SEATTLE -- The Mariners have announced they will hold a news conference on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. PT at Safeco Field that will include team president Kevin Mather and hitting coach Edgar Martinez, though the reason for the gathering was not disclosed.
The news conference will be streamed live on MLB.com and Mariners.com.
Martinez is scheduled to begin his second full season as hitting coach on manager Scott Servais' staff when the club opens Spring Training in three weeks.
The logical speculation would be that either Martinez is preparing to step down or the club is going to retire his No. 11 at some point this year. Ken Griffey Jr. became the first player to have his number retired in franchise history last July, shortly after being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Martinez, 54, played his entire 18-year Major League career with the Mariners and retired in 2004 with a career .312/.418/.515 slash line, 309 home runs and 1,261 RBIs. He received votes on 58.6 percent of the Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame ballots last week and has two years remaining to gain the necessary 75 percent to be inducted.
He was named the Mariners' hitting coach midway through the 2015 season by then-manager Lloyd McClendon and was retained last year on Servais' staff.