Ichiro will be on Mariners’ roster in Japan, but what happens after that?
Ichiro Suzuki will be on the Seattle Mariners’ Opening Day roster for the 14th time in what will be his 19th MLB season. Add in his time in Japan and it’s his 28th season overall.
According to multiple reports, the Mariners and Ichiro agreed to a $750,000 minor league contract on Wednesday, putting him an almost lock for the team’s opening series in Tokyo against the Oakland Athletics March 20-21. The team will be allowed to expand its roster from 25 to 28 players for the trip.
Not surprising that Ichiro would be there. Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto put that to bed earlier this month during a press conference to announce the signing of Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.
“Ichiro will be on our team when we got to Tokyo,” he said. “He will be an active player.”
The Mariners will not announce spring training invitees until Thursday, so Ichiro’s signing has not yet been made official.
But the question isn’t whether Ichiro is playing in Japan.
It’s what do the Mariners do with their special assistant to the chairman after that?
Ichiro is 45 years old and far removed from his MVP, 10 All-Star appearances and 10 Gold Gloves that will assuredly get him into the National Baseball Hall of Fame alongside newest Mariners inductee Edgar Martinez whenever his time on the ballot finally comes.
The Mariners have little room for an outfielder far closer to age 50 than 25, which is about the age of players they have stocked up on this offseason as the team reloads to be able to contend in the near future. They also have an outfield that currently consists of Mitch Haniger, Mallex Smith, Domingo Santana and Jay Bruce, who will also likely get looks at designated hitter or first base.
In that sense, Ichiro’s place beyond his homecoming in Japan is a longshot. But ask him and he’d probably repeat what he said this past season when the Mariners transitioned him from player to front office member.
“When I start using a cane – that’s a time that I think I should retire,” Ichiro said through his interpreter.
And Ichiro wouldn’t still be with the Mariners if he didn’t think he still had opportunities to play.
“The one thing I’ve learned with Ichiro, his preparation and focus is the best I’ve seen in any player I’ve ever encountered,” Dipoto said at Kikuchi’s press conference. “I won’t put anything past him. Frankly, if he rolls out in Tokyo and gets seven hits in two games, there’s a good chance he’ll play a third game.
And say the Mariners trade 36-year-old Edwin Encarnacion, as they’ve been expected to in order to part with the $26.7 million owed to him in 2019. That would free space for Bruce to get more DH opportunities and maybe for Ichiro to get a look in the outfield.
And don’t forget about injuries, which is how wound up in the Opening Day lineup last year. The Mariners needed an outfielder because Ben Gamel was still recovering from a strained oblique suffered during spring training. It wasn’t until after he was ready to return that Ichiro’s season ended.
No matter what, Ichiro will be around, in uniform, with a clubhouse locker and in every postgame celebration just like last season. Dipoto called Ichiro the Dali Lama of the Mariners’ clubhouse because he’d sit down and immediately players would surround him, “like they’re waiting for him to opine from the mountain top.”
The question will be how long he does all of this as a member of the Mariners’ roster.
“We want Ichiro to be part of the Mariners in perpetuity,” Dipoto said. “If you talk to Ichi, he is so focused on this and he knows that he can still play. We can’t cross that bridge until we get to that bridge. Anything more than that will be predetermining an outcome.”
2019 NON-ROSTER INVITEES
Pitchers
RHP Jack Anderson
RHP Jorgan Cavanerio
RHP Nabil Crismatt
RHP Tyler Danish
RHP Justin Dunn
RHP Ryan Garton
RHP Robin Leyer
RHP David McKay
LHP Tommy Milone
RHP Tayler Scott
LHP Matt Tenuta
Catchers
Joe DeCarlo
Jose Lobaton
Dean Nevarez
Austin Nola
Cal Raleigh
Infielders
Dustin Ackley
Orlando Calixte
Tim Lopes
Evan White
Outfielders
Eric Filia
Jake Fraley
Kyle Lewis
Tito Polo
Ichiro Suzuki
Dom Thompson-Williams
Mariners schedule
Major League pitchers and catchers report/physicals: Monday, Feb. 11
Major League position players report/physicals: Friday, Feb.15
First Major League spring training game: Monday, Feb. 21 at Oakland
Mariners in Japan: Thursday, March 14-Thursday, March 21
Japan series (Oakland vs. Seattle): Wednesday, March 20-Thursday, March 21
FanFest: Saturday, March 23-Sunday, March 24
Exhibition games: Sunday, March 24-Monday, March 25 vs. San Diego
Mariners home opener: Thursday, March 28 vs. Boston
This story was originally published January 23, 2019 at 3:36 PM.
