It's been speculated here for a while, and now it's official. Kameron Loe has won a spot in the 2013 Seattle Mariners bullpen, as the Mariners announced they have purchased his contract and moved reliever Josh Kinney to the 60-day disabled list.
Moving Kinney to the 60-day DL frees up a spot on the 40-man roster, so there will not be any more corresponding roster transactions from this move. Kinney has a stress reaction in his left shoulder and will be out for an undetermined amount of time, although his move to the 60-day DL suggests he could be out for far longer than was originally anticipated.
Loe moves into the bullpen after signing a minor league contract this spring, and his history as well as this year's projection was outlined here last week. Loe is a ground ball specialist who will most likely pitch in both middle and long relief.
There is a chance more relievers could be added as other teams make their own cuts, but they would have to drop somebody from the 40-man roster to make it happen, which seems unlikely at this point.
Assuming the Mariners go with a 7 man pen, it now stands as is:
- Tom Wilhemsen
- Stephen Pryor
- Carter Capps
- Oliver Perez
- Lucas Luetge
- Kameron Loe
- Charlie Furbush
If the Mariners decide to keep a long reliever/spot starter or go with a 6 man bullpen (unlikely), it's reasonable to project that Luetge might be the first one out, as he has options after last year's Rule 5 pick spent all last year on the active roster. For now, one spot has been determined.