Mariners sign Endy Chavez, Franklin Gutierrez to minor-league deals

The Mariners have announced that they have signed outfielders Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez to minor-league deals with invitations to spring training. This marks the third straight year Chavez has been invited to spring training on a minor-league deal. Gutierrez was signed to a one-year deal for 2014 but spent the year on the unpaid reserve list after telling the club he was not healthy enough to play.

Chavez hit .271/.303/.347/.650 in 498 at-bats the past two seasons for the Mariners. While he wasn’t on the opening day roster either of those years, he spent the majority of his time the last two seasons on the big-league roster. This year, however, he could be facing more of a challenge in making the roster with the additions of Seth Smith and Justin Ruggiano.

The climb back to the bigs could be even steeper for Gutierrez, who missed last year and played just 173 games in the three prior years due to injury and illness. We shall see if the time off has helped with his durability. When I spoke with him this summer he told me that he felt he had a much better handle on the ankylosing spondylitis, the condition that at times caused debilitating pain and stiffness in his hips and legs. He reported no troubles in his short stint in winter ball.

With the additions, the Mariners’ spring training roster is now at 57 players.

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