Edgar Martinez is in, Howard Johnson is out as hitting coach for the Mariners.
While Martinez's arrival is a welcome one for the team and fan base, the news of Johnson's demotion to working in the club's minor-league system was not easy for manager Lloyd McClendon to break to him.
"HoJo's a good friend of mine, and it's a very difficult thing to do sitting across the table and telling a friend of yours you're changing his life in a certain way, a certain way he earns a living. That's never any fun," McClendon said.