A report in The Seattle Times says Mariners starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn, a popular subject of trade rumors thus far, would like to stay in Seattle.

Washburn will be a free agent at the end of the season, but said he’d be open to an extension.

“If I’m traded, it means something bad happened in the next 10 days,” Washburn told The Times. “That’s the last thing I want to happen. I love winning, and we’re
winning here. We have maybe the best group of guys I’ve ever been a
part of, and that’s saying a lot. That ’02 team in Anaheim (that won
the World Series), we were a great team. Everybody loved each other. We
had fun. We did whatever it took to win. That’s the exact same feel I
have with this ballclub. I’m very happy to be a part of it, and yeah, I
want to continue to be a part of it.”

He also said it’s impossible to ignore the looming trade deadline. Nobody can, he said, even if most guys say they don’t pay any attention to it.

“Everybody lies,” Washburn told The Times. “I’ve always said what’s on my mind and don’t
sugar-coat anything. I think the guys that say they don’t are lying.
It’s just natural, I think, to pay attention.”

–Christian Caple