Jim Street, of MLB.com, reports Seattle Mariners C Jeff Clement (knee) underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday, Sept. 9, and is expected to be 100 percent for Spring Training next year.

Clement did enough during his 66-game stint with the Mariners to prove that his future is in the Major Leagues. The Mariners' first-round Draft selection in 2005, batted .325 in August, scored seven runs and drove in 12 runs. Overall, he hit .227 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 23 RBIs in 66 Major League games. He hit .337 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs with Triple-A Tacoma before being promoted to Seattle. Even with Kenji Johjima around, the Mariners will make sure to find a regular spot in the lineup next season for Clement.

The Associated Press reports Seattle Mariners C Jeff Clement (knee) will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday, Sept. 9, and will miss the remainder of the season. Clement has tears in the cartilage of his left knee, and normal rehabilitation for this type of surgery is four weeks, according to the team. He underwent the same surgery on the same knee two years ago and missed six weeks. The Mariners had tried to reduce his catching load by using him as a designated hitter, but eventually sent him to team doctors to undergo an MRI exam. Clement is expected to be fully ready for spring training next February.

John Hickey, of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, reports Seattle Mariners C Kenji Johjima will likely play for Japan in the World Baseball Classic next year.

The three-year, $24 million contract extension for Johjima kicks in next season, but he could spend more time as the backup than as the starter, especially if the younger, more talented Jeff Clement comes back strong from knee surgery.

It took almost an entire season but Johjima has finally found a groove at the plate. He's hit safely in five of the last seven games, going 10-for-26 with four extra-base hits and 10 RBIs. After batting a miserable .213 before the All-Star break, the Seattle backstop improved to .243 in the second half. Still a far cry from his career .271 average.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports Seattle Mariners C Kenji Johjima (hand) was unavailable Tuesday, Sept. 2, after his hand was stepped on during the Sept. 1 game. Johjima’s hand was too tender for him to grip a bat tightly. C Jamie Burke took his place.

Burke's contributed nicely in limited action this month, going 9-for-18 (.500) with two doubles and four runs scored. If he continues to produce at this pace, the veteran backstop might see increased at-bats in light of Kenji Johjima's ongoing struggles at the dish.

According to the Sports Xchange notes: C Jamie Burke had caught LHP Erik Bedard in three consecutive starts, but Burke was on the bench Monday when Bedard's catcher was C Kenji Johjima.

John Torenli, of MLB.com, reports Seattle Mariners C Rob Johnson hit his second home run of the Arizona Fall League Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Lisa Winston, of MLB.com, reports Seattle Mariners C Rob Johnson is playing in the Arizona Fall League in the offseason.

News: Mariners C Rob Johnson went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI on Friday against the Athletics. He's batting only .160.

Analysis: Johnson isn't a high-upside player and isn't a long-term solution behind the plate with Jeff Clement in the same organization. Let him go undrafted in 2009

The Mariners need more run production from their first baseman, something LaHair did not provide after his late-season promotion from Triple-A Tacoma, where he held his own (.263 AVG, /465 SLG). Still, unless the team finds help elsewhere, there's little choice but to give LaHair another shot. Mixed-league owners need not bother with him.

News: Seattle 1B Bryan LaHair hit a two-run homer against the A's on Saturday but it wasn't enough for Seattle to win. LaHair went 1-for-1 as he walked three times in between connecting on his third bomb. He scored twice in the game as well.

Analysis: LaHair might not be the solution at first long term for the Mariners, but he will be the answer for the time being. Consider him a sleeper in deeper AL-only leagues right now

LaHair snapped out of a 1-for-11 funk with the big day Saturday. In 43 games since his callup, the big first baseman is batting .248 with 14 runs and 38 strikeouts. Before he was summoned from Triple-A Tacoma in mid-July, he was hitting .263 with 12 homers, 53 RBIs and a .357 on-base percentage. He finally exhibited glimpses of some plate discipline Saturday, working three walks in a game for the first time in his career.

Sure, Reed made his way back from Minor League exile, but it's still difficult to imagine him holding down an everyday job, even in Seattle's subpar outfield.

A much needed two-bagger for Reed, who'd gone just 2-for-17 (.118) in his previous 11 contests. AL-only owners in need of an extra stick might want to keep an eye on the 26-year-old outfielder, who finished August with a .302 average plus 10 runs scored in just 63 at-bats.

News: Mariners OF Jeremy Reed went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored Saturday in a loss to the Twins, extending his current hit streak to six games. He has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games this season.

