Mariners Sign Jerry Owens

According to Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Mariners signed outfielder Jerry Owens to a minor league deal.  Owens was designated for assignment to make room for Scott Podsednik a few days ago.

Owens, 28, spent most of last year at Triple A (his third stint at the level).  He hit .276/.346/.316 with 30 steals in 43 tries.  In their 2007 Handbook, Baseball America had this to say about his defense: "He covers plenty of ground in center field, though his arm is below average."