Geoff Baker with money Zduriencik quotes on Erikkk's re-up.

Obviously, there is a chance, a good chance, that Bedard won't come back from injury; that's just stating the obvious. 

But we'll make you a deal.  SSI is where you'll go to discuss the UP scenario for Bedard.  Everyplace else is where you'll go for the DOWN scenario.  When you feel angry about Bedard, you've got hangouts for that.  When you're in the mood for jellybeans and chipmunks eating out of your hand, you can come here. 

How's that fer square.

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[Zduriencik] on Bedard: "It gives us an opportunity, as well as him an opportunity where it can be win-win for both sides. Obviously, Erik has been injured the last few years.

Translation:  We get our shot at a bargain ace.  And Erik might, conceivably, add another barrel full of money to his Swiss account.  We're not counting our chickens.

SSI kibitz:  Supposing I handed you a Lotto ticket with a 1/4 chance at $500,000?  Would you take the ticket out of my hand?  Or would you go, "Nah, I tried two of those already and neither hit.

You might say it's impossible for a pitcher so dinged-up to get healthy.  You might say it, but you'd be mistaken. 

Chris Carpenter was completely out of baseball* for 30 months, between October 2006 and April 2009, and Carpenter was also out of baseball for the 19 months between August 2002 and April 2004.

There are any number of pitchers who have spent long stretches injured, and yet come back to star.

Myself?  I'll continue to take solace in the fact that the longer Bedard has rested, the more-healed his tissues will be.

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Erik Bedard is sticking around, signing a one-year, non-guaranteed deal. Bedard has to make the team out of spring training for the contract to kick-in and the incentives to start piling up.

Zduriencik:  "With the time and investment this organization has put into Erik, we're pleased to see that Erik felt that he wanted to come back here. And that he felt he owed this city, he owed the organization something.''

Bedard is going to be ready to start spring training. He'll compete for a rotation job.

Simply amazing, to me, that Bedard would agree to this.

The Mariners have invested two years' worth of sweet-talk here.  They've let Bedard sit in the dugout with the team, eat from the same buffet table, yap at the clubbies to bring him seltzers.  Bedard has lived the kingly life of a major leaguer for two years.

And now Bedard is, manfully, returning the favor.  Hey, you wash my back, I'll wash yours.  Fair is fair, and the Mariners will reap the benefits once I'm back.

What drops my jaw is that Bedard will even take the non-guaranteed deal.  That, friends, is going the extra mile.  Take it into consideration as you decide whether to root for the guy, personally.

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LeBron just spent a night in Cleveland, getting boo'ed every time he touched the ball.  He's apparently going to be ARod'ed the rest of his career there.

Debate it as you like, whether a player should be, or even can be, loyal to his org.  But Erik Bedard obviously is doing exactly that, and Jack Zduriencik has stated as much.

Zduriencik obviously expected Bedard to return loyalty.  Fine.  The fact is, that he did.

And if Bedard comes back to deliver 175 innings as the AL's best starting pitcher, that will be another thunderous achievement on Zduriencik's resume.  A lot of time and forethought went into this announcment.

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