Mariners sign Mark Lowe to minor-league deal

The Mariners have signed reliever Mark Lowe to a minor-league deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick. Lowe will head to Triple-A Tacoma to begin the year.

Lowe, who turns 34 in June, was released by the Tigers over the weekend after failing to make the team’s bullpen out of spring training. The veteran signed a 2-year, $11 million deal with Detroit during the 2015 Winter Meetings, but posted a 7.11 ERA in 49.1 innings with the club last year.

Lowe returns to Seattle for a third stint with the M’s after appearing for the club from 2006 to 2010 and again in 2015. He surged to a career year in 2015 with the Mariners and Blue Jays, posting a combined 1.96 ERA in 55 innings while registering a 10.0 K/9.

Lowe joins Dillon Overton, James Pazos, Casey Fien and Mark Rzepczynski as new additions in the Mariners’ bullpen this winter, and may eventually serve as a middle-relief option in front of Nick Vincent, Dan Altavilla and closer Edwin Diaz.

Lowe is a veteran of 11 major-league seasons with the Mariners (2006-10, 2015), Rangers (2010-12), Angels (2013), Indians (2014), Blue Jays (2015) and Tigers (2016). He owns a career 4.22 ERA while making $16.8 million in that span.