BREAKING: Rafael Perez, LH Relief Pitcher, Gets Minor League Contract From the Seattle Mariners

Rafael Perez, former Cleveland Indian, was signed to a minor league deal by the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.

From Greg Johns at MLB.com:

As Johns mentions, Perez has been given an invite to Spring Training, thus giving him an opportunity– however slight– to compete for a spot on the Mariners’ 25-man roster for 2015

The 32-year old Perez made a total of 338 appearances in the MLB, all as a relief pitcher, all with the Cleveland Indians, from 2006-2012.

In 2014 he split time between the Texas Rangers, the Pittsburg Pirates, and the Mexican league, playing for the Triple-A Round Rock club for the Rangers, the Triple-A Indianapolis with the Pirates, and with Rojos del Aguila de Vercruz in Mexico.

In 7-years and 329.0 Major League innings as a reliever, Rafael Perez posted a 21-12 record, a 3.64 ERA, a career 1.382 WHIP with 268 strikeouts and 117 walks.

As a pseudo reclamation project and depth move, the Mariners signed Perez presumably to add depth to their Triple-A Tacoma bullpen while also providing stop-gap left-handed reliever depth in the system.

If the Mariners were to lose either Charlie Furbush or David Rollins or Lucas Luetge (who will likely be in Triple-A as well) to injury.

However, at the same time, Perez could show some serious stuff in Spring Training and find his way into a likely 7-man bullpen for the Mariners.

What do you think about this move by the Mariners? It seems like it will be a largely inexpensive one that comes with little risk. The team has the bullpen arms it needs– maybe more than it needs– but you can never have enough pitching depth, especially as arms fatigue and mid-season injuries can mount faster than one expects.

With the move, the Mariners are putting the bow on their very effective and targeted offseason, one that included signing one of the best FA hitters in Nelson Cruz, wrapping up Kyle Seager long-term, and setting up a potentially potent platoon in right field.