For a quick Jarrod Washburn update, here's a blog by columnist Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

But when I noted to Zduriencik that his club is minus-43 this year in run differential and no club has ever made the playoffs with a mark that bad (the worst was minus-42 by the 2005 Padres), Zduriencik said, "we are on the outside looking in and it would take extraordinary things to happen." In fact, the longer we talked, the more it felt to me like Zduriencik was willing to move Jarrod Washburn before tomorrow's 4 p.m. deadline.

Caught up with newest Mariners recruit Jack Wilson a few moments ago. I asked Wilson about some of those comments that he'd be open to re-signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the off-season if Seattle doesn't re-up him. Also about his future and whether he'd consider a long-term deal in lieu of his $8.4 million option for 2010.

"I think, for me, I've got to perform here first and foremost,'' he said. "Whenever a team gives up a bunch of players for you, they have a plan. You want to come over here and play well, so that's what important. If you play well enough and the team wants to keep you, then you open those doors. But you don't really look at that stuff until the end of the year.''

As for the more "bread and butter'' stuff, like getting used to second baseman Jose Lopez in turning the double-play, he's preparing to go out and work with him on it right now.

"It's just repetition,'' he said. "We'll go out there in BP and do a bunch of stuff together. And I'll ask him the questions about what he likes. For me, as a shortstop, it's easy. The double-play is in front of me, so I can adjust to whatever he wants. And whatever ball he wants to give. It's more me feeling him out than him feeling me out.''

By the way, for all the talk about whether to "blow the 2008 team up" or not, anyone checked out the lineup lately?

The only two guys in there tonight who started off the 2008 season are Ichiro and Jose Lopez. Adrian Beltre will make three when he returns. But that's it, that's all. On the backups side, Kenji Johjima is still there. But wow, that's some turnover. Happened slowly and with subtlety, but it's there now.

RF Ichiro
CF Gutierrez
2B Lopez
DH Sweeney
1B Shelton
3B Hannahan
SS Wilson
C Johnson
LF Saunders

LHP Olson