Though some power hitters remain available - Adam Dunn, if the Mariners want to break the bank, or Ken Griffey Jr., if they want to go back to their roots - it seems equally likely the team won't add a big stick in terms of a left fielder, first baseman or DH.

That means the Mariners could be taking an extra-long look at second-year outfielder Wladimir Balentien as one of the answers to the puzzle in left field and the club's power needs.

Balentien, 24 ((age)), has power - four consecutive 20-plus homer seasons in the minor leagues, including 25 in the 2008 season split between Triple-A Tacoma (18) and Seattle (seven). But Balentien didn't hit for average (.202 with the Mariners in 243 at-bats) and struck out 79 times.

With left fielder Raul Ibanez departing via free agency, the Mariners have 110 RBIs and 23 home runs to replace. So Balentien, who hails from Curacao, will get a good long look at spring training in Peoria, Ariz.

Or will he? Balentien will have the opportunity to play for the Netherlands in the 16-team World Baseball Classic starting March 5 because Curacao is a former Dutch colony.

Like most players, Balentien is intrigued with the idea of representing his country in Baseball's elite international competition. But if he does, it will take him away from the Mariners at a time when he could be making his case to be the left fielder.

Neither general manager Jack Zduriencik nor manager Don Wakamatsu was with the Mariners last season; neither has much more than a passing acquaintance with Balentien's skills. The more he is around this spring, the better his chance of a regular job in the lineup.

"The player has to do what's best for him and his country," Wakamatsu said Monday. "It's obvious he wants to play for his country. Balentien is a guy who is going to come in and compete for a job. If he doesn't get the at-bats, we might not get the chance to see him enough."

But Wakamatsu said he would not push Balentien, or any of the half-dozen Mariners players likely to get WBC invitations, to skip the event.

"I think it's important for guys to have the opportunity to play for their country," Wakamatsu said. "The WBC is created to enhance our game internationally, and I certainly don't want to detract from that unless there's a matter of an injury."

Zduriencik suspects Balentien will not be held back if he plays in the WBC.

"I haven't seen Balentien, but I am anxious to see him," Zduriencik said Monday. "He didn't have the year he wanted to have last year, but he got his feet wet. Now we have to see what happens.

"I don't think playing in the WBC will hold him back. Players have to weigh everything, and I'm certainly not going to advise him not to represent his country if that is what he figures he has got to do."

The Mariners could have as many as seven players from their 25-man roster at the WBC - Balentien; Ichiro Suzuki and Kenji Johjima (defending WBC champion Japan); Felix Hernandez and Jose Lopez (Venezuela); Adrian Beltre (Dominican Republic); and Ryan Rowland-Smith (Australia).

For Balentien, it might not be a huge risk to play in the WBC. The Netherlands is considered one of the weaker teams, and a quick exit would mean Balentien would have almost a month with the Mariners before Opening Day on April 6.

NOTES: Medical reports given to Wakamatsu show Beltre, who is coming off shoulder and thumb surgeries, is progressing well enough that he should be able to play in the WBC. ... The Mariners' annual winter caravan begins Wednesday in Tacoma (an assembly at Arlington Elementary School and a free autograph session at the University of Puget Sound) and runs through Jan. 23. ... Spring training ticket sales begin Saturday at Mariners.com and at 800-677-1227.

P-I reporter John Hickey can be reached at 206-448-8004 or johnhickey@seattlepi.com Read his Mariners blog at blog.seattlepi.com/Baseball.