Jarrod Washburn told ESPN Seattle's Mike Salk, via text message, that to his knowledge there have been no recent conversations with the Mariners. Seattle's rotation has some question marks, with the most recent bump in the road being an abdominal strain to newly-acquired Cliff Lee.
Lee will be re-evaluated on Friday, and Salk speculates that if the injury proves to be more serious than initially thought, the Mariners may then reach out to replacements. As it is, Washburn would likely take about a month to get himself into decent game shape, so he wouldn't be available for immediate help anyway.
Washburn, 35, has had a peculiar offseason. He initially stated that he'd prefer to pitch close to his home in Wisconsin, but reportedly turned down a one-year, $5MM offer from the Twins and watched as the Brewers signed Randy Wolf and Doug Davis. ESPN's Buster Olney revealed that Washburn also turned down $5MM from Milwaukee. Since then, Washburn's stated that he's simply waiting for the right offer, but would also be happy to retire.
