Some advice for the Mariners front office: If you sign Ichiro Suzuki to the one-year contract that multiple sources reported was imminent Monday, go easy on the hype. Go very easy.
No Ichiro bobbleheads. No touting his return to the team on television and radio ads. No Ichiro poster giveaways.
Forget that he’s a future first-ballot Hall of Fame selection based on numbers almost entirely accumulated during the 11 full seasons he starred in Seattle, and pretend he’s just another veteran journeyman whose addition to the roster is little noticed.
That’s asking a lot, but pressing a mute key on the noise is the best way to justify what seems to be a sound acquisition at a reasonable cost.