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MLB: It is authorized: Mariners sign Bedard

Odds & News | Webmaster ( Fri 12th, February 2010 )

The Seattle Mariners signed left handed free agent pitcher Erik Bedard to a one year agreement with one mutual option for 2011, the team announced Saturday morning.

Rumors about Bedard's return had been swirling since midweek, and on Friday Bedard declared to a Canadian newspaper in the French language "Le Droit" that he was airborne to the Mariners' spring training headquarters in Peoria, Arizona, to take a physical. The team has been overseeing Bedard's recovery from shoulder surgery; therefore the physical appears to be more than just a formality.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Bedard told the Le Droit that this will be for $1.5 million in 2010 with incentives.

"We believe Erik is a significant addition for us," Jack Zduriencik the Mariners general manager said at a news release. "We are confident that he will be ready to pitch in Major League games this season. We have monitored his improvement since the surgery and his rehabilitation process as well, and are confident he will be a contributor to our 2010 campaign. We're looking forward to him returning and being part of our organization as we move ahead."

Bedard, 30 years old, is improving from the shoulder surgery, said that he believes that he could be ready to pitch as early as May. He told the Tacoma News Tribune author Larry LaRue that Seattle was his first choice.

"My first choice was to go back to Seattle, so I am extremely happy to get this completed," Bedard said in a news release. "I love the moves that the team made this winter, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the mound and helping them this year."

When healthy, Bedard is one of the most dominant left handed pitchers there is in baseball. Last season, he was 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA in fifteen starts and was likely pitching with pain in his shoulder. He was put on the disabled list from June 17th-July 7th with shoulder swelling. He went back on the DL on July 26th and finally had surgery in August.

The Mariners chose righty Yusmeiro Petit for assignment to make room for Bedard on their 40 man roster. They have 10 days to trade, release or assign Petit to the minors.

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