SAN DIEGO — In past years, the Mariners have been able to use the annual Rule 5 draft to find relief pitchers that have contributed to their bullpen.

Right-handers Brandon Brennan (2018) and Yohan Ramirez (2019) were able stay on the MLB roster for an entire season and remain a part of the Mariners organization, while right-hander Will Vest (2020) made 32 appearances in 2021 before being placed on waivers.

Will Chris Clarke be the Mariners’ next success story from the unique winter draft?

The Mariners selected the lanky right-hander from the Chicago Cubs organization with their first-round selection (No. 22 pick) in Wednesday’s Rule 5 draft, which features players with either four or five years of minor-league service time and not on a MLB 40-man roster available.

Clarke, 24, made 21 starts and five relief appearances between High Class A South Bend and Class AA Tennessee last season, posting a 10-6 record with a save and a 4.64 ERA. In 120 1/3 innings, he struck out 110 with only 25 walks. At Class AA, Clarke had a 7-5 record with a 4.93 ERA with 20 walks and 87 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings.

“His skill set was really appealing to us,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. ”I know the surface line doesn’t look super exciting. He was probably the unluckiest pitcher in Double-A last year. He does a lot of things we like, and we think we can help him in some ways, too. This is a guy we feel like there’s some dials to turn. So why not take a shot and see if we can help him?”

Selected by the Cubs out of USC in the fourth-round of the 2019 draft, Clarke has pitched in three minor-league seasons, posting a 10-13 record with a 4.26 ERA in 39 starts and seven relief appearances. In 196 2/3 innings, he ha struck out 185 with just 42 walks.

Clarke, 6 feet 7, uses his length to create downward plane on his pitch and uses a sinking fastball to get ground-ball outs. He had a 58% ground-ball rate in 2022.

“It’s the (downward) plane plus the actual ball action, which is exciting to us,” Hollander said. “It’s not just that he’s tall and he throws downhill. It’s that he has real sink. Ground balls, strikes and size — that’s a good combination. That’s a good starter kit for someone who can help you in the big leagues.”

While he’s been a starter for most of his pro career, the Mariners are going to use Clarke out of the bullpen.

“He throws a boatload of strikes,” Hollander said. “We can shorten him up and make him into more of a traditional reliever. He’s been a starter and obviously throws more than enough strikes. He has enough length to start. So we can use him in kind of that mixed role. He has real pitches, physical size and youth on his side. It was a gamble worth taking for us.”

Per the collective bargaining agreement, “A player selected in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft must be kept on the Major League 26-man roster of the drafting team for the entirety of next season, and the selected player must remain active (not on the Injured List) for a minimum of 90 days. If the selecting team wishes to remove the Rule 5 pick from the 26-man roster, the player must first be placed on waivers. If he clears waivers, he must then be offered back to his original team. If the original team declines his return, then he may be optioned to the minors.”

The Mariners did not lose any players in the major-league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Hollander was concerned that slugging first baseman Roberto Perez, who had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, might get selected as well as left-handed pitcher Jorge Benitez and right-handed pitcher Riley O’Brien.

In the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft, the Mariners selected two players — first baseman Francisco “Frankie” Tostado from the Giants and utility player Logan Warmoth from the Blue Jays.

Tostado, 24, played in 77 games with Double-A Richmond in 2022, posting a .284/.330/.459 slash line with 16 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs, 41 RBI, 19 walks and 72 strikeouts.

Hollander indicated that Tostado might be traded in the coming days.  

Warmoth, 27, was selected by the Blue Jays in the first round (No. 22 overall) in the 2017 draft out of the University of North Carolina.

Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners president of baseball operations, has an operating philosophy of always taking a chance on former first-round picks because of their pedigree.   

Warmoth, 27, played in 90 games for Class AAA Buffalo in 2022, posting a .228/.325/.375 slash line with 18 doubles, seven homers, 45 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 38 walks and 94 strikeouts. In five minor-league seasons, he has a career .243/.335/.355 slash line in 422 games.

“It’s really hard to sign minor-league infield depth in minor-league free agency right now,” Hollander said. “So being able to add someone who’s got pedigree, who does hit left-handed pitching very well and can move around the field, and play both in the infield and the outfield — he’s a guy we have followed for a long time and someone who we thought would help us out the minor leagues this year.”

The Mariners lost three players in the minor-league draft: right-handed pitcher Jose Aquino, left-handed pitcher Max Roberts and veteran infielder Riley Unroe.

Players selected in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 draft are not tethered to an affiliate or level.

Mariners bring back Sadler

After he missed the 2022 season because of shoulder surgery and uncertain of his availability moving forward, the Mariners removed Casey Sadler from their 40-man roster, allowing him to become a free agent.

But given his history of success with the team, specifically the 2021 season, and the potential for him to help the bullpen, the Mariners are bringing him back on a minor-league contract for 2022 with an invite to MLB spring training. He is expected to report to camp healthy and compete for a spot in the bullpen.

The deal hasn’t been officially finalized but could be done in the next few days.

Sadler, 32, posted an 0-1 record with a 0.67 ERA in 42 appearances in 2021. A valuable middle reliever, he struck out 37 with 10 walks in 40 1/3 innings. He did not allow a run in his last 29 appearances in 2021 (27 2/3 innings), a Mariners franchise record.