Mariners confirm deal for lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski, also sign Casey Fien

One last bit of business Saturday for the Mariners before their front-office personnel packed up and headed across the country for the annual Winter Meetings:

The signing of free-agent reliever Marc Rzepczynski is now official.

That’s not all.

The Mariners also signed right-handed pitcher Casey Fien to a one-year deal after clearing space for the two additions on their 40-man roster by designating right-hander Zach Lee and lefty Dean Kiekhefer for assignment.

The deal with Rzepczynski, 31, is for $11 million over two years. He is an eight-year veteran who compiled a 2.70 ERA over 70 games while splitting last season between Oakland and Washington.

The signing fills the Mariners’ acknowledged need for a proven late-inning lefty reliever who, in particular, excels in left-on-left situations. Rzepczynski has limited left-handed hitters to a .222 average in his career.

"Zep fits us very well," general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "We particularly like how his left-on-left skills pair with guys like Steve Cishek and Nick Vincent, who are both proficient versus right-handed hitters."

Rzepczynski (pronounced zep-CHIN-skee) has a 3.80 ERA in 419 career games with six clubs.

Fien has an option remaining and agreed to a split contract that pays him $1.1 million if he spends the entire season in the big leagues. He was 1-1 with a 5.49 ERA last season in 39 relief outings for Minnesota and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"Casey brings physical stuff," Dipoto said, "plus veteran experience and a steady strike-throwing presence that improves our depth and flexibility."

Fien, 33, is 17-17 with a 4.06 ERA in 293 career appearances over seven seasons with Detroit, Minnesota and the Dodgers.

The Mariners acquired Kiekhefer, 27, from St. Louis in a Nov. 4 waiver claim. He had a 5.32 ERA in 26 relief appearances for the Cardinals in his big-league debut after compiling a 3.20 ERA in 265 minor-league games over seven seasons..

Lee, 24, was 0-9 with a 7.39 ERA in 14 starts at Triple-A Tacoma after the Mariners obtained him in a June 19 trade from the Dodgers for infielder Chris Taylor.

Signing Rzepczynski and Fien continues a busy off-season for the Mariners prior to the Winter Meetings, which open Monday and run through Thursday morning at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center near Washington, D.C.

The Mariners made six trades involving 17 players between Nov. 6 and Nov. 28. They also removed 16 other players from their 40-man roster ended through various transactions since their season ended.

That makeover leaves the acquisition of a veteran starting pitcher as the Mariners’ only remaining off-season priority.

Bob Dutton: @TNT_Mariners

This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Mariners confirm deal for lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski, also sign Casey Fien."