M's Wait on Ichiro Announcement Due to Hargrove

Jeanne Zelasko may not have been paying attention when Ken Rosenthal reported during last night's game that the Mariners and Ichiro Suzuki have come to terms on a new contract, or maybe she just doesn't hear very well after spending all those years in the pits of NASCAR races, but you can't really blame her for being unaware of Ichiro's contract situation. After all, if you ask Ichiro or the Mariners, they'll pretend they have no idea what you're talking about. Even Ichiro's agent will tell you that the two sides are still talking.

Yet there is one source, probably the same source Rosenthal got a hold of, that says the deal is basically done and has been for a while. It's just the Mariners are delaying the announcement to avoid a potential controversy.

One source said that the deal was essentially done, but that the club wanted to wait on making an announcement to put some distance between the July 1 resignation of manager Mike Hargrove and the announcement of Ichiro's deal.

It's not exactly a secret that when Hargrove first came to Seattle, he and Ichiro weren't exactly best friends. The relationship between the two got better as time passed, but the Mariners are still worried that announcing the new deal so close to Hargrove's resignation may make it seem as though Ichiro gave an "It's him or Ichiro," type ultimatum.

Mike Hargrove denies that's the case.

"If they had come to me and said it was me or Ichiro, I would never have left voluntarily," Hargrove said Tuesday. "They would have had to fire me, flat-out fire me. But that was never the case.

"I left on my own terms that had nothing to do with (Ichiro's contract)."

I don't doubt that Hargrove and the Mariners are telling the truth here, but at the same time I'm pretty sure Grover's announcement did nothing but accelerate the deal for Ichiro. Had Hargrove still been the Mariners manager for the rest of the season, I think Ichiro would have tested the market.

Previously at FanHouse:
Hargrove's Departure Could Keep Ichiro in Seattle
Jeanne Zelasko Didn't Get the Ichiro Memo
Ichiro is Fast: Watch His Inside-the-Parker