In the wake of the Ichiro Suzuki trade to the Yankees, many are wondering whether the Mariners will soon be for sale. Industry sources are wondering whether owner Hiroshi Yamauchi is preparing to sell the team, or at least his stake in it. "I know there has been some speculation that the Mariners are for sale, or planning to put the franchise up for sale," CEO Howard Lincoln said the day Ichiro was traded. "I've read this and I've heard it, and all I can tell you is that it is absolute nonsense. "There are no plans by this ownership group to sell the Mariners. This decision [to trade Ichiro] and any other decisions we make stand on their own and has nothing to do with any kind of sale."