Mariners sign Chris Young to 1-year deal

The Seattle Mariners have signed right-handed starter Chris Young to a one-year, major league contract, according to a major league source. The agreement was first reported by Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune.

Young, who recently opted out of his minor league deal with the Nationals after learning that he would not make the major league roster, will be the Mariners' fourth starter to start the season, according to a source. Seattle was originally going to give that spot to Randy Wolf, but he asked for his release once the team asked him to sign a 45-day waiver that would mean the M's would not have to pay his entire salary if he was released in the first 45 days of the season. With starters Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker both on the shelf to start the season, Seattle will begin with a rotation of Felix Hernandez, Erasmo Ramirez, James Paxton, Young, and either Hector Noesi or Roenis Elias in the final spot.

After spending last season with Triple-A Syracuse in the Nationals' organization, Young re-signed with the club in November in hopes of competing for a rotation job during spring training. He posted a 3.48 ERA in 10.1 innings of work during spring training while striking out nine, but found himself without a spot on Washington's roster to begin the season. By opting out of his minor league deal and inking a major league contract elsewhere, Young becomes the second pitcher to do so this winter--joining Aaron Harang, who went from the Indians to the Braves.

In nine major league seasons with the Rangers (2004-2005), Padres (2006-2010), and Mets (2011-2012), Young has a lifetime 53-43 record and 3.79 ERA in 159 starts. He was an NL All-Star in 2007, but has only made 28 major league starts since 2010 while battling injuries.