Originally published Saturday, December 2, 2006 at 12:00 AM

Mariners look at free agent Thomson

The latest free-agent pitcher on the Mariners' radar comes far cheaper than some of the other options they have already missed out on. John Thomson won't command...

By Geoff Baker

Seattle Times staff reporter

Talk about the team in Mariners Forum

The latest free-agent pitcher on the Mariners' radar comes far cheaper than some of the other options they have already missed out on.

John Thomson won't command a potential $33 million worth of salary and incentives like Adam Eaton did, nor a $26 million posting fee as did Kei Igawa. The oft-injured former Atlanta Braves starter can likely be had for a one-year deal in the low seven-figure range, and the Mariners are pondering whether to do just that.

A source in Atlanta said the 33-year-old pitcher was visiting that city on Thursday night — he makes his offseason home in Louisiana — and talked of being close to a deal with the Mariners. As they would with any pitcher with a history of injuries, the Mariners will review Thomson's medical files before finalizing any deal.

Thomson won just six games and threw only 179 innings the previous two seasons because of injuries. He went just 2-7 with a 4.82 earned-run average for Atlanta last season after being sidelined almost the entire second half by shoulder trouble.

But Thomson won 13 games in 2003 and went 14-8 in 2004 before the injury woes kicked in. He would likely battle for a spot at the back of the rotation and at least serve as a cheap insurance policy should the Mariners get blanked in their search for mound help.

Thomson is a ground-ball specialist, a trait that would serve him well with Seattle's solid infield defense.

The Mariners did some housecleaning Friday, releasing 29-year-old minor-league pitcher Jorge Campillo after he had been designated for assignment a few days ago. Campillo spent most of last season in the minors recovering from Tommy John ligament-transplant surgery on his elbow.

He made one relief outing for the Mariners in September, and his only two other career appearances for them the previous year before undergoing surgery.

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com

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