The Seattle Mariners signed Japanese catcher Kenji Jojima, 29, to
a three-year deal valued at $16.5 million.
Thus ends a courtship in which Jojima spurned the Mets, refusing even to meet with GM Omar Minaya.
This is huge. Baseball Prospectus has done a lot of credible work with translating Japanese statistics, and, even with adjusting for Safeco Field's cavernous confines, it's projected by
some Mariner blogger friends of mine who have been associated with BP that Jojima will hit close to .300, with an on-base percentage of .340 and a slugging percentage up around .500.
In other words, he could have nearly the offensive impact that Ichiro had when he came to Seattle in 2001.
Combined with the re-signing of closer Eddie Guardado, the Mariners are now in a prime position to bag a premium free-agent pitcher. A.J. Burnett or Kevin Millwood, anyone?