing. I walked out there really inspired and full of hope from what they are doing at the research center."

A little inspiration can go a long way with Teahen. Early in his career he was given the opportunity to work with children who were physically challenged. He now is a spokesperson for the YMCA Challenger Baseball Program in Kansas City and recently raised $300,000 dollars to help build a first of it's kind facility where special needs children are able to play baseball alongside able bodied kids. Why Challenger Baseball?

"When I was a kid I took it for granted that there was always a team for me or friends I could go out and play with. These kids with special needs really need this Challenger Program to be able to play these sports, be on a team, make friends through getting out there and doing athletic activities."

It hit home for him when a mother of a child who participated in the program told him her son started screaming when he saw him talking about Challenger on TV.

"Hey, they are talking about my team!" the child yelled.

"It made it easy for me to want to do more when I saw what a big deal it was for them." Teahen said.

Teahen had an opportunity to visit with children at the Hutch School today. He saw a similarity at the school with what he is working with in Kansas City.

"It's kind of like this facility. A lot of families have one kid who is dealing with something and others who are able bodied so it is good to have this."

"With Challenger and the new facility," he continued, "the hope is that once other kids play right next some of these kids with special needs barriers can be broken. It takes away that question and leads to understanding. It's an idea of understanding."

The Kansas City Royals gave Teahen the opportunity to do some good in his community. What started out as a single day helping special needs kids with the rest of his team has turned into a year round commitment even though he has been traded to the White Sox. He took the initiative to do more.

Some athletes balk at being called role models. Teahen is comfortable with it because as a child he looked up to athletes.

"I know how a kid looks at a big league player. Now being on that platform I understand that kids are looking at me as a role model or a guide as maybe how to do some things in their life. I embrace that and I try to live my life in a way and give back as much as I can to where if a kid does look at me to motivate them to be a better person, hopefully I can be that."

To be clear, the Mariners have never announced what their budget is for the upcoming season nor have they committed to spend what they did last year. Since the details of the Felix Hernandez contract became public many have tried to figure out how much the Mariners have left to spend.

I asked Jack Zduriencik about reports that the the Mariners could have as much as 10 million dollars left to spend if they were looking to meet last years budget. Jack held to the company line that it is not in their best interest (and it really isn't) to make any kind of commitment publicly to what they have left financially. It didn't appear that he was too thrilled about the estimates that have been surfacing of late.

"There is no way anyone would know that. I don't care how you add the numbers together to speculate on how we determine payroll. Anything that is said out there is pure speculation and has absolutely nothing to do with anything of credence."

He went on to say that the intention is not to mislead the fans. And it isn't. I think we can all agree that you lose a lot of upper hand in a negotiation when the other side knows exactly what you have to spend. It is also not in their best interest to let their rivals know that figure either.

So what remains? From everything I have heard from the end of last season to today the budget will be less this year than last. One baseball source backed this up saying today that the Mariners most likely "have a little left, but not much."

Regardless of the figure I think Mariners fans can trust that it will be spent wisely.

It was quite a sight to see Felix Hernandez in his three piece suit sitting next to Jack Zduriencik with his #34 hanging on the wall behind him. The kid who had been talked about for so long before we ever saw him in Seattle, the same kid who's hat fell off with every pitch he threw in his spring training debut with the big club in Arizona was no longer chubby cheeked, youngster that we saw then. He wasn't the same kid who often pointed out in interviews that he was the baby of his family. He wasn't even the same kid who would proudly ask after his interviews two years ago "How's my English, good now?"

No. Felix Hernandez is a young man who knows what he wants. In the past week Felix received many text mails from his agents with years and dollars on them, each getting larger. A few days ago while working out at the gym a text with 5/78 came across. His eyes got large and he texted back "yes".

Felix wanted to stay in Seattle. He put a value on the relationships that had been built between the organization and his family and how much his family loved the city. His four year old daughter Mia, who has every bit of confidence and attitude that Felix has helped drive the point home.

"She tells me the other day," Felix recounted, "Daddy when are we going to Seattle? I tell her a couple weeks, and she kept saying, no I want to go to Seattle! I want to go to Seattle! I want to go to Seattle!"

There was speculation that Felix would hold out for the big numbers in free agency two years from now. Make no mistake, Felix has his eye on a prize in the future but signing the extension with the Mariners now was almost a no brainer for him.

"You don't know what happens in two years. Now I am secure, my family is secure, you cannot wait two years. I just want to play here in Seattle. It's a great city. I love to play here. I love the ballpark the fans. I cannot move anywhere."

Listen: Drayer one on one with Felix

While family may have had something to do with Felix deciding not to roll the dice on what could happen two years from now, family he says, is also what makes him who he is right now.

"I have been growing up a lot because I have two kids now. It makes me a better person, a better player. The support I get from my family is the most important thing."

