Jason Stark points out that last winter, the Yankees committed a total of $441M in free agent dollars ... compared to $176 million for every other American League team put together!

So it is by a wonderful alignment of the planets that these things came together:

1) The Yankees are the-winter-after, therefore unusually absent

2) The Mariners have $50m off the books and have their Big Cash Winter

3) Jack Zduriencik has his first established winter at the helm, and is eager to do a Chuck Knox Instant 2-12 to 12-2 Turnaround

............

Cyber-Seattle intones "$25M" as the amount that Seattle has to spend.  SABRMatt consistently calculates it at $35-40M.  Dr. D consistently reminds that:

1) The Mariners can spend whatever they want to spend;

2) Howard and Chuck have, at times, flexed the payroll, provided they personally buy in to what's going on;

3) Howard and Chuck spend based on their comfort level with the GM ("It's very easy to raise payroll when you know it's Pat Gillick who's going to be spending it," Howard said one time.)

...............

I hate to be a noodge, but an Adrian Beltre arb agreement would come at SO much the wrong time.  We consistently infer that the M's must have knowledge that arb isn't an option for Beltre.

.

=== Albert Pujols ===

... has two years remaining on his contract.

... After next year, 2010, will become a 10-and-5 player and the Cardinals won't be able to trade him.  They'll simply lose him for nothing.

... the Cards are trying to negotiate a hometown discount.

... Pujols is saying no way, Jose.

.................

I remember when Stoneman slipped in at the last second and shocked the stuffing out of everybody, including Angels fans, by signing Vlad Guerrero to a market* contract. 

Hey, the M's have an opening at first base :- )

The M's went to their owners and went wayyyyyyyyy over budget projections in their offers to local icons Junior and ARod. 

A back-loaded 10x $25m to Pujols might run you only $20m up front.   Figgins $9m, Harden $9m, Pujols $21m roughly pencils into SABRMatt's $35-40m.  I don't think they'd need a lot more FA spending any time soon....

They can have our top 10 prospects.  Fine by me.  I'll give 'em two more prospects than anybody else will.  Talk about yer Stars & Scrubs; when's the next time I'd need a young player?