Mariners Release Taiwanese Reliever Hong-Chih Kuo
Hong-Chih Kuo’s run with the Seattle Mariners didn’t last long — six weeks after signing the Taiwanese reliever to a one year-contract, the M’s have reversed course and released him.
The Mariners have released left-handed reliever Hong-Chih Kuo. The 40-man roster is now at 39 players.
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Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 19, 2012Kuo was expected to form a formidable 1-2 setup punch with George Sherrill, paving the way for closer Brandon League. Instead the 30-year-old lefty finds himself unemployed with two weeks to go until the regular season.
Kuo had a difficult season for the Dodgers last year, missing part of the season with an anxiety disorder and then undergoing the fifth elbow surgery of his career in October. He finished with an ERA of 9.00 — 27 earned runs allowed in 27 innings of work.
Kuo was one of the most dominant middle relievers in baseball between 2008 and ’10, putting up ERAs of 2.14, 3.00 and 1.20 for the Los Angeles Dodgers during those three seasons. He was a National League All-Star in 2010.
