Mariners don't plan to raise ticket prices

The American League-worst Seattle Mariners don't plan to raise ticket prices for next season, and they might even offer some cheaper seats in response to tough economic times.

"We are not looking to raise ticket prices," Bob Aylward, the team's vice president of business operations, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "We may tweak some of our variable pricing upward or downward. ... But those fans who show up to buy tickets the first day of sales next year, they won't see any change in ticket prices, even though there may be minor tweaks overall."

The Mariners, whom many had picked to win their division, finished the season 61-101, and are expected to completely retool their front office and roster for next year.

"What will happen next year is hard to know between the year we had and the economy," team President Chuck Armstrong said. No raise in ticket prices "is a good assumption to make."

However, one program that worked well for the team this year was designating seven games - against the Red Sox and Yankees - "premium games" that cost more to attend.

"The seven premium games worked well," Armstrong said. "We're thinking of expanding that."

A few other teams have said they don't plan to raise ticket prices, given the financial crisis that has been roiling Wall Street. The Oakland A's said they will keep ticket prices the same, and the Washington Nationals have said they will lower prices for some seats.

The Mariners face other challenges. One of the team's primary sponsors, Washington Mutual Inc., is the largest U.S. bank to fail, eventually being sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co. on Sept. 26. The team hasn't yet spoken with Chase about continuing the sponsorship.

Home attendance at Safeco Field has fallen from 3.5 million in 2001-02 to 2.3 million in 2008. Given the economy and the state of the team, it's not clear that's going to turn around any time soon.

"I do have great trepidation over the economy," Armstrong said. "If the good folks in Washington (D.C.) and New York don't know what will happen, I'm not sure we at the Mariners should, either. We'll have to wait and see what happens after the dust settles."

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Information from: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, http://www.seattle-pi.com/