Signing Ichiro makes short-term sense for Mariners, but long term? We’ll see

Ichiro Suzuki, then with the Miami Marlins, faced the Mariners at Safeco Field last April. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times)The Mariners need reinforcements after Ben Gamel’s oblique strain was diagnosed. But it’s hard to make a strong baseball argument that Ichiro is the one to fill the need. He was a positive presence with the Marlins, but he also is 44 years old with declining offensive numbers.

I often flash back to that famous picture from the final day of the Mariners’ 2009 season, with a beaming Ichiro and Ken Griffey Jr. about to exchange a triumphant high-five as they are carried off the field on teammates’ shoulders.

It was two Seattle legends at a moment of extreme bliss, having…