Willie Bloomquist, who played for the Mariners from 2002-2008, is close to returning to Seattle, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
Bloomquist has hit over .300 in each of the past two seasons as a part-timer for the Diamondbacks, but he totaled zero homers and a modest .725 OPS in 128 games. Defensive versatility makes him a prototypical utility man, although at age 35 he’s lost a lot of speed.
Bloomquist was the Mariners’ third-round pick in 1999 and played 540 games for Seattle before leaving for Kansas City as a free agent in 2009.
UPDATE: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says it’ll be a two-year deal worth $5-6 million total, so basically Nick Punto money for two years instead of one.
