From MLBTR:"Catcher Kenji Johjima has opted out of the final two years of his contract, according to a press release from the Mariners. He'll resume his career back in Japan. The Mariners are apparently freed from the $16MM they'd have owed Johjima over 2010-11.Johjima originally signed with the Mariners as a free agent; he agreed to a three-year, $16.5MM deal in November of 2005. His success in '06 and '07 made that entire contract worthwhile, but Johjima's April '08 three-year extension for $24MM was widely panned."There's no way else to put this: this decision by Johjima is a gift for the Mariners. Sure Johjima was a solid player for the Mariners a few years back, but at this stage in his career, he was not productive enough at the dish to be considered a starting catcher, let alone an $8 million dollar a year player.So now comes the big question, what will the Mariners do with their additional funds? They already have close to $50 million coming off the books (before arbitrat...
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