Andre Ethier rumors: Mariners calling?

The Seattle Mariners have been in talks with the Los Angeles Dodgers about acquiring veteran right fielder Andre Ethier but have yet to make any offers, reports Buster Olney of ESPN:

The Seattle Mariners have called the Los Angeles Dodgers repeatedly about Andre Ethier, and while the Dodgers' intention is to open the season with him as their right fielder, they have told other teams all winter that they're always willing to listen to offers.

As of now, the Mariners haven't been moved to present any, sources say.

The Dodgers have been back and forth on whether or not Ethier is available all winter, so the prospect of the veteran outfielder actually moving in the next few months is probably slim. In fact, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports posits that Olney's information is old news:

not sure where new ethier rumors came from. dont like to call anything impossible, but LAD & Sea havent talked "in weeks"

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) January 2, 2013

Ethier, 30, agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract extension with the Dodgers mid-way through the 2012 season. The right fielder rewarded the club handsomely, hitting .284/.351/.460 with 20 home runs in 149 games.

The Dodgers may have been more inclined to trade Ethier while Nick Swisher was still on the open market. Now that he is gone, the market for an outfielder to supplement Ethier's production is pretty much nil.