Some players are in no rush to grow up. Felix has been the opposite of that. He has done a lot of growing the past four years. His eyes and ears have been open and luckily he was surrounded by a lot of people in his clubhouse who wanted to help him get to the place where he is today. I asked him who the biggest influences were and he said that everyone helped. Everyone was always telling him things. He singled out two who gave him an extra push along the way.

"Joel. I still remember when he was here. He sent me a text the other day and said 'I see you when you were a little kid and now I see you as a grown person, and I am so happy for you.' And Beltre he would always tell me things, be honest with me, right to the point."

I remember Joel in the clubhouse listening in on Felix's interviews and encouraging him to use his English. "Joel used to kick you in the butt a lot didn't he," I asked.

"Always," Felix said smiling. "Always. I remember the game where I was playing against San Francisco where we scored seven runs in the 7th inning. He grabbed me in the dugout and said pitch like the game is 1-1. Focus. I still remember that."

He has matured on the field and off the field. I had to smile when the press conference began and Felix addressed the media with a small speech he had prepared. He has come such a long way in the last four years.

"I was so nervous!" he admitted. Couldn't tell. I have said for years that despite his age Felix is a leader. Just watch one of his starts and how his teammates behind him play for him. I joked with him that with a five year deal we expect him to be not only the face of the franchise but the mouth as well.

He laughed and said, "No, no. We are family. We are 25 guys. We all have to do what we have to do."

Felix will head back to Venezuela tomorrow then to Arizona in a couple of weeks. He admitted during the press conference that he had thought about the extension every year in Spring Training. This year he says he will walk into that clubhouse with nothing but pitching on his mind. His family has the security he was looking for and he gets to stay in the city he wanted to. Welcome home Felix.

There will be a Felix post tomorrow, I promise. Now I interrupt my vacation to pass on word of what one former Mariner has been doing to help the situation in Haiti.

I asked Dave Valle to come on the Hot Stove League Show tonight to help paint the picture of what is going on in Haiti following the earthquake and what the needs there are. He has been there himself and has in the past few years expanded his Esperanza charity to include five offices there.

Because Esperanza had offices and staff in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti at the time of the disaster they have been able to mobilize quickly and effectively to bring help to the region. Esperanza is providing for basic needs as well as setting up a camp of 80-90 doctors who are seeing over 1000 patients a day. If you are able to make a donation please go to http://esperanza.org/

Dave can be heard talking about the current situation and the future of Haiti here on the podcast starting at the 8:15 mark. It is an eye opening account.

News out of Venezuela is the deal for Felix Hernandez is 5 years 78 million dollars with Francisco Blavia first with the numbers. Again, no confirmation from the team or the player but national reporters are also reporting the same terms.

Thoughts on 5/78? Good deal for the numbers that were being thrown out there by the national media prior to negotiations. Some went as far as to say he could be a 200 million dollar player should he take the risk and wait two years for free agency. Others said the Mariners would never be able afford to pay him what he would be asking for so with Boston and New York lurking they should trade him this off season.

The deal is less than the 6/100 that multiple sources have told me was the magic number for Felix's side. That number could have been an opening let's meet at a slightly lesser figure and what is great about this is, again if true, it shows both sides were willing to negotiate.

Jack Zduriencik favors win/win deals in every move he makes. This is one. Felix gets bigtime security at a remarkably young age while the Mariners do not have to empty the bank to do it. Felix gets to stay where he is most comfortable and the Mariners have five years to win a World Series with him. 78 million does not slam the door on a future contract for Cliff Lee or other players that can help the team win. Five years hardly slams the door on a monster free agent year for Felix. Unless he signs another extension he will hit the open market at age 28.

Interestingly enough Felix will not be the team's highest player. That distinction still belongs to Ichiro who signed a 5/90 million dollar deal in 2008. That deal includes deferrals of 5 million a year to be paid out after he retires.

When this deal is announced and the press conference is held both Jack Zduriencik and Felix's agent Alan Nero at some point will congratulate the other on the good work they put in to get this done. In this case, they really will have. Felix wanted to stay and the Mariners wanted to keep him. What got done (when this is official) says a lot about both sides.

ESPN's Keith Law is reporting Monday night that a source close to the negotiations tells him the Mariners and Felix Hernandez have agreed to a multi year deal. As of yet we do not have confirmation of this but Keith Law is not one to place loose with the sources.

If true this could be one of two things, the Mariners are on the verge of signing Felix to a long term deal or they are close to buying out his remaining two arbitration eligible years as they continue to work on a long term deal. The deadline for exchanging arbitration figures is tomorrow but the two sides can negotiate a one year deal up to the arbitration hearing which would come up in the next few weeks.

There was a report earlier this week that the two sides would most likely agree to a one year deal as they work towards the multi-year deal so a two year deal if true would be something new and something that does not make a ton of sense for the player.

Again, nothing official or confirmed but all indications are talks have heated up significantly with the arbitration date approaching.

Will keep you posted as we learn more.