Injuries limited Mike Carp to 354 plate appearances in Triple-A and Seattle last year. (US Presswire)

The Mariners announced Tuesday that they have officially signed starting pitcher Joe Saunders, while designating first baseman Mike Carp for assignment.

We've already covered the Saunders addition, but let's talk for a minute about Carp.

A 26-year-old left-handed batter, Carp received roughly a full season's worth of plate appearances from the Mariners over the past four years, hitting .255/.327/.413 with 18 home runs in 608 plate appearance.

His peak came in 2011, when he hit .276/.326/.466 with 12 home runs in 313 plate appearances for the Mariners and .343/.411/.649 with 21 home runs in 286 plate appearances at Triple-A.

Unfortunately for Carp, he spent the 2012 season dealing with injuries to his shoulder, groin and hip, limiting him to 354 plate appearances combined in Triple-A and with the Mariners.

The move to designate Carp for assignment came as no surprise because the Mariners spent the offseason adding several players at first base and designated hitter, including Kendrys Morales, Michael Morse, Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay.

But Carp reportedly was drawing trade interest at the end of last season, and it would be surprising to see him pass through waivers unclaimed.

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