March 21, 2022

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Veteran left-hander Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) has signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners, per Steve Adams from MLB Trade Rumors.

The Mariners have yet to officially announce the transaction.

With the deal, the Canuck southpaw returns to the team he enjoyed his greatest major league success with in 2017. In nine appearances with the M’s that season - including six starts - Albers went 5-1 with a 3.51 ERA and struck out 37 batters in 41 innings.

Albers appeared in five games (three starts) for the Minnesota Twins last season and posted 1-2 record and 7.58 ERA. That represented his third stint with the Twins. He registered a 4.10 ERA in 10 starts for the Twins in 2013 and then after pitching one game for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015, returned to toe the rubber in six games for the Twins the following year.

Albers landed with the Mariners in 2017 before signing a contract with Orix Buffaloes of the Japan Pacific League. The crafty southpaw excelled in his first season in Japan, finishing with a 9-2 record and a 3.08 ERA in 19 starts before he was hampered by a back injury in 2019. He rebounded to be a key starter for the Buffaloes in 2020, registering a 3.66 ERA in 17 games, while striking out 70 in 96 innings.

In all, the veteran lefty has pitched in parts of 13 professional seasons and owns a 3.70 ERA in 327 appearances, including 174 starts, spanning 1,462 2/3 innings.

He has also made eight appearances for the Canadian national team and was a member of both Pan Am Games gold medal-winning teams in 2011 and 2015. More recently, he pitched the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter for Canada against Colombia in the Americas Olympic Qualifier on May 31.