Arthur Rhodes is coming home. The 37 year old left hander had his best years in a Mariner uniform and in 2001 and 2002, Rhodes was about as good as you can get with WHIPs of 0.85 and 0.83 respectively. Since leaving the Mariners, he’s had a pretty tough road though. He still strikes guys out but three of his past four seasons have been pretty pedestrians. Only his 2005 season with the Indians stands out.
This is a guy who has held left handed hitters to a .224 batting average through out his career though and his strikeout rate against righties is just as good against lefties so he can get an out when he needs one. This was a nice pickup especially considering it’s a minor league deal and there’s money on the line unless Rhodes makes the big league team.
The Mariners are also close to adding another starter and they’re getting the guy who’s probably the best of the crop that’s left out there. Apparantly, despite several other teams being interested, the Mariners are close to a deal for the right hander. Weaver had a pretty rough 2006 but then made a name for himself, a la Derek Lowe, in the post season. Weaver did pitch pretty well for the Dodgers in 2004 and 2005 though and with Safeco being a pitchers park, maybe it will suit Weaver better.