Mariners’ Roster Trims Include Top Picks Cruz Jr., Varitek

Jose Cruz Jr. and Jason Varitek, Seattle’s top draft picks the past two seasons, were among 14 players cut as the Mariners made their first spring-training cuts on Saturday.

Cruz, 21, an outfielder and the third player chosen in the June 1995 draft, and the 23-year-old Varitek, a catcher and the 14th player picked in 1994, were reassigned to the club’s minor-league camp.

Optioned to Triple-A Tacoma were five players: infielders Desi Relaford and Arquimedez Pozo, and right-handers Scott Davison, Tim Harikkala and Derek Lowe.

Infielder Giomar Guevara was optioned to Double-A Port City (N.C).

Sent to the Mariners’ minor-league camp for reassignment along with Cruz and Varitek were left-handers Greg McCarthy and Trey Moore, right-handers Matt Wagner and Greg Wooten and outfielders Lee Heath and Shane Monahan.

The outfielders still here include Craig Griffey, younger brother of Ken Griffey Jr. Craig Griffey is a non-roster player bidding for a spot on the roster to play in the same outfield alongside his brother.

Piniella said he expected Cruz, an ex-Rice star and son of former majorleaguer Jose Cruz, to start the season at Class A Lancaster in the California League and Varitek, a former AllAmerica at Georgia Tech, to play again at Port City in the Southern League.

Mariners rally to beat Cubs

Darren Bragg hit a two-run infield single in the seventh inning - aided when pitcher Wade Walker argued a call at first base - to give Seattle a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Trailing 3-1, the Mariners scored four runs off Walker in the seventh. Bob Wells earned the win, allowing one hit in two scoreless innings.

Chicago’s Ryne Sandberg, coming off a 22-month retirement, went 0 for 3 and dropped to 2 for 20.

Anaheim wants Angels’ name

As the Walt Disney Co. and the city of Anaheim continue working on a stadium renovation agreement before Disney’s self-imposed March 17 deadline, it has been learned that changing the name of the California Angels franchise is one of the agreed-upon deal points. The city has proposed to pay $30 million of the expected $110 million it will take to convert Anaheim Stadium back into a baseball-only ballpark, a pre-condition of Disney buying the team from owners Gene and Jackie Autry. In return, the city wants the recognition and prestige of having the team named the Anaheim Angels.

Padres’ asymmetrical look

The San Diego Padres finalized plans for an auxiliary scoreboard that will hang on the right-field wall, making the Jack Murphy Stadium outfield asymmetrical for the first time in the team’s 28-year history and giving the multipurpose stadium a touch of the quirkiness found in more traditional ballparks.