The Mariners agreed to a minor league deal with reliever Garrett Hill, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. The former Tigers righty had elected minor league free agency in November.
Hill, 29, pitched for Detroit between 2022-23. He logged 60 1/3 innings across 17 appearances two seasons ago, turning in a 4.03 ERA. His 15.2% strikeout rate and 11% walk percentage weren’t encouraging. That caught up to him the following year, as he allowed more than a run per inning with as many walks as strikeouts across 15 2/3 MLB frames. The Tigers dropped Hill from their 40-man roster after that season. They circled back rather quickly to re-sign him on a minor league pact.
The San Diego State product opened last season on the injured list. He was reinstated in late May and assigned to Double-A Erie. Hill struck out nearly a third of opposing hitters and earned a promotion to Triple-A Toledo a couple months later. He had a tougher time at the top minor league level. Hill allowed 4.76 earned runs per nine over 28 1/3 frames. His strikeout rate fell to 21.7% while his walks jumped to an alarming 19.4% clip.
Hill isn’t likely to get consideration for an Opening Day bullpen spot in Seattle. He’ll begin the season in the upper minors and look to harness the swing-and-miss stuff he’s shown in the minors. Hill has a 28.7% strikeout rate and a near-11% walk rate over six minor league campaigns.