Mariners announce Marc Rzepczynski signing, add bonus arm in Casey Fien
Dec 3, 2016, 5:39 PM | Updated: 5:50 pm
The Mariners have officially announced the signing of left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski, and they threw in another addition for good measure. Along with the two-year deal with Rzepczynski, the Mariners have signed right-handed reliever Casey Fien to a one-year deal.
To make room for both players on the 40-man roster, Dean Kiekhefer and Zach Lee have been designated for assignment.
In eight big league seasons, Rzepczynski has limited left-handed batters to a .222 average and .589 OPS. Breaking into the league originally a starter, he has made 394 relief appearances since 2011, fourth most by any left-handed reliever in that time span. He can be used as a left-on-left specialist or in slightly longer outings.
Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. joins Hot Stove podcast
Fien comes to the Mariners after a down year split between the Twins and Dodgers. He ran a 5.49 ERA in 39 appearances, showing improvement late in the year with the Dodgers. The Mariners will hope to see him bounce back to his pre-2016 numbers. While he signed a Major League contract, he does have an option remaining and therefore can be sent to the minor leagues.
With the Rzepzcynski signing, general manager Jerry Dipoto can cross another need off of his offseason list. While not the power lefty he had talked about wanting to acquire, Rzepczynski does bring experience in higher-leverage situations. He also comes with recent experience against the division (smallish sample alert), allowing just one earned run in 17 appearances against the Angels, Astros and Rangers last year.
Saturday’s moves leave the 40-man roster full.
