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1) Why do you claim that Seattle is so hideously undesirable, Sandy?  It's a lot of travel, so that's one negative.  It's out of the east-coast spotlight, so that's another.  But the organization has drastically improved in terms of leadership and has put itself in position to be competitive going forward.  The extra travel and the problems with media attention might factor in for some guys...but...
2) ...they won't factor in for Bedard.  Everything we know about him suggests he LIKES the quiet...he likes living an outdoorsy Canadian lifestyle, which is something Seattle can offer in spades, and he's a warrior on the mound...any particular reason to believe he's going to be that put out by the travel?  Bedard is about personal respect...if he feels he is being treated well in the clubhouse, then the other factors matter a lot less.
and...
3) The talk around the league is that few teams are going to be willing to offer anything of major value in trade for Bedard...concerns about his injury status loom too large for anyone to take that risk.  Unless he goes out and throws 2 fantastic months in August and September and finishes the eyar with 160 innings and 200 punchies, I don't see how that fear position is going to change so radically that a bidding war will break out over his next contract.  That's not to say there won't be suiters...there will be...and you're right that for most free agents, the Mariners can't compete with the markets shining in the bright lights...but you have to go player by player...and you also have to realize that circumstances in Seattle have changed.