Mariners sign Corey Hart to 1
Posted: Wednesday, December 11, 2013, 2:52 PM
Seattle has added a strong right-handed bat to hit behind Robinson Cano.
The Seattle Mariners have signed free-agent first baseman/outfielder Corey Hart to a one-year contract, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The financial details of the contract are unknown at this time.
Hart, 31, was reportedly working on a deal Tuesday night that would have kept him in Milwaukee, but apparently got a better offer from Seattle.
Hart missed the entirety of 2013 recovering from microfracture surgery on his right knee, but he figures to be healthy and plug right into the heart of the Mariners' lineup behind Robinson Cano when the 2014 season begins. The two-time all-star is a career .276/.334/.491 hitter in parts of nine seasons, and averaged 24 home runs per year in his six seasons as a full-time player.
It's unclear where on the field the M's will put Hart given his leg issues, but he could potentially split time between right field, first base and designated hitter. The Kentucky native was primarily a right fielder for his first several seasons of big-league ball, but moved to the cold corner in 2012 when his knee problems surfaced.
Right-handed hitters have always struggled to maintain their power at Safeco Field -- see: Adrian Beltre -- but the park played almost neutral against righties in 2013 after the left-field fence was moved in, so there's a chance that Hart's production won't suffer as much in Seattle as might have at one time.
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This article originally appeared on SBNation.
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