Mariners re-sign RHP Hisashi Iwakuma after failed Dodgers deal
The Seattle Mariners have re-signed righthanded pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma to a one-year contract with vesting options for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the team announced Thursday. Financial terms of the contract have not been announced.
Iwakuma, 34, had reportedly agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, but the Dodgers reportedly backed out of the deal upon reviewing the results of his physical. Iwakuma missed time with a strained lat muscle last year, but finished the season without any apparent injury.
In 20 starts and 129 2/3 innings for the Mariners last season, Iwakuma recorded a 3.54 ERA with 111 strikeouts, including a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 12. He has spent his entire four-year MLB career with the Mariners after a lengthy tenure pitching in Japan.
The Mariners posted a video on Twitter of general manager Jerry Dipoto announcing Iwakuma’s return at the team holiday party.
“We said from the start that Kuma was a priority for us,” Dipoto said in a statement. “Obviously, the developments from the last few days allowed us to get back in the game. It’s a credit to our ownership...that we were able to get aggressive and find a way to bring Kuma back to the Mariners. We’re all thrilled. This is a big move for us.”
- Erin Flynn
