Watchpoints: Mariners send Motter to Tacoma, expected to add Espinosa

The Mariners appeared to clear the way to add veteran infielder Danny Espinosa to their roster Monday by confirming utilityman Taylor Motter had been optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.

Technically, Motter was optioned after Sunday’s 6-4 loss to the New York Yankees, but the club didn’t confirm the move under Monday morning.

The Mariners have yet to confirm a deal with Espinosa, although reports surfaced Sunday that he had reached agreement with the club on a major-league contract just three days after being released by the Los Angeles Angels.

Espinosa, 30, batted just .162 in 77 games for the Angels after spending the previous seven seasons at Washington. The first report of his deal with the…