Former Brewers 2B Rickie Weeks signs with Mariners

Finally, officially, we can say that Rickie Weeks will no longer be a Milwaukee Brewer. After spending the first 11 years of his professional career with the Brewers, Weeks has signed as a free agent with the Seattle Mariners on a one-year deal pending a physical according to Jim Bowden.

Seattle will pay Weeks $2 million as a base salary with an additional $2 million in possible incentives. Interestingly enough, after vehemently refusing to attempt another position with the Brewers, Bowden notes Weeks is a "LF/RF/2B". That indicates that Weeks is at least now open to trying other spots on the diamond to maximize his playing time. Of course, with spring training just a week away, it's possible Weeks' hand was also forced if he hoped to sign a major league deal.

With Weeks taking on more of a platoon role with the Brewers' last year along with Scooter Gennett, the Mariners make sense as a destination. The right-handed Weeks will be able to help balance a predominantly left-handed line-up while Seattle looks to make a playoff run.

This is the second consecutive off-season where the Mariners have picked up a former Brewer seemingly on the downside of their career. Last year, Seattle picked up Corey Hart. That move didn't work out so well as the outfielder played just 68 games and hit .203/.271/.319. Current Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is, of course, the Brewers former director of scouting credited with drafting Weeks and Hart. It's a shame Hart didn't re-sign with the Mariners or I'd have hoped for them to take Prince Fielder's awful contract off the Rangers' hands and work out a trade with the Orioles for J.J. Hardy. You know, really get the gang back together.

Thus closes the book on Weeks' Brewers career. He was drafted and developed and expected to be a superstar. He never became that, and that seemed to disappoint a lot of fans. But he became a solidly above-average second baseman when healthy and had a couple years where he could have been considered one of the best at the position. In the end, it's hard to ask for much more than that.

I will admit, though: I had been hoping that the former Brewers' second baseman would sign with Colorado. Rockie Weeks.