Jack Zduriencik on Kenji Johjima departure

Just got off the Jack Zduriencik conference call to address Kenji Johjima's decision to opt out of the final two years of his Mariners' contract. It was fraught with technical difficulties, but here are some highlights: The Mariners are not paying any sort of buyout fee for Johjima to get out of his contract, Zduriencik said. He used the term "personal decision" by Johjima frequently to describe the situation. He would not discuss how, or whether, the Mariners would use the apparent $8 million savings for 2010 in the free-agent market. Read more...