SEATTLE (AP) - Catcher Jamie Burke became a free agent on Friday when the Seattle Mariners decided not to offer him a contract for 2009.
Teams had to tender contract offers to every player on their 40-man major league rosters who is not already signed for next season by Friday night, or else those players became free agents.Seattle has three pitchers who are not yet signed for 2009 but remain under club control and are eligible for arbitration: Starters Erik Bedard, who was injured for most of 2008; young ace Felix Hernandez; and right-hander Aaron Heilman. The Mariners acquired Heilman from the New York Mets on Wednesday as part of the three-team, 12-player trade that sent closer J.J. Putz to New York.
The 37-year-old Burke played in 48 games with the Mariners last season, hitting .261.
Burke, a native of Roseburg, Ore., was originally signed by Seattle as a minor league free agent on Nov. 16, 2006. He appeared in 98 games with Seattle over the past two seasons. In 2007 he made a major league opening day roster for the first time in his professional career, which began in 1993.
