Report: Mariners, OF Gutierrez agree to one-year deal worth $1 million
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Outfielder Franklin Gutierrez is reportedly staying in Seattle:
http://t.co/Uyb6SwhEpM source: Franklin Gutierrez and #Mariners agree 1 year, $1 million contract. "Guti" could add $2 M in incentives
— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) December 18, 2013
Whether Gutierrez can stay healthy is another matter, but for the Mariners, the deal, at only a guaranteed $1 million, is probably a risk worth taking.
Gutierrez hit .248/.273/.503 in 41 games in 2013, with 10 home runs and 24 RBI. He's played only 173 games over the last three years, just over the amount of a full, 162-game season, and has a 82 OPS+ over that span.
Injuries and time -- Gutierrez will be 31 in February -- have seemingly taken their toll on Gutierrez's defense, too. Once considered one of the premier outfield defenders in baseball, Gutierrez's defense in 2012 and 2013 has been average.
Time is cruel. Hopefully the Baseball Gods will show Gutierrez some love moving forward. The man who inspired the phrase "Death to Flying Things" deserves it.