UPDATE 4:07 P.M.: The union just released the list of players that filed for free agency today. Erik Bedard, Endy Chavez and Miguel Batista were among the 39 players to do so, joining Adrian Beltre and Mike Sweeney from yesterday. So far, 118 players have filed. The only eligible Mariners not to file are Ken Griffey Jr. and Russ Branyan -- not coincidentally, the two Mariners most likely to re-sign before hitting the open market.

Buster Olney of ESPN wrote recently of the likelihood that the free-agent market this winter will be flooded in December with "non-tenders"; that is to say, arbitration-eligible players deemed too expensive by their team will not be offered, or "tendered", contracts, thus making them free agents.

The date for teams to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players is Dec. 12 -- two days after the winter meetings conclude in Indianapolis. That timing could potentially put a damper on free-agent signings or trading at the meetings, because of the possibility that a new group of players will soon be available for perusal. Olney listed Garret Atkins of Colorado and Bobby Jenks of the White Sox as examples of established players that might be in line to make so much in arbitration that they are simply non-tendered by their team.

Buster also suggested that 1) those non-tender candidates will be offered for trade by their teams (thus making it possible that the winter meetings, rather than being stalled by this trend, will actually be energized). This has already begun to come true, as Mark Teahen, J.J. Hardy, Carlos Gomez and Jeremy Hermida have already been dealt in the last week or so. All were non-tender candidates.

And 2) he predicted that agents with arbitration-eligible players "will be more open to negotiating contracts in November and early December rather than seeing their players dumped out into a free-agent market that might have as many as 300 veterans.

The Mariners, however, don't appear to have too much to worry about when it comes to non-tenders.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy has long been linked to the Mariners as a possible trade target, but it's not going to happen. The Twins nabbed him today, sending outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Brewers. Gomez was one of the key players the Twins acquired from the Mets in the Johan Santana trade. His acquisition by the Brewers ensures that Mike Cameron, a free agent, won't be pursued by Milwaukee. If the Mariners want a great clubhouse guy who connected with Ichiro and still plays good defense, Cammy is the man.

Here's an update on the Tim Lincecum situation.

Yes, the Mariners are talking extension with Jack Wilson. I talked to Wilson's agent yesterday, and he told me pretty much the same thing (minus the contract figures), but indicated that progress was slow. Still, I expect this to get done -- particularly with Hardy off the market.

Also, Tim Belcher, who was part of the Mariners' miracle comeback in 1995 with 10 victories, was hired as Cleveland's pitching coach.

Another ex-Mariner, Clint Hurdle, was hired as Rangers' hitting coach. You dont' remember Hurdle with Seattle? That's because he was released at the end of spring training in 1983 and never played a game for them.

Here's a real interesting one: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports that the Mark Teahen trade to the White Sox, widely reported yesterday, is not a done deal. The Royals were to have received Josh Fields and Chris Getz, but GM Dayton Moore says those reports were premature. UPDATE: The deal has been finalized. Here's the KC Star take.

The Diamondbacks picked up the option on former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb, and will pay him $8.5 million next year.

The Phillies have picked up the $9 million option on Cliff Lee -- the biggest no-brainer in the history of the world, to quote a radio commercial that seared its way into my brain.

Jermaine Dye will be a free agent: the White Sox have bought out his 2010 option for $950,000.

The Phillies won't make a play to retain pitcher Brett Myers.

Angels GM Tony Reagins is getting a deserved extension.

Adrian Beltre and Mike Sweeney were among the 79 players that didn't waste any time and filed for free agency today on the first day they could do so. The Mariners still have exclusive negotiating rights with them until Nov. 20.

Ken Griffey Jr., Endy Chavez, Miguel Batista, Russ Branyan and Erik Bedard haven't filed yet, but they have two weeks to do so.

Also, the Mets have told J.J. Putz that they aren't picking up his $8.6 million option for 2010. Instead, they are buying him out for $1 million, making him a free agent.

And Tim Lincecum is in a bit of trouble involving pot.

Here, after the jump, is the complete list of players that filed today, as provided by the Major League Baseball Players Association:

Update 1:50 p.m.: Cross one name off the free-agent list: Bobby Abreu has re-signed with the Angels, a two-year deal worth $19 million according to Ed Price of AOL and others. Last year, Abreu was one of the last free agents to sign and really took a bath, his salary dropping from $16 million in 2008 to $5 million in 2009. Obviously, he wasn't going to wait around this year. To his credit, Abreu didn't complain; he just went out and had a great year, and now has cashed in.

