The Seattle Mariners made an intriguing move on Tuesday, signing former Los Angeles Angels closer Ty Buttrey to a minor league deal.
Buttrey himself announced the deal on social media:
Just signed with the Seattle Mariners! Heading to AZ this Saturday to get back to work. I am so thankful for this opportunity…it has been an extremely humbling and insightful experience these last 3 years! This journey I’ve been on has been absolutely WILD to say the least.
It certainly has been a journey for Buttrey, who played for the Angels from 2018-2020, serving as a closer during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
He suddenly announced he was leaving baseball before the 2021 season and took the year off. He came back in 2022, pitching in the minors for the Angels and he spent 2023 in the minors with the Astros, but was injured for a majority of the season.
There's obviously no guarantee that he makes the Mariners roster, but he is an intriguing candidate for their bullpen. Seattle has a history of taking under-the-radar arms and turning them into useful relievers. They did it with Paul Sewald, Drew Steckenrider and Justin Topa in recent years.
As of right now, the team figures to have Matt Brash, Andres Munoz and Topa as locks for the bullpen. Lefty Gabe Speier should slot in as well but there are a few slots remaining that Buttrey will be competing for.
Lifetime, he's 8-11 with a 4.30 ERA. He's appeared in 115 games and owns 11 saves.
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