Mariners Minors: RHP Justin Germano Signed To Minor Deal

The Seattle Mariners made a minor move on the eve of the Winter Meetings, signing veteran RHP Justin Germano.

Germano was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 13th round of the 2000 amateur draft. He has spent 311 games over parts of 14 seasons in the minors and is 10-30 with an ERA of 5.40 in 96 Major League games (48 starts) over nine seasons.

In addition to San Diego, Germano has spent time in the organizations of the Reds, Phillies, Indians, Red Sox, Cubs, Blue Jays, Rangers and Dodgers. He has also spent some time in Japan and Korea.

I first saw Germano in 2004 when he made his debut with the Triple-A Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League. He was a hard-throwing right-hander with good movement on his breaking pitches and good control (25 BB in 122.2 IP).

He found his groove at the Triple-A level in 2007, in his second stint with the Padres organization. He started off the season 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in five starts. He walked three batters while striking out 20. People could NOT figure him out.

San Diego recalled him and the bottom fell out. He went 7-10 with a 4.46 ERA in 23 starts. But even worse, he walked 40 batters and hit eight more in 133.1 IP.

What I take away from this signing is the added depth he brings to Triple-A Tacoma. He will be a nice addition for the Rainiers and could be called upon for a spot start with the Mariners should an injury or two beset the rotation.