Mariners to sign former Marlins closer Steve Cishek

On the Hot Stove Show Friday night, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said that he should have a “strong addition” made to the bullpen by the end of the weekend. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported Saturday morning and sources have confirmed that the Mariners have signed former Marlins closer Steve Cishek to a two-year deal.

According to Heyman, the deal is worth $10 million with incentives that could take the total value of the contract to $17 million. Cishek, 29, is expected to compete with Joaquin Benoit for the closer spot in spring training.

Cishek saved 73 games for the Marlins in 2013 and 2014 but struggled in 2015 with a 4.50 ERA before being traded to the Cardinals in July. With the Cardinals he was not given many save opportunities but he did record numbers closer to his career averages, finishing with a 2.31 ERA in 27 appearances for St. Louis.

Another buy-low bounceback candidate for Dipoto, Cishek had two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, but the Cardinals chose to non-tender him and he became a free agent. MLBTradeRumors.com projected him to earn $7.1 million in arbitration this year; that number would have gone up next year.

The Mariners 40-man roster is full, so they will need to remove a player before this deal is made official.