The Mariners have signed Adam Kennedy to a minor league deal. He is also getting a spring training invite so he looks to compete for a utility role off of the Mariners bench. There have been talks that the Mariners have been looking for a utility player and Kennedy is a good fit.

In the veterans 12 professional seasons he has played a wide variety of positions. The large majority of his appearances have been at second base but he can also play third base and first base. He has even seen some starts in right field. He has only seen one start at short stop over his career but we have Brendan Ryan to cover shortstop in case something happens to Jack Wilson.

Kennedy has shown excellent fielding over his career but as he has aged it has declined. Regardless of the decline he will still be a useful defensive utility man off of the bench. His bat is nothing to rave about but it is better than that off Josh Wilson who appeared to have a shot as the Mariners utility man.

He bats left handed and has shown the ability to hit for a pretty good average over his career. He once hit .312 in a season with the Angels but those days seem to be behind him. Last season he hit .249 with the nationals but he just recently hit .289 with 11 homeruns in 2009. His career average is .275. What I think we should expect from Kennedy this season is a .250-.265 in around 200-300 at bats. He can also steal a base from time to time as he stole 14 bases last year.

The signing of Kennedy adds another middle infielder to the mix. The Mariners have Jack Wilson and Brendan Ryan who both appear to be on the opening day roster. After that it looks like the other guys will be competing for a spot in spring training. The guys that will be competing are Adam Kennedy, Josh Wilson, Luis Rodriguez, Matt Tuiasosopo, Matt Mangini, and Sean Kazmar. I didn’t include Dustin Ackley on the list because I think the Mariners plan to have him start at AAA Tacoma regardless of his spring training performance.

This is not a huge acquisition but we can’t expect huge moves as the Mariners are tight on money this offseason. Little moves like this should help the club improve from last years 101 loss season.

One last note: Today is Kennedy’s 35th birthday so let’s all wish the newest Mariner a happy birthday.