The Seattle Mariners officially announced Jeff Weaver is the newest member of their starting rotation Tuesday, barely two weeks after Cardinals manager Tony La Russa had described the free-agent righthander as potentially "the final piece" of the defending World Series champions' pitching makeover. Weaver's agent insists La Russa's words never translated into action by the club. Well aware of criticism directed at his client for failing to return to the Cardinals, agent Scott Boras redirected blame at the Cards for failing to make a "competitive" bid for Weaver. "The fact is, they weren't even close," Boras said before accompanying Weaver to Seattle. "Jeff gave St. Louis every opportunity. We let them know what Jeff's market was. Their response was to make an offer literally appropriate for a relief pitcher."