Jason Bay will bat leadoff for the first time in his career Friday night against the Angels. The Angels toyed with the idea during spring training, but Bay will get his first test in a regular season game Friday night with the southpaw C.J. Wilson on the hill. The 34-year-old is clearly done as a middle-of-the-order hitter, but the Mariners hope that his patience will provide some value at the top of the lineup. It could be wishful thinking. Endy Chavez, who went 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot Thursday, has been dropped down to eighth.

Jason Bay went 2-for-3 with a two-run single and a run scored Thursday against the Angels. Bay capitalized after Garrett Richards intentionally walked Carlos Peguero to load the bases with one out in the seventh inning. It was hard to disagree with the strategy by Angels manager Mike Scioscia, but the outfielder doubled his RBI total for the season with one swing of the bat. Meanwhile, it was his first multi-hit game since April 13. It was a rare productive evening for Bay, but we still think the Mariners would have been better off keeping Casper Wells.

Jason Bay homered, singled and walked off the bench Tuesday against the Astros. Bay wasn't in the starting lineup, even though the Mariners were facing a left-hander, but he got three at-bats in the Astros' rout and made the most of them, hitting his first homer of the year off a Triple-A pitcher in Paul Clemens. Whether that's a good sign or not, he still figures to find himself back on the bench on Wednesday.

The Mariners are expected to carry Jason Bay as their final outfielder over Casper Wells. General manager Jack Zduriencik insisted Thursday that no final decision had been made, but the club tipped its hand when it left Wells behind to play in minor league games while it brought Bay to Mesa to play against the Cubs. Bay singled in one of his two at-bats Thursday and is hitting .327 with two homers this spring. Wells is out of options, so he will either be traded or will have to pass through waivers in order to report to Triple-A.

Jason Bay will start in center field for the Mariners on Thursday night. The Mariners are just testing Bay's versatility in case they carry him on the Opening Day roster over Casper Wells. The 34-year-old has played 40 games in center field during his career, though none since 2005 as a member of the Pirates.

The Mariners are looking at Jason Bay as a possible leadoff option. You read that right, the same Jason Bay who batted just .165/.237/.299 in 215 plate appearances last season. The 34-year-old has never hit leadoff in his career, but Mariners manager Eric Wedge is pleased with the quality of his at-bats this spring. Bay is hitting .333/.440/.714 with two homers and four RBI in 25 plate appearances so far this spring and will bat leadoff for the second straight day Wednesday. It probably doesn't hurt to give him as many at-bats as possible as they attempt to determine whether he has truly turned things around.

Jason Bay went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and a walk in Friday's 8-6 win over the Rangers. It was Bay's second home run of the spring, an encouraging start as the 34-year-old attempts to win a spot on the M's Opening Day roster. Michael Morse, Michael Saunders and Carlos Peguero also went deep in Friday's victory. For what it's worth, the Mariners lead all MLB teams with 18 homers this spring.

According to Greg Johns of MLB.com, Jason Bay is far from a guarantee to make the Mariners roster out of spring training. Only half of Bay's $1 million salary is guaranteed, so there is little financial risk if they were to cut him loose. Johns speculates that the Opening Day outfield could be Michael Saunders, Franklin Gutierrez and a platoon of Casper Wells and Raul Ibanez. That would leave Bay to fight for a reserve outfielder role with the likes of Eric Thames and Carlos Peguero. The M's value Bay's veteran presence and leadership, but he'll need to have a very strong spring in order to break camp with the team.

Mariners signed OF Jason Bay to a one-year, $1 million contract. The full amount of the contact isn't guaranteed, as they'll only be on the hook for $500k if Bay doesn't make the team out of spring training.

While the Mariners have yet to officially announce the free agent signing of Jason Bay, the deal is still done, they're merely waiting due to paperwork delays involving the 40-man roster. As reported on Thursday, the full $1 million of Bay's base salary is not guaranteed. After a horrifying three-year stint with the Mets in which he hit .234/.318/.369, he'll look for a career resurgence in Seattle.