"Free-agent slugger Jack Cust says the reason he agreed to a $2.5 million deal with the Mariners was because he wanted to "go somewhere that appreciates me as a player."

Not just one who puts on a uniform, but who gets the chance to play every day. Cust will get that opportunity with the Mariners next season as their primary designated hitter, facing not only right-handed pitchers as a left-handed power bat, but also seeing his share of southpaws.

"From what it sounds like, I'm going to be in there both ways, and that's the way I like it," Cust said Wednesday, confirming he'd reached an agreement with the team pending a physical later this week. "I've always been able to hit lefties pretty well."

Well, he did until the past two seasons.

Cust, who turns 32 next month, said he was used by Oakland only off and on versus lefties last season, then left in the lineup to face some of the tougher ones in the league.

The contract he's about to sign contains incentives, based on total plate appearances, that could see him surpass the $2.65 million he earned in 2010. In other words, the Mariners envision him as a full-time player and will let him get there if he shows he can hit lefties as well as he mashes right- handers.

"I'm a guy who can hit in the middle of the lineup and drive in runs," said Cust, who hit 84 home runs for Oakland from 2007 to 2009, then added 13 more last season with an .833 on-base-plus slugging percentage in only 349 at-bats.

Cust's 2010 season didn't even start until May, after he'd been passed over by a number of teams — including the Mariners — as a free agent. The Mariners were one of the teams he'd hoped to play for, but they were tied up at DH with Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Sweeney and Milton Bradley."