Seattle inks 9 players to minor-league deals

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SEATTLE -- Former major leaguers Rey Ordonez, Jesse Foppert and Tony Torcato were among nine players signed by the Seattle Mariners to minor league contracts Tuesday.

Ordonez, who hasn't played in the majors since 2004, is a three-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop who played with the New York Mets from 1996-2002. A career .246 hitter, Ordonez also played one season each in Tampa Bay and with the Chicago Cubs.

Foppert pitched in Seattle's minor league system last season, going 0-1 with a 6.95 ERA at Triple-A Tacoma, but spent most of the season on the disabled list. Foppert came to Seattle as part of a 2005 trade that sent Randy Winn to San Francisco, but was released by Seattle after the season.

Torcato played outfield for the San Francisco Giants from 2002-2005, and hit .298 with three RBIs in 43 games.

Ordonez, Foppert, Torcato and infielder Brant Ust signed contracts with Triple-A Tacoma.

Right-hander Cibney Bello signed with Double-A West Tennessee, while lefty Josh Kite and righty Michael Wagner signed with Single-A Wisconsin and right-hander Jared Eichelberger signed with Single-A Everett.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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