The two sides have talked twice in recent weeks, but negotiations are still in the preliminary stage.
It's interesting keeping track of former Brewers, but it's also interesting exploring the foibles of other teams:
"My talks with the Mariners have been preliminary," Ohka's agent, Jim Masteralexis, said via email Monday. "The Mariners stated that they liked Tomo and that he was a pitcher that they were considering."
The 30-year-old free agent is not at the top of the class of available starters, but with a 48-58 career record, he might serve as a fourth starter behind Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn and any elite pitcher the Mariners might sign.
Haha sure, that sounds great. There's tons of those available! That part of the Mariners' plan sounds about as well constructed as part two of the Underpants Gnomes' plot. I love the phrasing too, "any" elite pitcher the Mariners "might" sign; that makes them sound like a character in an RPG, wandering around looking for better weapons and armor. I can just see Bill Bavasi opening a chest and finding Barry Zito curled in the fetal position inside: You Have Found An Elite Pitcher!