UPDATE: (4/29 @ 11:22am EST) - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that the Mariners have called up top catching prospect Jeff Clement, who was tearing it up in the minors.  So, four days after extending their current catcher by 3 years, the M’s have decided to call up their top catching prospect, who will probably DH.  Either Seattle is trying to build up Clement’s value, or GM Bill Bavasi is just very confused.  I bet on the latter. 

UPDATE: (4/25 @ 10:52pm EST) - As per Geoff Baker at The Seattle Times, the 3-year deal is worth $24 million. I am a bit surprised at the price.  

Apr 25, 4:15pm (EST) - Seattle Mariners’ GM Bill Bavasi is set to extend catcher Kenji Johjima for three years. The new deal would run through the year 2011, and Johjima’s age-35 season. He is currently in the final season of his 3-year, $16.5 million deal. Johjima has been a productive catcher for the Mariners the last few seasons. Since signing with the team in 2006, Johjima has a line of .283/.323/.430. He has played in at least 135 games in each of his first two seasons. He has about 15 HR power-potential. He’s off to a slow start this season (hitting just .209 thus far, with 0 HR and 5 RBI).

This is an interesting call by Bavasi, as the M’s have youngster Jeff Clement in the minors. Clement, 24, was the 3rd overall selection in the 2005 draft. In 2005, Clement won the “Johnny Bench Award” as the nation’s top catcher. So far in 2008, Clement is hitting .375 for AAA Tacoma with 5 HR and 16 RBI. In 64 at-bats, he has an OBP of .500. Not too shabby! He was also listed as # 42 on Baseball America’s Top-100 prospects list. This makes the extending of Johjima a very peculiar move, to say the least.

Filed under: Seattle Mariners, _Polls