National baseball writers, local insiders and casual bloggers keep coming back to the bizarre three year extension given to catcher Kenji Johjima earlier in the season, and speculating on how to get it off the books. 

Such a move is needed, because Seattle’s catching depth in the upper levels is one of their strengths.  Jeff Clement is “the future” and starting on most days.  Jaime Burke is a veteran who calls a good game and doesn’t embarrass himself at the plate, which is all you can ask of your backup catcher.  Rob Johnson, who has been known as a defensive catcher for the past few years, just completed his best season offensively in AAA and has worn out his welcome after playing three seasons at the level and with Adam Moore knocking on the door.  Moore, who appears to be Seattle’s most well rounded young catcher, is months overdue for a promotion to AAA after putting up solid offensive numbers again this year.  Johjima offers next to nothing as he’s a liability in the batter’s box, on the basepaths and behind the plate.  The only part of his game that is any good is his ability to throw out potential basestealers, which only gets you so far.  While any of the aforementioned Seattle catchers would be an upgrade over Johjima, whether it be in the starting lineup or on the bench, Johjima just happens to get paid over $7 million more than any of them per season, making the need to move him even greater.  It would be shame to trade any of these other guys, as Seattle P-I’s John Hickey suggests.

Unfortunately, former GM Bill Bavasi’s exit doesn’t mean that interim GM Lee Pelekoudas or whoever is signed permanently this offseason will have the freedom to try and move Johjima.  While Bavasi has made some bonehead moves in his time, there is no way the Johjima extension was his doing.  He drafted Clement, Moore and Johnson, as well as bringing in Burke, so he knew all about the alternatives to Johjima.  If you’ll remember, the Johjima extension was a result of the controlling owner, former Nintendo head Hiroshi Yamauchi, “taking care of [Johjima] before getting out,” as he’s rumored to be selling his shares and handing the organization off to someone else.

Then-GM Bill Bavasi had no choice in the matter, so what makes anyone think the new GM can jettison Johjima?  If the extension was strictly about getting Johjima paid, then there is still hope that he plays some of his current contract on a different team, but if it had anything to do with keeping him in the Pacific Northwest as well, then there is no way Johjima’s going anywhere until Yamauchi exits (if the rumor is true, and it appears to be). 

Even then, who would want to take Johjima without Seattle paying the majority of the contract? It’s certainly a mess and I hope a move can be made one day before we lose any players that actually hold value, but Yamauchi put his organization in a tough spot. 

The point is this: stop trying to solve the Johjima conundrum, because Yamauchi appears to be the variable that makes it unsolvable.  Any talk of moving Johjima, even here on BBT, is nothing more than wishful thinking until the circumstances change. 

AP Photo/LM Otero