The Associated Press

The lineup change Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge hinted at during the offseason is going to become permanent.

It won’t be Ichiro Suzuki at the top of the Mariners batting order to begin the 2012 season.

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Wedge announced Tuesday that he will move Suzuki from his traditional leadoff spot down to No. 3 in the Mariners batting order. It’s not a simple spring training experiment; Wedge is set to make Suzuki’s move permanent and he will figure out who is Seattle’s best option to take over in the leadoff role.

"I’ve done a lot of thinking about it this winter. … Bottom line, it’s for us to have the best lineup 1 through 9 out there," Wedge said. "I want our lineup to be extended. I think our best opportunity is for Ichiro to be hitting third for us."

It’ll be the first time in his career that Suzuki will be somewhere permanently other than the leadoff spot. He’s had only a handful of games at other spots in the lineup through his 11-year career in Seattle. He’s coming off the worst year of his career in the U.S., hitting .272, the first time he’s failed to hit at least .300. Suzuki’s 184 hits were also a career low.

The first option to replace Suzuki will be Chone Figgins, although Wedge said he’s not set on his Nos. 1 and 2. Figgins has struggled since coming over from the Los Angeles Angels and signing a $36 million, four-year deal. After thriving in the leadoff spot with the Angels, Figgins has hit just .236 in his two seasons in Seattle, including .188 in an injury-shortened 2011 season.

Angels’ Trumbo adjusting to 3B

Mark Trumbo did everything the Los Angeles Angels asked in 2011 — he led the team in home runs and RBIs, played a solid first base and did his best to keep them in playoff contention.

Now, the Angels want something else from Trumbo after he finished second in the rookie of the year voting. They’d like him to shift across the diamond to third base.

The Angels signed star free agent Albert Pujols to play first base. They’re also anticipating the return of first baseman Kendrys Morales, who didn’t play in the majors last year after breaking his left ankle during a home-plate celebration in 2010.

Trumbo has spent some time in the outfield for the Angels, but has not played third base as a pro. He’s only been there a few times in the team’s instructional league.

"As far as the fundamentals of fielding a ground ball, there are a lot of the same fundamentals," he said Tuesday. "Using one hand is going to come into play a lot. I learned to do that at first to create better hops for myself. But I also need to be in position to throw across the diamond.

"I’m not so worried about the throw. My arm is in pretty good shape and I’ll be fine there. I think it’s about taking my time and fielding it cleanly and not rushing anything," he said. "I feel better about myself now after years and years of infield work."

The 26-year-old Trumbo hit 29 homers with 87 RBIs, and came in second to Tampa Bay rookie Jeremy Hellickson in the rookie voting.

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