Mariners 'well-positioned' to land one of the remaining big-name free agent bats?

The Seattle Mariners are players for one of the top remaining free agents, by most accounts. Their dedication to go out and sign one of these guys is up for debate, but they are making an effort. Nick Swisher, Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn are the top three guys, and Larry Stone of the Seattle Times believes that Seattle signing one of those guys isn't just possible but maybe likely.

Stone says that the Mariners are well-positioned to land one of those players, especially given the circumstances and the way the market has shaped up thus far. There's been a lot of talk about Hamilton lately, with the Mariners being called his "fallback" team. Stone correctly notes that Hamilton's potential deal with the Rangers is far from guaranteed, given that they are heavily pursuing Zack Greinke.

Swisher would like to remain in the Bay Area, but the A's aren't a good fit and the Giants aren't biting, and the Mariners and Indians could be the most interested teams. Seattle is an awful lot closer to the Bay Area. Bourn has seen his market diminish as the teams most interested in him have went other ways at this point.

Stone finishes the piece by saying he'd be somewhat surprised if the Mariners didn't sign one of the big three, coming just short of guaranteeing it.