Mariners Align With Japanese Team

The Seattle Mariners had to work around soggy field conditions once more Wednesday - no fielding drills for a second consecutive day - and signed a working agreement with a Japanese baseball team, the Orix Blue Wave.

Medical update

Outfielder Jay Buhner is receiving ultrasound treatments on a still-tender shoulder originally injured in postseason play last October when he dove for a ball.

The shoulder remains tender, but the injury isn’t considered serious, and hasn’t hampered his early workouts.

On tap today

The Mariners will begin their first full-squad workouts today with a meeting in which manager Lou Piniella will address the team for the first time since last October. His message? “It’ll be simple. I’m going to tell them we have a little unfinished business to take care of.”

Notes

The working agreement Seattle signed with the Blue Wave will trigger improved scouting reports from Japan on players there, an exchange of coaches and an exhibition game in the United States - probably next spring. It also will allow the Mariners to sell players to Orix, and the first player to go is most likely pitcher Edwin Hurtado. Hurtado is close to agreeing to a one-year deal to pitch in Japan, and the Mariners would get a finder’s fee for the transaction. Six other teams have similar agreements with Japanese teams… . Rookie Shane Monahan is sporting a new tattoo on his shoulder - a family crest, copied by the tattoo artist from a key chain. Monahan was worried about his father’s reaction but shouldn’t have been. “He told me he has the crest on his back and has since his days playing junior hockey,” Monahan said. “I just never saw it.” … With a switch-hitting first baseman, what will the Mariners do in National League parks this season with designated hitter Edgar Martinez? Probably use him as a pinch-hitter. Edgar’s days in the field may be at an end - he pulled a muscle in his rib cage last year in San Francisco while stretching for a throw at first base. “Edgar isn’t going to play every game,” Piniella said. “He may get his rest in N.L. parks.” … Groundskeepers worked all morning trying to drain and dry the playing fields but have warned the team that the next rain - predicted for today - could set the efforts back more than 48 hours. There’s been so much rain in the past six weeks that the field no longer drains quickly.