Starting today, and for the next 15 days, eligible players can begin filing for free agency (including the two guys to the left, Hideki Matsui and Pedro Martinez). These 15 days are the last chance for teams to have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents, because on Nov. 20, they become free agents -- free to sign with any team.

Here is the official list of 183 potential free agents, released today by the Major League Baseball Players Association. The ones with stars have team or player options that can be exercised. The Mariners have seven potential free agents (Miguel Batista, Erik Bedard, Adrian Beltre, Russ Branyan, Endy Chavez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney, plus Jack Wilson with a 2010 team option for $8.4 million, with a $600,000 buyout.)

Any names catch your fancy?

According to numerous outlets, right-handed pitcher Yusmeiro Petit has been claimed off waivers by the Mariners. (The Mariners have confirmed this pickup with a press release Thursday morning).

Not an earth-shattering move, but just another piece of pitching inventory being stockpiled by Jack Zduriencik. As the Arizona Republic story points out, Petit has allowed 1.96 home runs per nine innings, tied for the worst rate in major league history. Maybe Safeco Field will help with his longball problem. Or not.

Lookout Landing and USS Mariner both weighed in on Petit, concluding, essentially, that it was a gamble worth taking, but don't expect too much.

Here are his stats, and here he is in action. Here's his yearbook photo. OK, it's not really his yearbook photo. Petit is a Venezuelan who will be 25 later this month, originally signed by the Mets, with stints in the Florida and Arizona organizations. The Mets sent him to the Marlins in the Carlos Delgado trade in 2005, and two years later the Marlins dealt him to the Diamondbacks for Jorge Julio (Jorge Julio. Now there's someone that just fell off the face of the earth; one day I'm going to do a post on players that simply disappear from sight. They don't retire; it's just that one day, no one wants them any more, and poof, they're gone. Kind of like Richie Sexson).

Oh, and congratulations to the New York Yankees, those gritty over-achievers who overcame their franchise's lack of resources to win it all. And special kudos to Hideki Matsui, who had a great week Wednesday..

Game 6 lineups

Phillies

Jimmy Rollins SS
Shane Victorino CF
Chase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
Jayson Werth RF
Raul Ibanez DH
Pedro Feliz 3B
Ben Francisco LF
Carlos Ruiz C

Pedro Martinez RHP

Yankees

Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner CF

Andy Pettitte LHP

It's a great pitching matchup (but not as great as it would have been in, say, 1998). The two first basemen are really under the gun: Mark Teixeira is hitting .172 in the postseason with 16 strikeouts in 58 at-bats; he's at .105 (2-for-19) in the World Series and made the last out in Game 5, striking out with the tying run aboard. The native are getting restless; Ryan Howard is at 3-for-19 with 12 strikeouts in the World Series after being MVP of the NLCS.

Chase Utley and A-Rod, on the other hand, are on fire. I sense a Game 7 is in store, and I'm wondering if Charlie Manuel would even consider pitching Cliff Lee on two day's rest.

Enjoy the game, everyone.

Listening to sports radio this week, it's deja vu all over again.

"The GM is an idiot and must be fired!" "The head coach is losing control of his team!" "The players are under-achieving!" "The locker room is in turmoil!" "The future is bleak!" "The sky is falling!"

It sounds an awful lot to me like the talk that surrounded the Mariners in their darkest days of 2008, and the miserable years that preceded it. They were locked in a death spiral where, in the public's view, they could do no right. Even moves that made sense were viewed with suspicion, because fans had lost complete faith in the management.

There's a chance that the next two games (and I'm hoping there will be two; there's absolutely nothing better than a World Series Game 7) will produce an indelible moment of glory for a member of the Phillies or Yankees. Someone is poised to be the next Bill Mazeroski or Joe Carter or Edgar Renteria. OK, I should have stopped at Carter.

In that spirit, I thought I'd rank the top 10 post-season moments I have witnessed -- and one huge one that I missed, to my ever-lasting regret and embarrassment.

Here's the list -- and note that I was not in Seattle in 1995 during all that madness; I was covering the National League playoffs that year:

1. The Jack Morris-John Smoltz Game 7 duel, Twins vs. Braves, 1991 World Series. First of all, it had been a tremendous World Series up to that point, and the tension in Game 7 was almost unbearable. Think of it -- a scoreless tie through nine innings! And with numerous thwarted scoring opportunities by both teams.The Twins finally pulled it out in the 10th on an RBI single by Gene Larkin -- a name that has been largely lost to posterity except for hard-core Twins' fans. Morris pitched the guttiest big game I've ever seen; he went all 10 innings, firing a seven-hitter. I just checked Baseball Reference, and Morris threw 126 pitches -- fewer than I would have guessed. Just an amazing game.