Analysis: Reed has hit so well lately that the Mariners have been forced to find a way to get the usual backup outfielder into the lineup. Reed is a sleeper for AL-only leagues at this point, especially since the retooling Mariners need to take a long look at him as a regular in the majors again

John Hickey, of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, reports Seattle Mariners 2B Jose Lopez could decide to play for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic next year.

Lopez had his best overall season in '08, but it went mostly unnoticed because of Seattle's year-long slump. He's a sound option when all the top-flight second basemen are off the board.

Jim Street, of MLB.com, reports Seattle Mariners 2B Jose Lopez is expected to play the second half of the season in the Venezuela Winter League during the offseason.

Luis Valbuena went 4-for-4 and homered Wednesday for Lara of the VWL. Valbuena, who made his major league debut in September, is hitting .263/.318/.461 in 76 at-bats in Venezuela. The soon-to-be 23-year-old is nearly certain to open next year in Triple-A, but he will be a fallback at second base if the Mariners get serious about trying Jose Lopez at another position.

Jim Street, of MLB.com, reports Seattle Mariners 2B Luis Valbuena is playing in the Venezuela Winter League during the offseason.

News: Mariners rookie 2B Luis Valbuena went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored Friday against the Athletics. He's batting .244 on the season.

Analysis: Valbuena might have a future in Fantasy, showing some power in the minors this season. If he ends up with a starting job in 2009, consider him a sleeper in AL-only leagues

News: Tug Hulett homered to lead off the third Saturday. Hulett is the son of former major league infielder Tim Hulett.

Analysis: Hulett has pop in his bat for a second baseman, but he is nothing more than a reserve for the Mariners and the deepest of AL-only leagues at this point in his career

That's the first career homer for Hulett, who also earned his first multi-hit game and first RBI in the Majors. He hasn't been starting consistently, so he has marginal fantasy value in any format.

The Associated Press reports the Seattle Mariners recalled IF Tug Hulett from Triple-A Tacoma.

Carlos Pena won his first Gold Glove on Thursday, which just so happens to be the first Gold Glove ever awarded to a Rays player, according to MLB.com. Other infielders to win the award were C Joe Mauer, 2B Dustin Pedroia, SS Michael Young and 3B Adrian Beltre.Pena is a sweet fielder and he led AL first baseman with a .998 fielding percentage as he made just two errors on the season, meaning that he was completely deserving of the honor.

Rawlings.com reports Seattle Mariners 3B Adrian Beltre won the Gold Glove Award.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reports Seattle Mariners 3B Adrian Beltre won the Fielding Bible award at third base, according the annual awards that are decided by a panel of experts and featured each winter in the Bill James Handbook.

Jim Street, of MLB.com, reports Seattle Mariners SS Matt Tuiasosopo is playing in the Venezuela Winter League during the offseason.

News: According to The Sports Xchange notes: With the weekend news that Adrian Beltre is done for the year in preparation for surgery Thursday on his left thumb and left shoulder, Matt Tuiasosopo is likely to get most of the final 14 starts of the season at third base. It gives him a chance to show what he can do with regular work and maybe smooth his path toward the 2009 roster. To this point, he has played adequate defense and has a .200 average with three hits in 15 at-bats. He should at least triple his at-bat total before the season is over.

Analysis: Tuiasosopo has long-term potential, but we don't see him as a starter in 2009. Consider him nothing more than a deeper AL-only option down the stretch. We just don't think he is ready -- nor are we convinced he will ever be more than a reserve in the majors long term

Mariners purchased the contract of third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo from Triple-A Tacoma. Tuiasosopo was going to be added to the 40-man over the winter anyway or he probably wouldn't have been called up. The 22-year-old came on strong in August to end the season at .281/.364/.453 for Tacoma. He might be the replacement for Adrian Beltre in 2010, but it's unlikely the Mariners would give him the job next year if they trade Beltre over the winter.

Bob Dutton, of The Kansas City Star, reports the Kansas City Royals could look to acquire Seattle Mariners SS Yuniesky Betancourt in the offseason.

The Royals are believed to be interested in Mariners' shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, according to the Kansas City Star.The Mariners and Royals previously talked about a Betancourt deal in exchange for Billy Butler before the 2007 season. Betancourt is not as good as he should be defensively, and is only a .282 career hitter. He is worth acquiring, just as long as the Royals don't overpay.

The Royals are believed to be interested in Mariners' infielder Yuniesky Betancourt, according to the Kansas City Star.The Mariners and Royals previously talked about a Betancourt deal in exchange for Billy Butler before the 2007 season. Betancourt is not as good as he should be defensively, and is only a .282 career hitter. He is worth acquiring, just as long as the Royals don't overpay.