Minor League Contracts Galore

Because, why not?

Todd Sears: from Juan Thomas to Ron Wright to AJ Zapp to Aaron Rifkin, the Rainiers always seem to have one of these guys, the big, beefy 1B/DH type whose raw power makes him an instant fan favorite while his prolific ability to swing through literally hundreds of pitches makes sure he stays in Tacoma for the duration of the season. Sears fits the mold, although the fact that he only hit 13 home runs in a low-gravity Albuquerque environment doesn't bode well for his ability to succeed in Cheney. Better than Greg Dobbs.

Andy Dominique: because Corky Miller alone can't fill Ryan Christianson's shoes, I guess. Despite being a catcher, it's always been Dominique's bat that piqued peoples' interest, probably because he's not much of a backstop. Decent minor league OBP/SLG guy who never really got the opportunity to be a poor man's Jim Leyritz (with 80% less East Coast heroism). Won't ever so much as see Seattle without a whole slew of things going awry, but he's going to help Tacoma win some games, which really is an organizational objective. Better than Greg Dobbs.

Jose Morban: back when the Orioles wildly exaggerated the value of all their minor leaguers, and Ed Rogers was supposed to be the next A-Rod, Morban instantly became a prospect when he was selected from the Rangers in the Rule 5 draft in 2003. Arriving in the Majors straight out of A-ball, he hit just .141 in 71 at bats and got sent down to the Carolina League the following season, where he continued being an awful hitter. Something clicked in 2005, when 32 of Morban's 99 hits went for extra bases, but he's still a guy whose only real attribute is flashy defense, which is the same thing you hear about every Latin infielder with his body type. Has more career home runs than Greg Dobbs.

Cody Ransom: this guy seems like he's been floating around way longer than he actually has. Ransom never really did anything but play adequate defense up the middle until 2004, when he had one of the best 36-game stretches you'll ever see from a born utility player (.309/.397/.603 in AAA). Promoted to the big leagues, Ransom appeared in 78 games with the Giants, made one devastating error that gave the NL West to Los Angeles, and found himself right back in in the PCL in 2005. Every season of his career is spent playing for an ST invite the following March, hoping against hope that someone eventually realizes that he'd make a decent backup infielder for the league minimum if given the chance. That won't happen here. Has been to Fresno more times than Greg Dobbs.

Also, as expected, Scott Atchison cleared waivers and will remain in the organization. He still looks like a reasonable bet to break camp with the Mariners.