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Heh!
I can see a scenario like Ben's.  We're all just reading the tea leaves here.  
... Iwakuma-san's remarks about the great city, and the Mariners sincerely wanted him, come off to me as a shot at Oakland and an attempt to save face, more than any appreciation of the M's.  They well-and-truly lowballed him, bidding less this winter than other MLB teams did.  Nothing prevented them from giving him, say, $5M plus incentives.
Let's keep in mind that Iwakuma certainly considers himself worth $10M+ per season, if not $15M.  This became clear in Oakland.
But whatever.  If Iwakuma comes out fresh, and emerges as a minor star -- quite possible IMHO -- the M's pro-Japan tendencies may drive a contract extension.  Would love to see a Cinderella ending for this, and it's not at all farfetched.