Mariners sign Joe Saunders

The Mariners have signed Joe Saunders to a 1-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

The deal will pay Saunders a base salary of $6.5 million with another million available in incentives. The agreement is pending a physical.

Saunders had garnered interest from multiple teams, including the Twins and Orioles, before settling on Seattle.

Saunders, 31, pitched for the Orioles and Diamondbacks last season. He has also previously pitched for the Angels and was traded to Arizona in 2010.

Saunders pitched his way to a 3.63 ERA down the stretch for the Orioles last season, and even started a few crucial playoff games. He pitched the Wild Card play-in game, winning over the Rangers.

The Mariners have now made two moves pertaining to their rotation today, with Saunders being a distant second in both importance and commitment. He should provide Seattle with good rotation depth, as well as competition for the back-end rotation spots in Spring Training.

Saunders won at least 16 games in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009. The Mariners would be thrilled if he repeated that performance.