Edwards, Mariners finalize $950,000, 1-year contract

SEATTLE (AP) — Reliever Carl Edwards Jr. and the Seattle Mariners finalized a one-year contract on Wednesday with a $950,000 guaranteed salary.

He can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses, half for games and half for games finished. He would get $50,000 for 30 games, $75,000 for 40 and $125,000 for 50 along with $50,000 for 20 games finished, $75,000 for 30 and $125,000 for 40.

A 28-year-old right-hander, Edwards slumped this year. He had an 8.47 ERA in 22 appearances for the Chicago Cubs and San Diego, which acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline. Edwards gave up six runs over 1 2/3 innings in two games for the Padres. Edwards was bothered this year by a thoracic strain that caused him to spend time on the injured list and was demoted twice to Triple-A Iowa.

“Carl has a great arm, big velocity, big spin on a breaking ball,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “”In 2017 and 2018 he did a great job in a leverage position for a playoff team. Obviously, 2019 wasn’t a good season for him. He’s still going to pitch this year at 28. He’s still got the same ingredients that led him to what he was able to do over those two seasons and since he made his major league debut I think he’s in the top dozen of relief pitchers in Major League Baseball in strikeout percentage. He’s a pretty significant bounce-back candidate for us.”

Edwards made his big league debut with Chicago in 2015 and the following year helped the Cubs win their first World Series title since 1908. He had a 2.60 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 52 innings for the Cubs in 2018.

Seattle announced a one-year contract with infielder Patrick Wisdom, who hit 31 homers this year for Triple-A Nashville and batted .154 in nine games with Texas. Earlier this week, the Mariners agreed to a $2 million, one-year deal with right-hander Kendall Graveman.