Endy Chavez has signed a minor league deal with Seattle. (Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports)
Adding outfield depth, the Seattle Mariners signed veterans Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez to minor league contracts Monday. Both players were invited to the team’s major league spring camp.
Chavez, 36, opened last season in the minors but returned to the majors with Seattle in late May.
Gutierrez, 31, missed the entire 2014 season due to health problems that included a digestive issue.
In 80 games with the Mariners last season, Chavez hit .276 with a .317 on-base percentage, a .371 slugging percentage, two homers and 23 RBIs. Over 13 major league seasons with seven teams, Chavez has a career .270/.308/.364 batting line with 30 homers, 266 RBIs and 106 stolen bases in 1,151 games.
Gutierrez appeared in just 41 games for Seattle in 2013 due to injuries and illness. Over a major league career that includes four seasons with the Cleveland Indians and five with the Mariners, Gutierrez owns a .256/.306/.391 hitting line with 67 homers, 279 RBIs and 79 stolen bases in 762 games.
