Last winter, looking for help in the bullpen, the Mariners used their Rule 5 Draft selection on a 21-year-old righty named Jose Flores, who last season struck out 51 against seven walks in 42 innings with A-ball Indians affiliate Lake County. The Mariners then proceeded to construct a pile of bullpen candidates so tall that it cast surrounding villages in permanent darkness. You'll never guess how this turned out.
#Mariners announce return of RHP Jose Flores to Cleveland. Rule 5 selection had to make 25-man roster or be offered back to Tribe.
Seattle Mariners
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Flores' return to Cleveland comes as little surprise, as he hadn't seemed like a legitimate reliever candidate for quite some time. In four spring appearances, he allowed five runs, with four walks and three strikeouts. This move clears another spot on the 40-man roster, and it also means the Mariners get back half of the $50,000 they spent to draft Flores in the first place. That $25,000 will be immediately put towards Franklin Gutierrez's towering medical bill. Somehow, some way, everything that's going on with this team has ties to the Indians.