Get used to hearing this name pretty often as we get deeper into the offseason. John Hickey tells us that the Mariners are interested in the 29 year old Japanese free agent catcher, and plan to meet with him pretty soon in order to decide whether or not to offer a contract.
Jojima blossomed in 2003, changing from a pretty good hitter into a great one (one of the best in the league). He's coming off a .309/.381/.557 season, and during his career peak, he's posted a K/BB ratio hovering around 1. He'll be 30 in June, and there are enough question marks there to warrant a little skepticism, but the upside will almost certainly outweigh however much money Jojima expects to get, so the Mariners need to stay in the picture. With Torrealba not hitting and Clement at least a year away, they've got the need to go with the resources.