Mariners bolster bullpen with Rzepczynski, Fien

SEATTLE — Jerry Dipoto dipped into the free-agent ranks for the first time this offseason on Saturday, as the Mariners finalized contracts with two veteran relievers — lefty Marc Rzepczynski and right-hander Casey Fien.

Rzepczynski signed a two-year deal, with ESPN reporting the value at $5.5 million per year. Fien agreed to a one-year contract that will pay him $1.1 million if he makes the Major League roster, according to The News Tribune. To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Dean Kiekhefer and right-hander Zach Lee were designated for assignment.

• Hot Stove Tracker

Rzepczynski (pronounced “zep-CHIN-ski”) fills the Mariners’ need for a lefty specialist, one of Dipoto’s primary remaining goals in an offseason in which he’s already engineered six trades and now added the two free agents.

Fien adds further options to the right side of the bullpen, where the club returns closer Edwin Diaz along with Steve Cishek, Nick Vincent, Dan Altavilla, Evan Scribner and Arquimedes Caminero, though Cishek is recovering from surgery to repair a torn hip labrum and might be slowed for the start of Spring Training.

Rzepczynski went 1-0 with a 2.64 ERA in 47 2/3 innings split between Oakland and Washington in 2016, and he solves the biggest issue for a bullpen that lost southpaws Mike Montgomery and Vidal Nuno in trades over the past four months, while Charlie Furbush declined a Minor League outright as he recovers from shoulder surgery that will sideline him for the upcoming season.

That leaves an experienced starter as …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com