George Sherrill is officially a member of the Seattle Mariners again.
The veteran left-handed reliever, who had agreed to a one-year deal earlier in December that will pay him $1.1 million, passed his physical, the team announced Friday.
“It’s good to have everything done and know for sure what’s going on,” Sherrill told MLB.com.
The announcement of his signing had been hung up because Sherrill and his wife had been caring for their newborn son and he had not been able to get to Seattle for his physical until after Christmas.
Sherrill, 34, is well-known around these parts, having pitched for the Rainiers and Mariners, who signed him out of an independent league in July 2003. Sherrill began his pro career pitching four-plus seasons in the independent leagues with Evansville, Sioux Falls and Winnipeg.
In four seasons with the Mariners, he posted a 3.65 ERA in 195 appearances. He made 73 appearances in 2007, tied for fourth-most in club history, and 72 in 2006 before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the Erik Bedard trade in February 2008.
He said he understood why former Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi included him in that deal, but was glad to be returning to the Mariners organization.
“Definitely no hard feelings,” he told MLB.com. “It should be a lot of fun coming back to Seattle.”
Sherrill appeared in 51 games with the Atlanta Braves last season, posting a 3-1 record and an 3.00 ERA. He ended the season on the disabled list – going on the DL on Aug. 31 – with left elbow inflammation.
He’s been tough on lefties in his career, a role the Mariners need him to fill in their bullpen. Sherrill has limited lefties to a .180 average, the second-best mark among lefties in baseball since 1974.
In a career that includes stops in Baltimore (2008-09), Los Angeles with the Dodgers (2009-10) and Atlanta, Sherrill has a 19-17 record with 56 saves in 440 career games along with a 3.68 ERA.
With today’s transaction, the Mariners’ 40-man roster is now at 38 players.
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