According to a Mariners person close to Peter Gammons of MLB.com, Ichiro Suzuki has talked to the team’s ownership about hiring Bobby Valentine.

Last week, it was said by friends of Valentine (via Larry Stone of the Seattle Times), the former big league manager and now ESPN analyst would be interested in the vacant Seattle Mariners’ managerial job. Valentine did not comment on the situation.

Valentine managed the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, so he could be a cultural fit for the Japanese-owned (Nintendo of America) Mariners.

The Mariners are currently being managed by interim skipper Daren Brown. “At the end of the year, we will open this job up and seek the best candidate possible,” GM Jack Zduriencik said. “In baseball and any sport or walk of life, there’s always an evaluation process going on. Daren will be evaluated as we move forward.”