At Bat Today: Seattle Mariners News December 18, 2012

October 2, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Bourn (24) reacts at the batting cage before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

While no deals have been announced on the part of Seattle Mariners prospects, there’s been a bit of motion in the MLB over the last few days. The biggest news is still Hamilton signing with the Angels, though let’s hope we get news of Mariners team building strategies soon.

• In 2012, the 40-man roster payroll came in at $84.4 million dollars. This figure is 42% the roster payroll put out by the New York Yankees and 152% that of the payroll of the Oakland Athletics.
• Will Meyers was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays; Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn are still on the free-agent circuit.
• “King” Felix Hernandez still has yet to sign his contract extension, though for now, he is still under the Mariners team control.
• The offer the M’s did offer Josh Hamilton was outbid by $25 million – for a team on the end of smaller budgets, that was a pretty cruel hit.
• The Detroit Tigers have invested $80 million dollars Anibal Sanchez.  The deal will cover five years of team membership, and keep Sanchez in the Tigers’ uniform.
• Speculation abounds over whether John Jaso should be played more in the catcher position. He’s been doing a pretty good job of tearing up the baseball – what do you think?
• R.A. Dickey was traded to the Blue Jays.
• The M’s have received a lot of criticism for seeming to sit on their hands when it comes to some of these substantial trades. What are they waiting for when it comes to building a winning team for 2013?
• The Oakland A’s finalized their deal with the New York Mets, taking Hiroyuki Nakajima of their hands to take the places of Stephen Drew and Cliff Pennington
• Despite gaining Josh Hamilton, it appears that the Angels have a lineup problem.

So that about sums up the goings-ons of the M’s and relevant trades. What do you think about the time the Seattle team is taking when it comes to building their team?