Chavez, 37, exercised an opt-out clause in his deal to reach the open market. He has spent the last two seasons with the Mariners, combining for 537 plate appearances with a .271/.303/.347 slash.
The 32-year-old Gutierrez, meanwhile, sat out all of 2014 and has seen only five plate appearances in Cactus League action this spring. He has been a productive player at times, though certainly will need to prove his health and productivity if he is to re-establish himself in the big leagues.
Meanwhile, Saunders will figure to provide a depth option for the Mariners’ pitching staff. The lefty has had difficult results in each of the last two seasons, but has a long track record of durability.
]]>YESTERDAY: The Mariners have re-signed outfielder Endy Chavez to a minor-league deal with a Spring Training invitation, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. Previous reports had indicated that a reunion between Chavez and the Mariners was likely. Chavez is represented by the Legacy Agency.
Chavez, who turns 37 early next month, collected 258 plate appearances with the Mariners in 2014, hitting .276/.317/.371 while playing all three outfield positions. The 13-year veteran also appeared with Seattle in 2009 and 2013.
]]>Here’s the latest from around the league to finish up the night …
YESTERDAY, 3:38pm: Chavez has already reached agreement on a new minor league deal, tweets Dutton.
3:18pm: The Mariners will release outfielder Endy Chavez and catcher Humberto Quintero rather than paying the pair $100K retention bonuses, tweets Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune (via Twitter). Both will hit the open market as a result.
The pair of veterans have a combined 23 years of MLB experience between them. It appears that Seattle would be interested in bringing them back on new minor league deals, but they'll have a chance to look for a better opportunity elsewhere in the meantime.
]]>YESTERDAY: The Mariners have agreed to a minor league deal with outfielder Endy Chavez, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports (Twitter link). Chavez, a Legacy Agency client, will receive an invitation to Seattle's big league Spring Training camp.
Chavez, who turns 36 in February, signed a minor league deal with the M's last March and ended up playing in 97 Major League games, seeing time at all three outfield positions and hitting .267/.290/.327 in 279 PA. Chavez joins a crowded outfield situation in Seattle, as he'll be battling Franklin Gutierrez, Willie Bloomquist, Abraham Almonte and Dustin Ackley for either bench jobs or even a regular share of starting time in left field.
]]>No team has scored more runs than the Mariners this month, which is an encouraging sign for a team whose rotation is fronted by Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma. The Mariners have a number of veterans on one year deals, including Kendrys Morales, Mike Morse, Joe Saunders, Oliver Perez, Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay, many of whom were frequently mentioned as trade candidates.
Heyman tweets that in particular, there's little belief that Seattle would move Morales, as they plan on extending a qualifying offer to him at season's end. He's been terrific for the M's since coming over from the division rival Angels this offseason, hitting .282/.341/.466 with 15 homers.
Recently, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times noted that general manager Jack Zduriencik wasn't planning on being aggressive at the trade deadline because the franchise needed to show some progress to fans and couldn't afford another 90-loss season. Obviously, that's doubly true for Zduriencik himself, as his job has been rumored to be in jeopardy. At the time that piece was written, Stone thought Perez would certainly be moved, and added that the Mariners could make small trades of Brendan Ryan and Endy Chavez. It appears now that the Mariners, who are 8.5 games back from a Wild Card spot, will hold steady.
]]>11:05am: Not surprisingly, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times confirms that it's a minor league contract. As Baker writes, the bigger story behind this signing is that it places Casper Wells' future with the Mariners in doubt.
10:40am: The Mariners have signed Endy Chavez, according to agent Chris Leible of the Legacy Agency on Twitter (hat tip: Andy Martino of the New York Daily News). Chavez will report to camp with the Mariners today.
Chavez signed a minor league deal with the Royals earlier this offseason, but Kansas City released the 35-year-old last week.
Chavez spent the 2009 season with the Mariners, appearing in 54 games and posting a .273/.328/.342 batting line before a torn ACL cost him the remainder of the season. Chavez is a veteran of 11 Major League seasons and seven teams. He is a career .269/.306/.367 hitter and a very highly regarded defensive outfielder at all three positions, as evidenced by his career 11.7 UZR/150.
]]>The Royals added Chavez on a minor league deal in December after he spent the 2012 season with Baltimore. Chavez played all three outfield positions for the Orioles last year, posting a .203/.236/.278 batting line in 169 plate appearances. The 35-year-old has played for seven teams in his 11-year MLB career.
]]>Chavez (who turns 35 in February) signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Orioles last offseason and hit .203/.236/.278 in 169 plate appearances for Baltimore in 2012. Chavez spent most his 64 games as a defensive replacement in left and right field and it's likely he'll fill a similar backup role in Kansas City. On paper he fits as a left-handed hitting complement to Jeff Francoeur in right field, but Chavez's career .676 OPS against right-handed pitching is even less than Francoeur's much-maligned career numbers (.702 OPS) against righties.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was the first to report the signing, with ESPN's Jerry Crasnick adding that it was a minor league deal and that the Giants also had interest in Chavez's services (both links are to Twitter).
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