Lookout Linkage, 8/30/16

Good morning everyone! Just a few stories in baseball over the past few days, so let's take a deeper look at the latest news.

• Hisashi Iwakuma should be on contract for the M's next season as his option is very likely to vest. Iwakuma has been a beacon of consistency in a Mariners rotation plagued by injuries and underperformance. As such, I'd be shocked if the M's didn't accept his $10M offer for 2017 regardless of whether or not his option vests. Next year will be Kuma's age-36 season, and further decline is inevitable. But he's tossed at least 20 starts in every season sans his rookie campaign of 2012 when he started the season in the bullpen. That's extremely valuable for a team who looks to contend next year.
• The Mariners have signed reliever Al Alburquerque to a minor league deal. Alburquerque adds some solid depth to the system. And since he's a reliever, he'll probably be pitching in an M's uniform in a week. In his youth he was hitting the mid-to-high 90s with his fastball, but his velocity dipped down to the low 90s in 2016. Naturally, his once-high velocity makes him an intriguing player. I don't foresee him regaining his old form, but it doesn't hurt to see what the guy can do in Tacoma.
• Tim Tebow is planning to work out for about half the teams in baseball. There's not much to say about the event itself. However, there was a funny false report by Bob Nightengale that Dan Haren was going to be pitching to Tebow for the workout. The internet is a dangerous place, folks.